Third Anniversary Of Wilberger Disappearance
CORVALLIS, Ore. - May 24 marks
the third-year anniversary of the disappearance of 19-year-old Brooke
Wilberger.
The Brigham Young University student disappeared from a Corvallis
apartment complex her sister managed near Oregon State. Her body is yet to be
found.
The man police believe abducted and killed the teenager awaits trial
on other charges in New Mexico. Joel Courtney has been held in New Mexico on
charges of kidnapping and raping a University of New Mexico student in November
2004.
That trial is expected in September after which Courtney will be
extradited to Oregon.
5/24/2007
Another interesting tidbit comes from http://www.katu.com/news/local/7658602.html:
2 Exclusive: Wilberger witness talks to KATU
Story Published:
May 23, 2007 at 7:07 PM PDT
Story Updated: May 24, 2007 at 4:07 PM PDT
By Dan Tilkin and KATU Web Staff
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Although Nate McKelvey did not see Brooke Wilberger the day she disappeared, he heard the scream that investigators believe was the last anyone would hear of her. It would prove to be a key piece of information. Brooke Wilberger disappeared on May 24, 2004 from outside the Oak Park Apartments in Corvallis.All that was left behind was her flip flop shoes, her purse and her cell phone.
Nate McKelvey was there that day. When he woke up the morning of May 24, 2004, his wits were clouded by a night of partying and then the scream came.
"It was somewhat blood curdling," he said. "I would say, like a fan scream like at a
concert (McKelvey makes a scream sound here) and then it just got cut short."
McKelvey said he looked out the window, but in the wrong direction.
"It definitely caused a shiver in my spine and I looked through the parking lot," he
said. "But of the 400 cars in the parking lot, I (only) see two people walking
back and forth. I'm scanning. I'm scanning and eventually nothing, so I walk out
to the front door."
McKelvey did not see the green minivan that police would
spend months searching for. In fact, McKelvey saw nothing and thought nothing of
it until the story of Wilberger's disappearance hit the news and investigators
started talking to him.
Detectives would base the time of Wilberger's
abduction on McKelvey's memory of when he heard that scream - 9 a.m. on May 24,
2004.
It was not until 14 months later that Joel Courtney would be arrested
in New Mexico for attacking a college student. He would also be accused of
kidnapping Brooke Wilberger and killing her, although her body has never been
found.
"It's hard," said McKelvey. "It's tough because you want to be the
guy who did the good thing, did the good deed that day and helped somebody stay
safe. It kind of haunts you a little bit when you know you were there, (when you
know) you could have been that deciding factor."
Joel Courtney is accused of
trying to kidnap, rape and murder two other women the same morning that
Wilberger disappeared. Public records show at least one of those women lived
just blocks from where Wilberger was abducted.
(Obviously, Nate McKelvey is the one on the left and Brooke Wilberger is the one on the right.)
If you know anything about Brooke's whereabouts, please call the Corvallis Police Department at 1-877-367-2270, email tips@findbrooke.com, or go to http://www.findbrooke.com/submittip.html.
Brooke's website: http://www.findbrooke.com
You can print a poster of Brooke at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200401499S.
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