BEATRICE – A retired Nemaha County dispatcher and a former Nemaha County Sheriff’s deputy testified to events around the time of Tyler Thomas’ disappearance from Peru State College.


The testimony in the trial of Joshua Keadle, charged with first-degree murder, was taken Friday morning. He’s accused in the disappearance of Thomas, a student and dance-team leader from Omaha.


Linda Colgrove was on duty as the lone Nemaha County dispatcher, the early morning of December 3rd, when Thomas was last seen. She received a nine-one-one call asking if a female had been arrested. None had been made. A second call came from the same female, identified by first name, as Chloe.
"She said she had a missing girl, in Peru. (Prosecutor Doug Warner) "Did you get some names, identifying information for the person she was concerned about?" (Colgrove) "Yes, I got her name and cell phone number. I got the name of the girl that was missing and her cell phone number". (Warner) "and the missing girl's name given, was what? (Colgrove) "Tyler Thomas".


Dispatch logged descriptive information, names and phone numbers and provided it to Nemaha Deputy Jesse Blaser. Colgrove said the missing person report, the first she had ever received as a dispatcher, was also forwarded to the Nebraska State Patrol. She also left messages on Chloe’s number and Tyler Thomas’ phone.
Former Deputy Blaser, now a K-9 handler for an Oregon Sheriff’s Department, was on duty the overnight hours with a K-9 when Tyler Thomas went missing…working a shift of five p.m. December 2nd, 2010, to 2:30 a.m. on the 3rd. He talked about the report call from Chloe.


"She said that Tyler got into an argument with some friends. They had been drinking. After the argument, Tyler said that she was going to walk to Omaha".


Blaser said a text message from Tyler to Chloe indicated that Tyler, “was lost”. Blaser, who was patrolling the area, did not encounter anyone on foot walking to Omaha. He also contacted others who had tried to contact Thomas. A search of Thomas’ dorm room found nothing to indicate where she had gone.
Nearby counties, Atchison and Fremont, did not report any female walking along a roadway. One tip was received about Thomas possibly being seen, down by the Missouri River, along with a report of a possible sighting of Joshua Keadle’s vehicle there, December 3rd, between twelve noon and one p.m.
Blaser said he was familiar with the boat dock area at the river, east of Peru.


"The last messages Tyler sent to people said she was lost. And, I figured it was hard to get lost in town, and the next logical place would be where people frequent...the college kids like to frequent...hang out....which would be down by the river".


Upon defense cross-examination, Blaser said one possibility was that Thomas was suicidal…based on the vague nature of a text message she had sent. In the deputy’s words, “you’re exploring every option you have”.


This was the first week of testimony in a trial that could last three weeks.