Photo by Terri Davis graphic

Two months after Corrie Wood’s lifeless body was discovered in her bed at her home in Grant, no one has been arrested.

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Wood was just two days from celebrating her 29th birthday when she died as a result of blows to her head and body, according to Perkins County Attorney Rick Roberts.

Wood had been out with her boyfriend, Scott R. Petro, 38, at the Cactus Palace bar in Vanango on Friday, Sept. 19. They were accompanied by Melissa Dutton, nicknamed Red, 25, and Kent Walters, nicknamed Loomis, 40, both of Venango.

Grant is a small town about 70 miles southwest of North Platte. Venango is about 19 miles west of Grant.

A source close to the investigation said Corrie and Scott had some kind of altercation while drinking at the bar and Dutton and Corrie decided to leave.

Dutton drove Corrie back to her home at 427 W. Sixth Street in Grant, the house she shared with Scott. Scott did not accompany them, according to the source.

Dutton called Scott to let him know that Corrie was at home and in bed, according to the source.

The source said Scott left the Cactus and drove to his and Corrie’s house but was locked out so he slept in his truck.

It was Scott who discovered Corrie’s body shortly before 10 a.m. the next morning, Saturday, Sept. 20.

Investigators from the Nebraska State Patrol declined to comment if the house was secure or had been broken into since Scott claimed he had been locked out.

Perkins County Sheriff James D. Brueggeman rushed to the scene as did Roberts in his official capacity as County Coroner. Wood was pronounced dead at the scene.

What happened next has concerned residents of the tiny Nebraska town.

Brueggeman and Roberts were not able to determine Wood cause of death but did not think death was suspicious and released the crime scene.

On Monday, Sept. 20 – Corrie’s birthday – her body was in Scotts Bluff where an autopsy was performed.

Roberts announced that Corrie had been brutally murdered as a result of blows to her head and body.

It was then that Sheriff Brueggeman called in the Nebraska State Patrol to lead the murder investigation.

The investigation continues

Residents in the tiny town of Grant in southwest Nebraska were reeling after learning of the murder, wondering how one of their own wound up dead and who the killer was.

Corrie was known as a gardener who loved to cook fresh food. She enjoyed camping at the lake and golfing with her father.

Loving horses since she was a young girl, Corrie had just purchased a horse for her daughter, Kyleigh.

Corrie’s funeral was held on Thursday, Sept. 25, just five days after her murder.

Scott did not attend, according to the source.

But many felt the entanglements of a small town whose population had just decreased by one and that was especially painful.

Lt. Lynn Williams of the Nebraska State Patrol, who heads the Criminal Investigation Division, refused to say much about the investigation. He said it was a “very active investigation” but declined to say whether an arrest was immanent.

Murder changes law enforcement

The murder of Corrie Wood of Grant has had dramatic and far-reaching implications in small town police departments in rural Nebraska.

When Kassi Krutsinger of Imperial, 38, was discovered dead in her residence at 3 a.m. Oct. 31, Imperial Police Chief Larry Browning took no chances.

Imperial is 27 miles southeast of Grant and 97 miles southwest of North Platte.

Krutsinger’s death was reported by her live-in boyfriend and fiancé, Steve Shinn. By the time EMS crews arrived on the scene, Krutsinger was already dead.

Since the cause of death unknown, Browning knew an autopsy would be imminent and a thorough investigation would needed to be completed at the home.

While Browning said he had confidence in his department to handle such an investigation, he decided to call in the state patrol for assistance since they would be equipped with a mobile crime lab trailer that far exceeds the capabilities of the limited forensic inventory of the Imperial police. The Imperial police department was also short on staff at that time.

But another factor in Browning’s decision to call in the NSP was the recent death of Corrie Wood of Grant.

An autopsy in that case later showed that Wood’s death was the result of blunt force trauma. Wood had been murdered. The state patrol was called in to assist in that investigation as well.

And while the Imperial scene was secured almost immediately, the scene of the Wood death was not secured between the time of death and the autopsy.

An autopsy on Krutsinger was conducted in Scottsbluff on the afternoon of Oct. 31. The cause of death remained unknown but blunt force trauma was ruled out.

Investigators say it could take some time before the actual cause of death would be known.

Web sleuths get involved

Something about the murder of 28-year-old Corrie Wood has struck a nerve with those on the Internet.

A number of Web sleuths, bloggers and concerned citizens captivated by the murder of Corrie are lighting up the Internet with their thoughts, theories and suggestions on the continuing investigation.

Across the country, thousands of words rehash the case on the websleuths.com website and even local Perkins County residents are joining in.

The Bulletin spoke with a number of regular posters on the websleuths website and they are generally housewifes with children who were simply touched by the case and are working hard to solve it.

The lack of answers only encourages the amateur armchair detectives to try to solve the case.

The posters quiz each other about DNA and other evidence, debate motives and morals of the main characters and wonder why justice seems to move so slowly. Most have never met Corrie or her family.

“I want answers because I want to see justice prevail in the taking of a young mother who had so much in life, a beautiful daughter, a loving caring family, friends and now strangers due to these circumstances caring for her,” wrote Blue Crime Hunter on his weblog. The writer went on to say Corrie’s life inspired him to write the blog.

Perkins County residents have taken notice of the online posts and theories and many have contributed to the discussion – some helpful, others angry at the speculation.

“Shame on you … get a life … get a job … quit thinking you are CSI …,” wrote one poster, “… let them do their job.”

The bloggers and posters and others online have commented on every aspect of the case from posting a timeline of events and commenting on investigative techniques.

Hundreds of messages full of suggestions, accusations and theories about the crime have been posted to the website and Nebraska State Patrol investigators have noticed.

Lt. Lynn Williams said investigators have kept an eye on the website and have read the posts but would comment no further.

One poster, who lives across the country from Grant Nebraska, has a history of investigations and knows how to find facts. She told the Bulletin that she wanted to do everything she could to assist investigators by digging into the case.

The poster told the Bulletin that she felt a kinship with Corrie and felt driven to dig out facts. The woman has developed numerous relationships with Grant residents and stays in continual contact with them.

“I just want to see Corrie’s murderer brought to justice,” the poster said.