(WOWT) – Stabbed at least a dozen times, the body of 17-year-old Mary Kay Heese was discovered along a country road in 1969.
In an update to an exclusive First Alert 6 investigation, the detective who helped solve the decades-long cold case is speaking out.
“It’s been a dark cloud over Wahoo for a long time. There’s a lot of people who remember that,” Saunders County Attorney Investigator Ted Green said.
For nine years, Detective Green has learned much about the victim’s life and how it came to an end.
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“She fought some, there was a struggle,” Green said.
The suspect, Joseph Ambroz, was 22 years old in 1969 and paroled from prison for about six months when he came to live with his mom in Wahoo.
Joseph Ambroz(Kay County Sheriff’s Office)
“I still don’t understand how she got in the car because that wasn’t Mary Kay’s personality,” Kathy Tull, the victim’s cousin, said in an interview.
Detective Green believes a party grove was the destination.
“And she’s just thinking its ok a couple of guys I know from the restaurant and we’re going out for a ride,” Green said.
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Green reveals that Mary Kay likely got in the car with the suspect and another young man who was with them.
“He committed suicide in 77 so if he wasn’t an active participant or just didn’t realize what was going to happened all of a sudden it just happened,” Green said.
A tip line set up by the victim’s cousin led to a lake west of Wahoo where the suspect’s car may have been dumped in 1969 where dive teams found a large metal object.
“It’s everybody’s hope the golden nugget you hope had been there. But there’s evidence I can’t discuss that there’s something there,” Green said.
Evidence that remains in the lake because Green got estimates of up to $400 to pull it from the muddy, murky water.
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But Green said he has plenty more evidence, including an autopsy after exhuming the body of the victim with a forensic pathologist from the Offutt Military Identification Lab adding expertise.
“There’s DNA available, its just I’ve got to go off of we have available to us,” Green said.
Though forensics will play a part in this case, it appears solved the old-fashioned way.
“This is a case that didn’t have anything glaring but had small pieces along the way. This is all gum shoe, all gum shoe work,” Green said.
Green would not respond when asked if he has found a murder weapon.
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The 1969 murder of a small town high school Junior led to hundreds of interviews and tips over 55 years, and the investigation narrowed from ten suspects to one.
“Well been able to exclude everybody mentioned as a suspect way back when except for this guy,” Green said.
Even though the suspect is in custody, the case is not closed.
If you have information on the murder of Mary Kay Hesse, call the Saunders County Attorney’s Office at 402-443-5613.
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The third matchup this weekend between No. 9 Nebraska and No. 21 Oklahoma State was canceled Sunday due to expected bad weather in the Stillwater, Okla., area. The Cowgirls won the first matchup Thursday, 2-1 in 11 innings, while the Cornhuskers won Saturday, 4-3. The game will not be made up.
Nebraska now prepares for its home opener Thursday at Bowlin Stadium as the Huskers take on South Dakota State in a doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
MINDEN, Neb. (KSNB) – The Nebraska State Patrol, with assistance from the Kearney County Sheriff’s Office and Kearney County Attorney’s Office, is investigating an attempted murder/suicide in rural Kearney County.
The Kearney County Sheriff’s Office was called to the scene Saturday afternoon.
According to NSP, three children and a woman had gunshot wounds, with the woman found dead.
The three children were transported by ambulance to Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney and treated for their injuries. Two of the children have since been transported to Children’s Hospital in Omaha.
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NSP said all three children are expected to survive. The children are all under the age of 12.
This investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement said there is no ongoing threat to the public.
According to NSP, names are not being released at this time to protect the identities of the victims.
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Ten UNK students will perform with other outstanding instrumentalists from across the state as part of the 2026 Nebraska Intercollegiate Band. Front row, from left: Olivia Kohmetscher, Kaia Johnson, Douglas Davidchik, Micah Feddersen and Avery Reitz. Back row, from left: Evan Porter, Ike Smith, Kaitlyn Obrecht, Cameron Grafel and Chloe Harms. (Courtesy UNK, Click to enlarge)
KEARNEY, Neb – Ten students will represent the University of Nebraska at Kearney as members of the 2026 Nebraska Intercollegiate Band.
They’ll perform 11:30 a.m. March 7 in Kimball Recital Hall on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus as part of the 65th annual Nebraska State Bandmasters Association convention. The concert is free and open to the public.
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The Nebraska Intercollegiate Band includes outstanding instrumentalists from colleges and universities across the state. Students selected for the honor spend time rehearsing together in Lincoln before performing for the public. This year’s ensemble is led by guest conductor Donald McKinney, director of bands at Indiana University.
“Rehearsing and performing in the Nebraska Intercollegiate Band will be an excellent opportunity for experiential learning,” said professor Duane Bierman, director of bands at UNK. “Not only will these students get a great musical experience but they will also get a chance to expand their network and grow their interpersonal skills.”
Students representing UNK include: Broken Bow – Cameron Grafel, horn Columbus – Douglas Davidchik, clarinet Elm Creek – Chloe Harms, euphonium Grand Island – Olivia Kohmetscher, tenor saxophone Kearney – Ike Smith, trumpet Kearney – Micah Feddersen, trumpet Kearney – Avery Reitz, string bass and tuba La Vista – Kaitlyn Obrecht, piano Minden – Evan Porter, percussion Ravenna – Kaia Johnson, flute
