Area Briefs

Free quilting class

scheduled for Feb. 1

Tender Lovin’ Quilters of Troy is hosting its annual Quilting 101 Day on Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Troy United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall.

This event is offered free to the public, and it is the guild’s way of preserving and teaching the art of quilting to all who have an interest to learn.

The day begins at 9 a.m. with various demonstrations given by guild members.

A baked potato bar lunch is scheduled for noon followed by a hands-on class at 1 p.m. The morning demonstrations and the afternoon class are offered free of charge. Door prizes will be given out to attendees.

Questions on this event or sign up for the afternoon class, may be directed to Quilting 101 coordinator, Tammy Anderson at 295-5340 or tanderson1980@frontier.com.

Decapitated body

stumps investigators

CHEYENNE, Wyo.  — The discovery of an unidentified murder victim’s headless body nearly three weeks ago on a remote, dead-end dirt road in Wyoming has stymied investigators and led some residents to speculate that big-league drug violence has reached a rural county just east of Yellowstone National Park.

However, authorities insist they’re still looking for a motive for the grisly crime, along with the victim’s identity. Duck hunters found the man’s body Jan. 9 near the town of Powell.

A pathologist determined the man — no more than 35 years old, about 5-foot-8, and 180 to 200 pounds — was killed by multiple gunshot wounds before he was decapitated. One of his arms also was cut off.

It’s believed the man was killed about two days before he was found.

“You’ve got a body missing an arm and a head, no missing persons reports,” Lance Mathess, a spokesman for the Park County Sheriff’s Office, said Wednesday. “Nobody’s come forward with any solid identification leads at this point, so it really makes it a difficult investigation.”

The victim — stocky, physically fit and white or light-skinned Hispanic — was wearing an elaborate, embroidered belt buckle featuring a horsehead, similar to craftsmanship from some villages in Mexico.