The investigation into a daughter’s claims that her father killed and then buried bodies in wells on about 400 acres of farmland near Omaha suffered a setback after no additional wells were found during a recent forensic dig.
A forensic excavation is seen on Friday, May 23, 2025, in rural Fremont County near Thurman, Iowa, as crews search for evidence of an alleged killer's burial ground at the site.
Sniffer dog handler Jim Peters, with dog Rowdy, checks the area on Monday, May 19, 2025, in rural Fremont County near Thurman, Iowa, where crews believe an alleged killer may have buried his victims.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln anthropology graduate student Dakota Taylor samples the soil at a suspected well site on Monday, May 19, 2025, in rural Fremont County near Thurman, Iowa, as part of a filming and forensic dig into claims of an alleged killer's rural burial ground.
Sniffer dog handler Jim Peters -- with dog Jojo -- checks a the area of a suspected well site on Monday, May 19, 2025, in rural Fremont County near Thurman, Iowa, as part of a filming and forensic dig into claims of an alleged killer's rural burial ground.
Crews searching for wells, as well as forensic anthropologists, haven’t fully been able to test the veracity of Lucy Studey-McKiddy’s claims that the rural hillside, located about 40 miles from Omaha, was used as a burial ground for her father’s alleged victims. (Video footage: Justin Wan)
Lucy Studey-McKiddy talks as an anthropology team from University of Nebraska-Lincoln gather to inspect an area on Monday, May 19, 2025, in rural Fremont County near Thurman, Iowa. Studey-McKiddy has long claimed her father, Donald Studey, killed multiple people and buried their bodies in or near this site.
Lucy Studey-McKiddy (from left) talks with University of Nebraska-Lincoln associate professor William Belcher as her stepsisters Marie, Charlotte and Dawn look on on Friday, May 23, 2025, in rural Fremont County near Thurman, Iowa.
A forensic excavation is seen on Friday, May 23, 2025, in rural Fremont County near Thurman, Iowa, as crews search for evidence of an alleged killer's burial ground at the site.
From left, landowner Sean Smith, Lucy Studey-McKiddy and University of Nebraska-Lincoln associate professor William Belcher look at an excavation on Friday, May 23, 2025, in rural Fremont County near Thurman, Iowa. Studey-McKiddy has long claimed that her father, Donald Studey, killed multiple people and buried them in this rural area near Omaha.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate students (from left) Charles Rose, Ally Tieken and associate professor William Belcher begin to inspect an area of a suspected well site on Monday, May 19, 2025, in rural Fremont County near Thurman, Iowa, as part of a filming and forensic dig into claims of an alleged killer's rural burial ground.
Kay Nickel and Bob Nickel, of Lincoln, move a ground-penetrating radar to inspect an area on Monday, May 19, 2025, in rural Fremont County near Thurman, Iowa, where crews believe an alleged killer may have buried his victims.
A view of a ground-penetrating radar is seen on Monday, May 19, 2025, in rural Fremont County near Thurman, Iowa, as part of a forensic dig into claims of an alleged killer's rural burial ground.
Sniffer dog Jojo walks by an alleged well site on Monday, May 19, 2025, in rural Fremont County near Thurman, Iowa. Forensic crews are searching for evidence of an alleged killer's burial ground at the site.
JUSTIN WAN,Journal Star
The case of Donald Dean Studey
Lucy McKiddy believes her father, Donald Dean Studey, was a murderous man who preyed on women and dumped their bodies in wells and along mushroom trails in the remote western Iowa area known as Green Hollow.
An Iowa woman claims her father was a killer and dozens of victims are buried outside Omaha. Will renewed interest from Hollywood filmmakers result in new leads?
There are those who firmly believe Lucy McKiddy's allegations that her father killed scores of people. Then there are those calling her a rampant liar.
The journal by Marilyn Kepler tells of a horrendous life for the Studeys, filled with abuse, severe beatings of family members and random robbery victims and arsons.
A forensic excavation is seen on Friday, May 23, 2025, in rural Fremont County near Thurman, Iowa, as crews search for evidence of an alleged killer's burial ground at the site.
Sniffer dog Jojo walks by an alleged well site on Monday, May 19, 2025, in rural Fremont County near Thurman, Iowa. Forensic crews are searching for evidence of an alleged killer's burial ground at the site.
Sniffer dog handler Jim Peters -- with dog Jojo -- checks a the area of a suspected well site on Monday, May 19, 2025, in rural Fremont County near Thurman, Iowa, as part of a filming and forensic dig into claims of an alleged killer's rural burial ground.
A view of a ground-penetrating radar is seen on Monday, May 19, 2025, in rural Fremont County near Thurman, Iowa, as part of a forensic dig into claims of an alleged killer's rural burial ground.
Sniffer dog handler Jim Peters, with dog Rowdy, checks the area on Monday, May 19, 2025, in rural Fremont County near Thurman, Iowa, where crews believe an alleged killer may have buried his victims.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate students (from left) Charles Rose, Ally Tieken and associate professor William Belcher begin to inspect an area of a suspected well site on Monday, May 19, 2025, in rural Fremont County near Thurman, Iowa, as part of a filming and forensic dig into claims of an alleged killer's rural burial ground.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln anthropology graduate student Dakota Taylor samples the soil at a suspected well site on Monday, May 19, 2025, in rural Fremont County near Thurman, Iowa, as part of a filming and forensic dig into claims of an alleged killer's rural burial ground.
From left, landowner Sean Smith, Lucy Studey-McKiddy and University of Nebraska-Lincoln associate professor William Belcher look at an excavation on Friday, May 23, 2025, in rural Fremont County near Thurman, Iowa. Studey-McKiddy has long claimed that her father, Donald Studey, killed multiple people and buried them in this rural area near Omaha.
Lucy Studey-McKiddy talks as an anthropology team from University of Nebraska-Lincoln gather to inspect an area on Monday, May 19, 2025, in rural Fremont County near Thurman, Iowa. Studey-McKiddy has long claimed her father, Donald Studey, killed multiple people and buried their bodies in or near this site.
Lucy Studey-McKiddy (from left) talks with University of Nebraska-Lincoln associate professor William Belcher as her stepsisters Marie, Charlotte and Dawn look on on Friday, May 23, 2025, in rural Fremont County near Thurman, Iowa.
Kay Nickel and Bob Nickel, of Lincoln, move a ground-penetrating radar to inspect an area on Monday, May 19, 2025, in rural Fremont County near Thurman, Iowa, where crews believe an alleged killer may have buried his victims.
