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Neighbors say Taylor was friendlyIBODY from Page 1then and his wife worked at Eau Claire Academy, he said.“Because of the circumstances of his sudden disappearance, his description and name was entered intothe National Crime Information Center computer in Washington.f *G'“As a result we were contactedby Illinois State Police in May of 1986 regarding a bodv found in that state whose description fit that of Williams We were able to confirm it was not Williams. McFarlane said.The chief said officers interviewed many people in an attempt to locate the victim's whereabouts.Taylor is charged with the shooting death of Timothy Hayden, 27. of Menomonie on about March 2b.and with the stabbing death ofJames Severson. 42. of Eau Claire.in Mav. 1986.0Rtsler became aware of thepotential gravesite in the town ot Spring Brook on Monday morning.“Hearing reports of murder stories, owners of the property became upset knowing that on their rental property they had seen a hole slowly tilling up over a period of time, Risler said. ‘‘They thenasked us to check it out.Upon investigating Tuesday morning, three officers found two potential sites which could have been construed as being gravesites, he said. One site indicated an original hole of about 8 feet by 10 or12 feetThe area in which the body wasfound was about 21/; to 3 feet wideby about 6 feet long, Risler said.The sheriff said C.R. Brvan Ex-0cavating of Menomonie was con-tacted. and after digging only about 20 minutes earlv Tuesday afternoon0 9an object that appeared to be a chest ca\it\ covered b\ somew .T 0clothing was uncovered.Risler then contacted the state Crime Laboratory and requested the assistance of a body-recoverv team.w wThe site was guarded by an officer until Wednesday morning when bureau team members and county officers started removing body parts from the excavation.Risler said his department alsohas received calls from people who have expressed concern about other potential gravesites on both sides ot the Chippewa River in southeasternDunn County.“We'll check out these sites when time allows, he said.Taylor was a friendly but vague person, neighbors said today. When he first moved into the area he made a point of introducing himself to the neighbors.“The first time 1 met him he seemed like a real nice guy. but he was evasive about answering questions 1 had about him, Agnes Grutt said. It always seemed he was hiding something.Taylor attended a eountrv churchw w.and was active in prayer group meetirtgs. according to GruttKaren Beaver, who lives less than half a mile from where Tay lor used to live in the town of Spring Brook, said he would occasionallywstop by for about 10 minutes at a time.“He said he came by because we were nice to him. she said. “He said it was hard to get a job because he had a criminal record.One of the things he was always interested in was a nun (handgun) we had. He asked if it was for1 *Taylor was convicted in 1980 in Taylor County Circuit Court ot two counts of delivery of cocaine in the city of Medford, according to court records. He was sentenced to two years in prison on each count, with sentences to run concurrent.Taylor had asked some neighbors if he could borrow some lime, but “none was ever given to him that I know of. a neighbor said.A neighbor said Tay lor requested the lime because he said he was poaching and w anted to use it while burying some bones.“1 met Mr. Taylor when he answered an ad about a ho,use we* had for rent, but he didn't lake it because he said he wanted something more isolated, a neighbor said. iShe said she saw Taylor while he | was jogging or riding his bike.“This is a very peaceful community, and 1 feel bad that this area * wis getting this type of publicity, ,Mrs. Vasey said. «
Newspaper Details
Eau Claire Leader Telegram
Eau Claire, Wisconsin, US
Thu, Apr 09, 1987
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Maureen B.
NA, NA 05 Oct 2022
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