Mail Tribune News - Body believed to be that of missing Wolf Creek woman

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Body believed to be that of missing Wolf Creek woman WOLF CREEK -- A body believed to be that of a Wolf Creek woman was found Saturday in a brushy area along railroad tracks. Authorities have tentatively identified the woman Sunday as 44-year-old Vera June O'Dell but won't know for sure until forensics tests can be done. The body was badly decomposed and Josephine County sheriff's deputies said the manner and cause of death could not be readily determined. A child playing in the wooded area found the body about noon just south of the Lower Wolf Creek Road train overpass. The remains were not visible to people casually passing by. Few details about O'Dell were available Sunday, including how long she had been missing. O'Dell's estranged husband, Terrence, was shot and killed in 1994 by her brother, James Steward. Terrence O'Dell broke Steward's door down just after 2 a.m. April 14, 1994, and was armed with a wooden club. Steward shot him in the chest. The Josephine County district attorney's decided Steward was justified in the shooting. Mail Tribune Copyright �  The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA