John Joubert, Nebraska Boy Snatcher

The next day, the police went over a large area in town and fanned out into the fields around town.  Monday went by, and then Tuesday, with no progress.  No one came forward to say they'd seen something, and nothing else belonging to Danny Joe had been found.  They could only hope he hadn't been killed and tossed into the river, for then they might never find him.

Body found, aerial view

On Wednesday, they finally had a break.   One of the searchers called out that he'd found "the package" — a code word to investigators.  Danny Joe's body was located off a gravel road about four miles from where he'd left his bike.  He was clad only in his underwear.  He'd been stripped, killed, and dumped into some weeds that were tall enough to have barely hidden him.  He had been stabbed nine times, front and back, and his ankles were bound with rope.  There was reason to believe that before he'd died, he had been tortured.  He had likely been alert for several minutes before he bled to death and knew that he was being killed. 

Clothes of victim are discovered

Because there were impressions from pebbles on the body, but not many where it had been dumped, it seemed that Danny Joe had been moved from one spot to another.  Police officers got busy with the crime scene.