1 Front
Single Copy Cost 50¢ Volume 149 No. 4
“PRSRT STD.” US Postage Paid No. 486 SHAW MEDIA POSTAL PATRON LOCAL R.R. BOXHOLDER CARRIER ROUTE PRESORT
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Police: Missing Ladd woman was killed, then buried Charges elevated for Standard man
Homicide investigation continues after body found in Standard
By PCR Staff
news@putnamcountyrecord.com
HENNEPIN — The man charged in the death of a Ladd woman – her brotherin-law – found her dead in a vacant house in Standard, wrapped her body in a blanket and tied it up with rope Clifford and duct tape Andersen before burying it in a shallow grave – all the time knowing she had been murdered. That’s according to information revealed Thursday in his initial appearance in Putnam County Court. Clifford Andersen, 66, of Standard is charged with concealment of a homicidal death, which carries 2 to 5 years in prison. Evidence was found in his home, investigators said, and he was arrested Sept. 13. What connection Andersen may have PCR photo/Goldie Rapp to 104 Fifth St., where the State and local officials were on the scene of a Standard property, located at 104 Fifth St. from Monday, body was buried, was not Sept. 12, continuing late into Tuesday, Sept. 13. The perimeter of the property was taped off by crime scene divulged. tape, and officials could be seen digging on the property and taking out buckets and brown paper bags from
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“It’s different. I know all the family. Something not expected. I never thought this would come up here,” said Scott Mennie of Hennepin, who owns two homes in Standard and who was mowing one of the eight yards he does in town.
STANDARD — The Illinois State Police (ISP) confirmed Sept. 14 the body of Deborah K. Dewey, 62, of Ladd was found in a shallow grave at 104 Fifth St. in Standard. On Monday, Sept. 12, the Illinois State Police Zone 3 Investigations and Putnam County Sheriff’s Department Deborah K. began searching the Dewey Standard residence and surrounding property, which is located alongside Route 71 in Standard. According to a press release from the ISP, “investigators exhumed a body from a shallow grave located in the yard of the residence.” The body was transported by the Putnam County death investigator to Bloomington, where an autopsy was performed. Using dental records, the preliminary results of the autopsy determined the body was Dewey. The missing person search for Dewey has ended, and the situation is now considered a homicide investigation. The ISP said this remains an open and ongoing investigation, however, they will not release any further information at this time, though they will provide updates as information becomes available. Dewey of Ladd was last seen on Aug. 22 in Spring Valley. Her 2007 Buick LaCrosse was discovered in Morris on Aug. 29 at the TA Truck Stop/R Place restaurant just north of Interstate 80. The vehicle was unlocked and undamaged; her purse was still in the vehicle. Dewey’s family had been actively helping in the search, passing out thousands of flyers and gaining the attention of the national media.
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the home and an old, dilapidated garage located to the east of the home.
‘We all feel terrible. The whole town is upset’ By Lyle Ganther
news@putnamcountyrecord.com
STANDARD — A slight wind blew the yellow police tape that cordoned off a home Thursday, Sept. 15, in Standard where the body of Deborah Dewey, 62, of Ladd was found buried in a shallow grave earlier in the week.
Birds were singing; the sun was shining; and residents were walking their dogs or mowing their yards in this small town of 220 people in Putnam County, the smallest county in size and population in Illinois. Vehicles and many semi trucks drove through town on Route 71 as they do every day.
Some residents were willing to talk about their feelings, while others didn’t want to say anything about the discovery of Dewey’s body discovered on the evening of Monday, Sept. 12, in a shallow grave at an abandoned home on Route 71. Dewey had been reported missing Aug. 22.
By Terri Simon
tsimon@putnamcountyrecord.com
Putnam County Courthouse gets a clean bill of health By Dave Cook
news@putnamcountyrecord.com
HENNEPIN — “It’s the 1839 air we’ve got in here,” joked Putnam County Vol. 149 No. 4 Two Sections - 24 Pages
© The Putnam County Record
Board Chairman Duane Calbow in response to the negative results of a mold test conducted within the state’s oldest active courthouse.
During Putnam County Sheriff Kevin Doyle’s maintenance report to the board on Sept. 12, he said a complaint had been filed about the air quality in an office. He explained the need to quickly address the situation and had not only the office in question
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professionally tested, but also other rooms in the same vicinity. Doyle said there were no visual signs of water intrusion in the rooms in question or anywhere else in the courthouse. According to Doyle, mold spore count, measured by the
cubic meter, is considered a concerning issue at a count of 1,000 or more. The spore counts for the tested room came back no higher than 20, and the counts in the other rooms tested were no higher than 27. “The air quality out-
side that day was at 373,” Doyle said, noting the tester told him such low levels for a 177-yearold building was unbelievable. “This issue has effectively been put to bed,” he added.
Courthouse Page 2A
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