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Special Edition


Write your Tribute to Jodi
or voice your opinion about the investigation


Below are stories written by Traveler Staff members concerning Jodi Sanderholm, a 19-year-old Cowley College student who was murdered on Friday, Jan. 5, 2007. The following stories cover the time from when she went missing until after the suspect was arrested. This page will be updated as the story continues to develop...

photo: 0001 Arkansas City woman missing
  Shown here in an undated photo provided by Ark City Police, 19-year-old Jodi Sanderholm was last seen around 1:00 p.m. Friday near Subway in Ark City. She was wearing cutoff grey sweats and a black leotard. Sanderholm is 5 ft. 3 in. and weighs 105 lbs. with brown hair and brown eyes.
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Jodi Sanderholm Tribute Video
Created by Dayton Gates


Police continue search for missing woman
spacer  The search for Jodi Sanderholm, who has been missing since Friday, expanded into southeastern Cowley County Sunday as six law enforcement agencies hunted for the missing Cowley student.
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Search for student narrowed
spacer  The search for Jodi Sanderholm continued Monday with cime scene investigators scouring the Cowley State Fishing Lake and surrounding areas for evidence that would lead to her whereabouts.
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Friends, family gather to pray
spacer  The night was crisp and cold. The sounds of sobs broke the silence and the soft light of candles lit the darkness.
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Community stunned by disappearance
spacer  Brittany Reed learned about the disappearance of one of her close friends and classmates as she reported to work at Wal-Mart Supercenter in Arkansas City last weekend.
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Body found; charges pending
spacer  Arkansas City Police said Tuesday afternoon they had found a female body and pulled the car of Jodi Sanderholm from the Cowley State Fishing Lake.
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Jodi admired, loved
spacer  Smart. Caring. Responsible. That's how friends and family describe Jodi Sanderholm, the 19-year-old Cowley student who has been missing since Friday.
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Body, Jodi's car found
spacer  Like the period at the end of a sentence, a final candlelight vigil was held for Jodi Sanderholm last night, concluding a four-day ritual. The ceremony took place in front of the Ark City Dance building shortly after what police believe is Sanderholm's body was found in southeastern Cowley County.
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Police continue investigation, prepare charges
spacer  Police continued Wednesday to gather evidence for possible charges against an Ark City man in connection with the disappearance and death of Jodi Sanderholm.
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Students gather at school to mourn
spacer  Kim Hager, Fellowship of Christian Athletes sponsor and Ark City High School teacher, told students today not to let the tragic circumstances overshadow their memory of Jodi Sanderholm.
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Death changes people's perception of life in Ark City
spacer  Kayla Strange says she approaches life in Arkansas City differently since the disappearance of a 19-year-old Cowley College student last weekend.
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Family plans memorial
spacer  Authorities Thursday morning had not confirmed the identification of a female body found Tuesday in southeastern Cowley County, but the family of Jodi Sanderholm is confident that it is their 19-year-old daughter and will proceed with her funeral arrangements, said Rev. Charles Grant, First United Methodist Church, Thursday morning.
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Profile of suspect emerging
spacer  The young man being held for questioning related to the disappearance and death of Jodi Sanderholm was playing bingo Saturday night at the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Arkansas City, a VFW official said.
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Winfield cops use Taser to break up bar fight
spacer  An Arkansas City man accused of causing fights at two Winfield bars was tased early Sunday while trying to run from police, authorities said today.
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Ark City man arrested for impersonating an officer
spacer  Justin Thurber, 23, of Ark City, was arrested over the weekend for false impersonation.
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Charges expected next week
spacer  An autopsy completed Thursday did not reveal whether the female body found Tuesday was Jodi Sanderholm, but officials are confident it is her.
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Search team on a mission
spacer  Tim Miller, the director and founder of the Texas-based search and rescue team, EquuSearch, commended the Arkansas City police Wednesday morning for their hard work and for asking for help with Jodi Sanderholm's disappearance. His team was instrumental in locating Sanderholm's car at the bottom of the Cowley State Fishing Lake on Tuesday.
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Official ID made on body
spacer  Attorney General Paul Morrison confirmed Friday that a body discovered earlier this week in southeast Cowley County was that of Jodi Sanderholm.
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Jodi Sanderholm 1987-2007
Her smile lit up the world

spacer  She lit up the stage when she danced; she lit up the world when she smiled.
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Thurber charged
spacer  Authorities filed charged Wednesday morning against Justin Eugene Thurber, 23, for capital murder, rape and aggravated kidnapping in the disappearance and death of 19-year-old Jodi Sanderholm.
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Thurber appears in court
spacer  WINFIELD -- The suspect in Jodi Sanderholm's death appeared this afternoon for the first time in Cowley County District Court on charges of capital murder, rape and aggravated kidnapping.
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Thurber had history of trouble with the law
spacer  Justin Thurber has an extensive criminal record for minor crimes starting in 2004, according to court records.
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Thurber's history questioned
spacer  The extensive arrest record of the man accused of raping and murdering Jodi Sanderholm has raised questions about why he wasn't in jail at the time of the alleged crimes or didn't receive more penalties for past offenses.
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Police seek help with car
spacer  As they assemble a case against a man charged with murdering a 19-year-old college student, police are seeking the public's help in tracking the movement of the suspect's car.
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Police clarify story
spacer  Interim Police Chief Sean Wallace asked for a correction in Thursday's story about the criminal history of Justin Thurber, the man accused of raping and murdering Jodi Sanderholm earlier this month.
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Sanderholm scholarship passes $26,000
spacer  The Shanks Family/Jodi Sanderholm Memorial Scholarship at Cowley College, established in the memory of Don and Peggy Shanks' granddaughter, Jodi Sanderholm, has received more than $26,000 in contributions.
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Dinner will raise money for EquuSearch team
spacer  A spaghetti dinner to raise funds for Texas EquuSearch, the nonprofit, volunteer search-and-rescue team that located Jodi Sanderholm's car after she went missing last month, will be held at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Arkansas City High School Cafeteria.
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EquuSearch founder will attend dinner
spacer  Tim Miller, the founder of the Texas-based EquuSearch, the search-and-rescue team that located Jodi Sanderholm's car last month after she was declared missing, is coming back to town next week.
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Crowds drawn to fundraiser
spacer  Over 1,000 people braved the bitter cold to attend a spaghetti dinner held Tuesday evening at the Arkansas City High School Cafeteria.
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Lawyers to meet in Thurber case, preliminary hearing could be set
spacer  Cowley County Attorney Chris Smith said this morning a scheduling conference has been set for next Tuesday, Feb. 27, for 23-year-old Ark City resident Justin Thurber.
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Prosecutors add charge of sodomy to Thurber case
spacer  Prosecutors on Thursday added another charge against Justin Thurber in the disappearance and death of Jodi Sanderholm.
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Some Jodi T-shirts remaining
spacer  About 50 Jodi memorial T-shirts remain on sale at the Ark City Dance Studio, said Terri Schroeder, studio owner.
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Thurber hearing Friday in Sanderholm case
spacer  A hearing on evidence in the Justin Thurber case will take place at 10 a.m. Friday at the Cowley County Courthouse in Winfield.
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Thurber makes second court appearance
spacer  WINFIELD -- All DNA evidence gathered in the investigation of the Jodi Sanderholm murder may be used up by the prosecution, a district court judge ruled Friday.
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Cowley names science lab after Jodi
spacer  Honoring a young woman whose grace and passion for life touched all who knew her, Cowley College dedicated it's science lab in memory of Jodi Sanderholm on Friday.
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Thurber hearing set to begin
spacer  Thirty-seven witnesses are expected to testify this week at the preliminary hearing of Justin Thurber, charged with capital murder, kidnapping, rape and sodomy in the death of 19-year-old Jodi Sanderholm, of Arkansas City.
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Suspect writes letter to the Traveler
spacer  The suspect in the Jodi Sanderholm killing wrote a letter to the Traveler in March stating that if the newspaper would "start printing the truth" about him, he would answer questions about the Sanderholm case.
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Witnesses tie Thurber to Sanderholm car
spacer  Prosecution witnesses this afternoon linked Justin Thurber to the black sports car owned by Jodi Sanderholm, the 19-year-old Cowley College student found dead in early January.
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Witness says Thurber car followed her
spacer  Lori Legleiter, a Cowley College danceline member, testified today that she saw Justin Thurber sitting in a blue Cadillac in the parking lot of W.S. Scott Auditorium as she entered the building for practice.
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Judge binds Thurber over for trial
spacer  WINFIELD -- Judge Jim Pringle decided this morning that probable cause exists that Justin Thurber kidnapped and killed Jodi Sanderholm Jan. 5.
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Story of fateful night develops
spacer  WINFIELD -- The first day of testimony in the preliminary hearing for Justin Thurber ended on a dramatic note Wednesday as pictures of Jodi Sanderholm's body were flashed on a screen.
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Morrison will file death penalty notice
spacer  A spokeswoman for Attorney General Paul Morrison said Friday that prosecutors would definitely file a notice that they will seek the death penalty in the Justin Thurber murder case.
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Timeline of events
spacer  There are a few important characteristics and features of Jodi's personality that are important to know in order to fully understand the following timeline.
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Sculpture is centerpiece for memorial
spacer  A memorial to Jodi Sanderholm that includes a sculpture of a dancer will be dedicated on June 18 at the Ark City Dance studio.
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Sanderholm Memorial
spacer  The sculpture of a dancer to honor the memory of Jodi Sanderholm will be dedicated at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Ark City Dance studio. The dedication will take place during an open house from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the studio.
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Legacy for a dancer
spacer  Don Shanks looks at a sculpture during a ceremony dedicating it, along with a plaque, to the memory of his granddaughter Jodi Sanderholm, who was murdered in January. The ceremony was held at the Ark City Dance Studio, where the sculpture and plaque are on display.
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Thurber hearing Monday
spacer  The prosecution in the Justin Thurber capital murder case will submit a notice that it will "possibly seek the death penalty" at Thurber's arraignment Monday afternoon, a spokeswoman for the state attorney general said today.
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Jodi's neighbor crusading for tougher stalking laws
spacer  The horrible tragedy that befell Jodi Sanderholm has compelled the teen's former babysitter to crusade for tougher stalking laws and penalities nationwide.
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Stalking bill still on agenda
spacer  Rep. Kasha Kelley introduced a stalking law proposal on Feb. 7 and it was sent to the House Judiciary Committee the next day. It remains on the House Calendar, already in bill form, and will be scheduled for hearing early in the 2008 session.
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Judge enters 'not guilty' plea for Thurber
spacer  WINFIELD -- Judge Jim Pringle on Monday entered a plea of "not guilty" for Justin Thurber on charges he kidnapped, raped and killed Jodi Sanderholm on Jan. 5.
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Motions filed in Thurber case
spacer  Attorneys for Justin Thurber have filed several nonevidentiary motions, which do not require evidence to be presented, such as a "gag" order, his appearing in the courtroom without restraints (handcuffs) and various discovery items, according to Kansas Attorney General Paul Morrison's office.
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Thurber seeks closed hearings
spacer  The defense in the Justin Thurber case is seeking to keep secret certain information before the trial to not unfairly influence potential jurors.
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Most pre-trial evidence open
spacer  WINFIELD -- All pretrial hearings in the Justin Thurber case will be open to the media, except for one, a district court judge ruled Friday.
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Thurber motions set for tomorrow
spacer  More motions from both sides will be heard tomorrow in the next step in the trial of Justin Thurber at the Cowley County Courthouse in Winfield.
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Eleven women testify to being followed
spacer  Eleven women were called by the prosecution to the witness stand Wednesday afternoon in the Justin Thurber case.
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Jodi's law gets heard in Topeka
spacer  Jodi Sanderholm's parents will appear at a legislative hearing Thursday in Topeka to testify for a tougher stalking law for the state.
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Stalking bill gets a hearing
spacer  Jodi Sanderholm's father on Thursday testified before the state House Judiciary Committee, supporting a stronger stalking law sponsored by an Arkansas City legislator.
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More motions filed for Thurber case
spacer  More motions on both sides will be heard tomorrow in the next step in the trial of Justin Thurber at the Cowley County Courthouse in Winfield.
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Stalking law glides past state House
spacer  TOPEKA -- The House passes a bill designed to strengthen the state's anti-stalking law.
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Thurber seeking change of venue
spacer  The defense in the Justin Thurber capital murder case has filed a motion for a change of venue. The motion was filed March 21 in Cowley County District Court.
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Defense Asks for Trial Continuance
spacer  The defense in the Justin Thurber capital murder case has filed a motion for continuance of his jury trial.
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Thurber requests alibi in letter
spacer  WINFIELD -- The man accused of killing Jodi Sanderholm asked relatives to deliver a letter to an acquaintance seeking his help in establishing an alibi, according to testimony Tuesday in Cowley County District Court.
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Evidence allowed in Thurber hearing
spacer  Cowley County District Court Judge Jim Pringle ruled Monday that most of the disputed evidence in the Justin Thurber murder case will be admissible in court.
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Smith files to keep trial here
spacer  The Justin Thurber trial should be held in Cowley County because no evidence has been presented to show that the defendant could not receive a fair trial here, the prosecution argued in a brief filed Friday.
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Stalking bill passes politics
spacer  The final version of Jodi's Law includes an amendment to make sure police and prosecutors know the state's anti-stalking law.
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Senate sends bill to governor
spacer  TOPEKA -- The Senate has sent Gov. Kathleen Sebelius compromise legislation that will strengthen the state's stalking law.
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