Body of missing Lincoln woman found in Furnas County

A body found on a rural farm in Furnas County last week has been identified as a Lincoln woman who was reported missing more than a year ago.

According to the Lincoln Police Department, the body of Jerica Hamre was found in a “remote outbuilding” on a farm near Oxford on Dec. 17. Her body was found by a representative of the farm’s owners, who was inspecting the property in preparation for a sale. Police said Hamre is not believed to have any connection to the farm or its owners.

Hamre’s death is being investigated as a homicide, police said, and a suspect is currently in custody on unrelated charges. In a press conference held Monday, Lincoln Police Capt. Ben Miller declined to elaborate on the suspect’s connection to Hamre, or her cause of death.

Hamre was reported missing by her parents on July 3, 2024, after last being heard from about a week prior. Miller said an investigation after her disappearance indicated that Hamre “traveled from Lincoln west towards the area of Oxford.” Oxford is about a three-hour drive from Lincoln.

Multiple searches were held near Oxford in the weeks and months after Hamre’s disappearance. Miller said Hamre’s body had been in the outbuilding for a “long period of time.”

Police have not identified the suspect. Anyone with information about Hamre’s killing is asked to call the Lincoln Police Department non-emergency number at 402-441-6000.