UPDATE:

A 38-year old woman kidnapped in Lincoln at gunpoint on Saturday, August 24, has been located unharmed and her kidnapper found deceased west of Imperial in rural Chase County.

Just before 7:30 p.m., Sunday, August 25, Julie Hanes, 38, Lincoln, walked out of a cornfield onto 331 Avenue, approximately two ½ miles northwest of Imperial in rural Chase County.  Hanes, who was uninjured, was taken to the Chase County Community Hospital in Imperial for observation.

Just before 9:00 p.m., the body of Dwayne Lawrence, 38, Lincoln, was located by authorities approximately 130 yards into the same cornfield.  Authorities at the scene say Lawrence suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

The search for Lawrence and Hanes began around 8:30 a.m., Sunday, August 25, after a local farmer called the Imperial Police Department to report he had located an abandoned 1998 Gold Chrysler matching the description of a vehicle wanted in connection with a kidnapping in Lincoln. The abandoned vehicle was on driveway at the end of an irrigated farm field.

A perimeter was established and law enforcement officers from the Nebraska State Patrol, Imperial Police Department and the Chase County Sheriff’s Office along with K-9 units and the Nebraska State Patrol Helicopter combed an eight mile area approximately two miles west of Imperial.

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The Nebraska State Patrol in conjunction with the Imperial Police Department and Chase County Sheriff’s Office are searching an area west of Imperial for the victim and a suspect in connection with a kidnapping that occurred in Lincoln on Saturday. August 24.

Around 4:30 a.m., Sunday, August 25, an Imperial officer on foot patrol spotted a car matching the description of the vehicle involved in the kidnapping driving down a street in the west part of Imperial.  The car took off and a search for the vehicle began.  Around 8:30 a.m., a farmer in the area called the Imperial Police Department to report he had located a 1998 Gold Chrysler abandoned on a driveway at the end of an irrigated farm field. The car was identified as the vehicle driven by the suspect, Dwayne Lawrence, 38, Lincoln.  A perimeter was set up and a search began.

An NSP Helicopter, along with K-9 units and officers, from the Nebraska State Patrol, Imperial Police Department and Chase County Sheriff’s Office are currently searching an eight mile area approximately two miles west of Imperial.

The suspect, Dwayne Lawrence, and the victim Julie Hanes, 38, Lincoln, are believed to be on foot.  Residents in the surrounding areas are asked to remain vigilant and to report suspicious activity to 911.