Wanda Krumwiede was 48 when she disappeared from Lyons, Nebraska. She was last seen the evening of June 13 or the early morning of June 14, 1995; one neighbor reported seeing her arrive home around 2:00 a.m. After work she spoke with her son and planned to babysit her two grandchildren later that week but never kept the appointment. Family reported her missing on June 16 when she failed to show for work and to care for the children.

Wanda’s house was locked with windows open and no signs of struggle. Her vehicles were parked with keys inside; work clothes were laid out, but her purse and a pair of sneakers were missing. Investigators focused on her estranged husband, Wilhelm Bill Krumwiede. Items recovered from his workshop included a temple fragment of the type of glasses Wanda wore and burned remains of the couple’s 1969 wedding announcement; drops of blood on Bill’s pickup matched Wanda’s DNA.

Bill was charged with murder in October 1996; a 1997 trial ended in mistrial and charges were dismissed in 1998 for insufficient evidence. A probate judge later found that a preponderance of the evidence showed Bill had intentionally killed Wanda. Bill died in a 2003 car accident. Wanda has never been located and foul play is suspected.