Location of Wilberger’s remains revealed
NEAR BLODGETT, Ore. - Officials have completed recovering the remains of murdered 19-year-old Brooke Wilberger, and the location of where they were is no longer a secret.
Wilberger’s remains were found on an abandoned logging road off Highway 20 about 12 miles west of Corvallis.
The location was being kept secret so authorities could complete the recovery of Wilberger's remains.
The area was searched by volunteers when Wilberger first went missing in May 2004, but according to District Attorney John Haroldson, her body was well hidden.
Joel Courtney, who pleaded guilty to murdering Wilberger and will serve a life sentence in New Mexico, hid her body about 500 yards up the logging road on private property. He meticulously concealed her body beneath a fallen tree, using ferns and moss, according to authorities.
Locals near Blodgett have known about the crime scene for more than a week but kept quiet while searchers worked to recover all of Wilberger’s remains.
Courtney abducted Wilberger by knife point in the parking lot of Oak Park Apartments, which is only about one block from Highway 20. From there it is just less than 12 miles to the logging road.
According to Haroldson, Courtney took pride in being able to find remote locations and was extremely detailed when he explained to authorities where to find Wilberger’s remains.
