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...
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
Search for student narrowed
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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Jodi admired, loved
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
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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Family plans memorial
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
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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Search team on a mission
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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Thurber charged
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
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. Follow this link for more...
Thurber's history questioned
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
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
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
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
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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Thurber hearing set to begin
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
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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Witness says Thurber car followed her
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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Story of fateful night develops
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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Timeline of events
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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Sanderholm Memorial
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
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
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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Stalking bill still on agenda
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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Motions filed in Thurber case
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 requests alibi in letter
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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Smith files to keep trial here
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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