A suspect has been identified, arrested and charged with killing 71-year-old Linda Childers at her home in Fort Calhoun on Aug. 14.
An arrest warrant was filed for William Paul Collins, 30, who is charged with the following: first-degree murder, a Class 1 felony; two counts of use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, a Class 2 felony; first-degree assault, a Class 2 felony; burglary, a Class 2A felony; stolen firearm, a Class 2A felony; and theft by unlawful taking, also a Class 2A felony.
During a press conference held at 11:30 a.m. Friday at the Washington County Sheriff's Office, Washington County Attorney Scott Vander Schaaf and Sheriff Mike Robinson discussed the incident and how Collins was identified as the defendant.
On Wednesday, a reporting party in Indiana called the Sheriff's Office to inform that Collins had called them and provided information regarding the homicide.
"Mr. Collins has been located and taken into custody. He is currently in the state of Texas (Galveston County), where he is awaiting extradition to the state of Nebraska," Vander Schaaf said. "(The reporting party) provided some assistance to who this individual was, but did not know his whereabouts. We were able to verify his whereabouts through other means."
Collins is being held on an unrelated charge.
Vander Schaaf said he does not believe there was a connection between Collins and Childers. Collins appeared to have been traveling and living across the midwest, and he eventually located to Nebraska.
"This appears to have been an act motivated by money, and appears to be something that was done out of haste or necessity by Mr. Collins," he said. "We have limited information about Mr. Collins at this time.
"We are not certain exactly where Mr. Collins was staying in the state, we're not certain where he would have gotten to that area right north of Fort Calhoun at this time."
Following the incident, it is believed Collins, who had stolen Childers' vehicle, amongst a stolen firearm, money and other items of her property, left the state and was traveling around the midwest before going to Texas. Collins was found with the vehicle in Texas.
"Two of my detectives were very instrumental in locating him," Robinson explained.
"Ultimately, the folks at Washington County Sheriff's (Office) were able to not only develop the leads on Mr. Collins, but were able to also assist in finding him when he was located in Texas," Vander Schaaf added.
Robinson said there were nine deputies working the case, accumulating more than 1,700 man hours investigating.
Vander Schaaf noted several agencies assisted with investigating the case: the Omaha Police Department, the Douglas County Sheriff's Department, U.S. Marshals, Saunders County Sheriff's Office and the Douglas County Attorney's Office.
"I would... like to send my deepest condolences to the Childers family, relatives, friends, for their loss in this matter," Vander Schaaf said. "I want to ensure the public we live in a safe community, that our law enforcement worked tirelessly to ensure we are protected and safe."
Robinson, who grew up in Fort Calhoun and knew Childers, described her as a friendly individual.
"She was a friend... she and her husband were very instrumental in the community," he said, noting she and Michael Childers, who died in a car accident in 2021, owned a hardware store and cafe for a number of years in Fort Calhoun. "For something like this to happen makes no sense. This was strictly a random crime of opportunity, and the community was shocked because it happened to somebody like Linda Childers."
At this time, Vander Schaaf said the sheriff's office is not looking into additional suspects at this time.
"That could change, because Mr. Collins is in custody and, it's my understanding, is talking," Vander Schaaf said.
Vander Schaaf said the extradition process will begin once the arrest affidavit is finished.
"If Mr. Collins chooses to come back to the state willingly, he could be here as soon as the next two to three weeks," he said. "Should he resist extradition for whatever legal reason he chooses to, it could be a little longer than that before he comes back to the state of Nebraska and he has his arraignment (in Washington County Court)."
Robinson and Vander Schaaf noted the investigation is still ongoing.
