OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities investigating the deaths of a Nebraska woman and her 10-year-old son say they are not looking for an “outside” killer or at-large suspect. Council Bluffs, Iowa, Police Sgt. Dave Dawson says investigators “do not suspect any outside foul play” in the deaths of 41-year-old Charlotte Schilling and her son, Owen Schilling, of Plattsmouth. Their bodies were discovered Sunday evening in a wooded area of a state park near Council Bluffs in western Iowa, about 20 miles north of Plattsmouth, but were not identified until Tuesday. The pair had been missing since May 10, when Schilling checked Owen out of his elementary school. Police found Schilling’s vehicle the next day at the park. Dawson says he expects police to release how they died later this week.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Republican Senate nominee Deb Fischer has turned down an invitation to what would have been the first debate with Democratic nominee Bob Kerrey. Kerrey on Monday had accepted the invitation from Cornhusker Boys State and Girls State for a June 5 debate in Lincoln, but Fischer declined a few hours later. Her campaign says she had previous commitments on that date. Boys State and Girls State teach youth about the duties and practical applications of government. Fischer beat out state Attorney General Jon Bruning and Treasurer Don Stenberg to win the Republican nomination in the May 15 primary election, and Kerrey cruised to an easy win in the Democratic primary.

MCCOOK, Neb. (AP) – A car thief tracked down by police using sandwich wrappers he had discarded in the stolen vehicle has pleaded guilty felony theft in Red Willow County. 27-year-old Merrill G. Johnston of McCook pleaded guilty to the reduced theft charge and misdemeanor charge of forgery late last month.

Johnston was implicated after McCook police found a stolen left in Atwood, Kansas. Sandwich wrappers from a Wal-Mart store were found in the van and investigators were able to identify the store at which the sandwiches were bought. Police also able to obtain video of Johnston buying the sandwiches with a stolen check, as well as video of him leaving the store in the stolen van.

A Nevada man is jailed after a weekend traffic stop on Interstate 80 near the Lincoln Airport exit led to the seizure of 115 lbs. of marijuana.

Around 1:30 p.m., Saturday, May 19, a trooper stopped an eastbound 2006 Ford F350 pickup for failure to maintain lane and following too close.  A Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) canine indicated an odor of drugs coming from the vehicle. A search of the pickup led to the seizure of 115 lbs. of marijuana. The marijuana contained in three large totes was located under the bed cover of the pickup.

The driver and lone occupant of the vehicle, Peter Rivera, 34, Las Vegas, Nev., was lodged in the Lancaster County Jail on a charge of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver.

ELWOOD, Neb. (AP) — The body of a missing Eustis man has been pulled from a canal near Elwood Reservoir. 52-year-old Daniel Gunlock, of Eustis, was found Saturday evening about five miles from where his car was discovered almost a week ago. Gunlock had been reported missing in Frontier County on May 13. His vehicle was found a day later in a waterway northwest of Johnson Lake. Authorities in Gosper, Frontier and Dawson counties, along with the Nebraska State Patrol, have been searching for Gunlock for the past week. Searches used dogs, a plane and a helicopter. An autopsy will be done Monday to determine how Gunlock died.

McCOOK, Neb. (AP) — A trial has been scheduled for September for a Bartley man accused of killing a 14-year-old McCook girl. Records files in Red Willow County District Court show the trial for 20-year-old Stathis Kirkpatrick is expected to last three weeks. A judge scheduled the proceedings to begin Sept. 10. Kirkpatrick has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges in the death of Kailee Clapp, whose burned body was found the evening of Jan. 21, 2011, in a Bartley cemetery. She had been reported missing that morning from her McCook home. Kirkpatrick had originally been deemed mentally unfit to stand trial but the judge later found him competent. His attorneys have filed paperwork indicating they’ll pursue an insanity defense.