Ord receives closure after arrest in murder case
by
Katie Gauthier
Story Created:
Jan 26, 2012 at 6:57 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Jan 26, 2012 at 7:35 PM CDT
Thursday, News 5 headed back to the place where Cathy Beard was last seen alive over twenty years ago.
Ord is a rural town where everybody seems to know everybody. The town was shaken by the murder in the late 90s of one of their next-door neighbors, And Thursday night the town of Ord finally has closure.
"It's a good little town, good place to live," said Southsdie bar manager Jake Koch.
May 31, 1989: 31 year old Cathy Beard was sitting at the end of an Ord bar, Someplace Else Tavern.
"I mean she was a hometown girl. She was born and raised here," said Valley County Administrative Assistant Denise O'Neel.
It's now called Southside Bar. It's where she worked part-time as a waitress.
"She was at the end of the bar after work, talking with some of the patrons," said Koch.
Cathy walked out the doors that night and was last seen getting into a pick-up truck.
"That's the last thing that anybody knew when she disappeared," Koch said.
Remains were found Southeast of Ord in a pasture in April 1992.
"Mom wouldn't even let me go play at the playground like she used to right when it first happened."
The case went cold for several years.
"It makes you realize that anything can happen in a small town, large town, anywhere," said Koch.
But in May of 2008 newly appointed Valley County Sheriff Casey Hurlburt alongside then county attorney Glen Clark, reopened the case.
"It surprised the town a lot. They didn't even know that the Sheriff had been working on it," said O'Neel.
And, they wouldn't give up until an arrest was made.
"It was fresh eyes all the way around," O'Neel said.
After nearly two decades Hard work and determination paid off. With the Nebraska State Patrol and other agencies they were able to potentially solve the case.
"Justice is finally being served for the Beard family," said O'Neel.
The community of Ord can now feel safe again and the Beard family can have closure.
"Thank you, it makes us all feel a little safer around to know that we have a sheriff like that that's actually doing his job."
But it's clear he wasn't solving the case for his own renown.
"It's for Cathy. They needed to know and for the whole town of Ord, we needed to know," said O'Neel.
Sheriff Hulburt is only 35 years old. He is one of the youngest sheriffs in the state.
News 5 heard a lot of praise for the Sheriff while in Ord Thursday. We will continue our coverage of the story as John Oldson returns home.
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