Six Arrested in Missing Persons Homicide Investigation
The Lincoln Police Department has made four additional arrests in the homicide investigation surrounding the disappearances and presumed deaths of Hannah Neville, Roberto Tanner and their unborn child.
47-year-old Ammie Mitchell, 57-year-old Kendall Hawthorne, 28-year-old Matthew Lickliter and 40-year-old Sheena Miller are all being held in the Lancaster County Jail for Accessory to Murder and Tampering with Evidence for assisting Sterling James and Sayde Titus, who also remain in jail. All four arrested live on the property at 7600 NW 27th Street in Lancaster County.
While LPD is still awaiting pathology results from the human remains located by investigators in Saunders County last week, at this time we believe they are those of Hannah and Roberto.
As the investigation continued with review of additional evidence and witness interviews, LPD investigators developed probable cause to make further arrests. The SWAT Team served a search warrant at the NW 27th Street address on Tuesday, February 10.
After Mitchell, Hawthorne, Lickliter and Miller were arrested and interviewed, this is what we believe unfolded:
On Thursday, January 15, Sheena Miller was at the NW 27th Street property when James arrived. James and Miller got into James’ vehicle and drove about two miles north on NW 27th with Tanner and Neville following them.
Once at the location, James shot and killed Tanner and Neville. Miller assisted James in moving their bodies and then drove Neville’s vehicle back to the house.
Ammie Mitchell saw both James and Neville’s vehicles parked in the driveway and saw Neville deceased. She removed several personal items from Neville’s vehicle, many of which have not been recovered.
Matthew Lickliter returned home where he observed Tanner and Neville deceased. Lickliter and James retrieved a torch before they drove separately to the area of 40th and Cornhusker in Lincoln where Neville’s vehicle was later found burned.
Lickliter and James then drove separately to an area near 40th and Branched Oak outside Davey, Nebraska, where we believe the bodies were initially disposed of, before being moved to Saunders County.
Kendall Hawthorne gave baby items from inside Neville’s vehicle to a friend. Those items are believed to contain physical evidence, and some have not been recovered. Hawthorne also gave James permission to burn items on the property.
On January 16, we believe all four individuals watched James and Titus clean their vehicle in the garage at NW 27th.
Autopsies are scheduled for Tanner and Neville on Wednesday, February 11. We hope those will provide additional answers. While LPD has taken lead on this investigation, these homicides are believed to have occurred in Lancaster County.