Body Found in Rural Oxford Identified

UPDATE December 22, 2025

The Lincoln Police Department and Nebraska State Patrol have identified the person found deceased in rural Furnas County last week as Jerica Hamre.

It’s not the outcome any of us wanted — our hearts are broken for her family and loved ones. Our condolences go out to them as they learned this news just days before the holidays.

LPD wants to thank all of you — thousands on social media — who shared about her disappearance, called in tips and kept her story in the news.

Jerica Hamre was reported missing in Lincoln on July 3, 2024.

Since Hamre’s disappearance, numerous search efforts have been conducted near the location in which her body was found. The searches included law enforcement, family, friends, and community volunteers.

Hamre’s body was discovered on Wednesday, December 17, on a rural farm in Furnas County, near Oxford. A representative of the farm owner(s) was inspecting the property in preparation for sale and found the body in a remote outbuilding.

Investigators do not believe Hamre has an association to the property where she was discovered, or to property owner(s).

The investigation now transitions into the next phase — determining how and when she died and who is responsible for Jerica’s death. Her death is being investigated as a homicide.

Lincoln Police Department does have a person of interest in this case, who is already in custody on unrelated charges, and there is NO ongoing threat to the community.

Rest in Peace, Jerica and we pray for peace and healing from this tragedy for the family.

Our original story tracked all the searches during the 18 months she was missing.

FOUND DECEASED; Jerica Hamre

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(OXFORD, Neb.) — The Nebraska State Patrol is conducting a death investigation after a deceased person was found in rural Furnas County.

The body was discovered Wednesday on a rural farm in northeast Furnas County, north of Oxford. A representative of the farm’s owners was inspecting the property in preparation for sale and found the body in an outbuilding in one of the fields. The Furnas County Sheriff’s Office has asked the Nebraska State Patrol to conduct the death investigation.

NSP crime scene investigators documented the scene and are working to positively identify the deceased person. It was apparent that the person had been deceased for some time. Investigators believe there is no threat to the public.

NSP was assisted on scene by the Furnas County Sheriff’s Office, Oxford Volunteer Fire Department, Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, and a forensic entomologist. The investigation remains ongoing. An autopsy is scheduled for Friday.