Found Deceased NE- Amber Tjaden, 48, Weeping Water, 27 Jan 2021

[Limecat]

This is so sad, my heart breaks for her family. Whether truly an accident where Amber got stuck and tried to go for help or something more nefarious, they must be beyond devastated.

I know I’m jaded after following these cases for so long, and I’m trying to stay on the fence until the autopsy results give more information, but there are so many huge red flags. I’ll sit on my hands now and pray for Amber.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul and all the souls of the faithful departed Rest In Peace. Amen

 

[Spider92]

This is so sad, my heart breaks for her family. Whether truly an accident where Amber got stuck and tried to go for help or something more nefarious, they must be beyond devastated.

I know I’m jaded after following these cases for so long, and I’m trying to stay on the fence until the autopsy results give more information, but there are so many huge red flags. I’ll sit on my hands now and pray for Amber.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul and all the souls of the faithful departed Rest In Peace. Amen

Amen. I'm jaded too but am kind of hoping the press takes a break from repeating the restraining order stories until this gets sorted out. If it was an accident, I'm surprised she didn't stay with the car for warmth. She must have known she was a long way from help. Maybe she had partial carbon monoxide poisoning from running the car to keep warm - I don't know if that's a possibility for a modern car that's outside.

 

[Limecat]

Amen. I'm jaded too but am kind of hoping the press takes a break from repeating the restraining order stories until this gets sorted out. If it was an accident, I'm surprised she didn't stay with the car for warmth. She must have known she was a long way from help. Maybe she had partial carbon monoxide poisoning from running the car to keep warm - I don't know if that's a possibility for a modern car that's outside.

Good points @Spider92! I remember hearing you need to clear the snow away from the exhaust/tail pipe or it can cause carbon monoxide poisoning but that was a looooooooonnnnggg time ago, so I’m not sure about modern vehicles. I wonder if she was there the whole time she was missing and no other vehicles had come by in all that time, so she took a chance to try to walk. But it doesn’t sound like she was very far from the vehicle?
It’s sad no matter what.

 

[Elizabeth Lavenza]

I hope they don't give those little boys back the dad imo

 

[Spider92]

Good points @Spider92! I remember hearing you need to clear the snow away from the exhaust/tail pipe or it can cause carbon monoxide poisoning but that was a looooooooonnnnggg time ago, so I’m not sure about modern vehicles. I wonder if she was there the whole time she was missing and no other vehicles had come by in all that time, so she took a chance to try to walk. But it doesn’t sound like she was very far from the vehicle?
It’s sad no matter what.

Yes.....I remember my parents warning me about carbon monoxide poisoning but that was about 40 years ago....I guess it stuck with me.
Btw, in the statements she has made, daughter Savannah shows a lot of maturity for a young lady in her 20's - Amber must have raised her right.

 

[PommyMommy]

FEB 7, 2021
Missing Weeping Water woman found dead, family member says | Omaha State and Regional News | omaha.com
[...]

... The Otoe County Sheriff’s Office said that more information would be released Monday and that it was cooperating with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

[...]

Amber Tjaden’s daughter SS paid tribute to her mom in a Facebook post.

“I will love you forever,” she wrote. “You lived for your kids, you were a fantastic mother. You did everything for us. You were my best friend, I talked to you everyday, I told you everything. It will take a long time for me to not reach for the phone at the end of each day to call you and see how you are and tell you about my day.”

SS wrote that she could “rely on her mom for everything and anything.”

“... I will live for you, and you will live on with me,” she wrote. “You were, are, and always will be so, so loved.”

[...]

Rest peacefully, Amber.

 

[Knox]

My thoughts are with Amber's family today, I'm so sorry for their loss.

 

[molly1255]

FEB 7, 2021
Missing Weeping Water woman found dead, family member says | Omaha State and Regional News | omaha.com
[...]

... The Otoe County Sheriff’s Office said that more information would be released Monday and that it was cooperating with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

[...]

Amber Tjaden’s daughter SS paid tribute to her mom in a Facebook post.

“I will love you forever,” she wrote. “You lived for your kids, you were a fantastic mother. You did everything for us. You were my best friend, I talked to you everyday, I told you everything. It will take a long time for me to not reach for the phone at the end of each day to call you and see how you are and tell you about my day.”

SS wrote that she could “rely on her mom for everything and anything.”

“... I will live for you, and you will live on with me,” she wrote. “You were, are, and always will be so, so loved.”

[...]

Rest peacefully, Amber.

This is one of the most beautiful tributes I've ever read. The fact that her daughter was able to write something so beautiful and so heartfelt under such incredibly tragic circumstances says a lot about her daughter and also about Amber as a mother.

When the Otoe County Sheriff's office makes their statement tomorrow, I'm hopeful they provide more information about how Amber's vehicle was discovered. From what I've read, someone went looking for her in Otoe Co. after seeing a social media post about Amber's disappearance.

I imagine that whoever found the vehicle may have had to do some walking in freezing weather on some Godforsaken roads in before they discovered her vehicle. That would make whoever did this an incredibly good, selfless person, IMO. Even though the outcome is not what anyone wanted, her family no longer has the agony of wondering where she is. They face difficult times in terms of grieving their loss, and also in getting answers to other questions.

My prayers are with her entire family and may Amber rest in peace.

 

[molly1255]

News update - cause of death released:

Officials release cause of death for missing woman found dead in rural part of Otoe County (ketv.com)

 

[TL4S]

News update - cause of death released:

Officials release cause of death for missing woman found dead in rural part of Otoe County (ketv.com)

I wonder if she got locked out the the vehicle. No flashlight to go walking with?

 

[molly1255]

I wonder if she got locked out the the vehicle. No flashlight to go walking with?

I also wonder if she got locked out of her vehicle. This is just so tragic. ETA, I don't think a flashlight would have helped. From google maps, it doesn't appear there was anything other than farmland for miles and she would have had to try to walk in 14" inches of snow, and likely through some drifts that were even higher than that, in the dark, in freezing temperatures. JMO

 

[TL4S]

I also wonder if she got locked out of her vehicle. This is just so tragic. ETA, I don't think a flashlight would have helped. From google maps, it doesn't appear there was anything other than farmland for miles and she would have had to try to walk in 14" inches of snow, and likely through some drifts that were even higher than that, in the dark, in freezing temperatures. JMO

Yes, but I could see a scenario using your phone flashlight and following the tire tracks back to the main road. There was a farm less than 1 mile away. I bet she got stuck, got out to look at the situation, closed the door with the car running and it locked. Or maybe hypothermia set in before and she got out in confusion. Hard to say. Very sad.

 

[molly1255]

Yes, but I could see a scenario using your phone flashlight and following the tire tracks back to the main road. There was a farm less than 1 mile away. I bet she got stuck, got out to look at the situation, closed the door with the car running and it locked. Or maybe hypothermia set in before and she got out in confusion. Hard to say. Very sad.

I just checked and it looks like the low temperature in that area was around 10 degrees (f) that night. The scenario you mentioned is likely with getting out of the vehicle to look and the door locked. Just awful.

 

[Allynator]

This is devastating. Prayers for her family and friends.

 

[TL4S]

Upon looking at Google maps, I can also see some areas just off the driver's side where the ditch drops away. I suppose she could have fallen, or tried to get to something to use to break her window, and gotten stuck/hurt. Just a thought why she was outside nearby.

 

[pinkinablueworld]

This is so devastating, yet I can't help but be relieved that it was an accident. Praying the family can have some closure and grieve together.

 

[TL4S]

No foul play suspected in Amber Tjaden's death; officials say she died of cold exposure

Authorities found Tjaden's vehicle parked on the left side of a road, Otoe County Chief Deputy Sheriff Michael Holland said in an interview. Her body was discovered in a washed-out section on the side of the road about 2 feet from the SUV. Holland said it was unclear how Tjaden ended up in the ditch, or how long she may have been there.

Holland said there "could be some intoxicants" involved, including beer and sleeping pills. Authorities are awaiting the results of a toxicology report, which could take a month.

Holland said there were no signs of trauma on Tjaden's body, nor "anything to indicate" signs of foul play at the location where her body was found.

"At this point, we don't believe there was anyone else involved," Holland said.

 

[Limecat]

No foul play suspected in Amber Tjaden's death; officials say she died of cold exposure

Authorities found Tjaden's vehicle parked on the left side of a road, Otoe County Chief Deputy Sheriff Michael Holland said in an interview. Her body was discovered in a washed-out section on the side of the road about 2 feet from the SUV. Holland said it was unclear how Tjaden ended up in the ditch, or how long she may have been there.

Holland said there "could be some intoxicants" involved, including beer and sleeping pills. Authorities are awaiting the results of a toxicology report, which could take a month.

Holland said there were no signs of trauma on Tjaden's body, nor "anything to indicate" signs of foul play at the location where her body was found.

"At this point, we don't believe there was anyone else involved," Holland said.

BBM...... oh I hope this was just a tragic accident ....

 

[evilwise]

Interesting case. Husband seems angry and perhaps even bordering on psychotic if reported past behavior is accurate. That doesn't make him dumb though. Sometimes quite the opposite can be true.

It seems to me the legal grounds for his initial arrest were shaky and he knew it. Why didn't police leave his property when asked? There's no indication they had a warrant. Flight to avoid prosecution? Was he placed under arrest at any time? I think that he may have grounds to file a civil suit.

On the flip side, he may have conspired to indirectly bring about the death of his wife. Beer and sleeping pills may have been involved? That's an interesting statement from law enforcement. Was fighting and then taking off in the SUV a predictable behavior pattern for the decedent? "The Version of On-Star in the SUV was not activated"? I was under the impression On-Star was activated by default. Was it deactivated? If so when and by whom?

 

[imstilla.grandma]

According to an affidavit from the Cass County Sheriff's Office, deputies were trying to make contact with Matthew Tjaden, Amber's husband, last Thursday in relation to his missing wife.

Deputies said he was the last person to have contact with her, and he never called authorities to say she was missing. Amber Tjaden's 22-year-old daughter was the concerned party that reported her mother missing.

Upon arrival at his house, deputies met with a juvenile male who provided the number for Matthew Tjaden. When deputies called, Matthew said he was "out looking for his wife and would not come back to speak with investigat0rs."

He told officials that he and his wife had an argument last Wednesday and that she left the home that evening. He said he thought he had to wait 48 hours to file a missing person report.

Deputies said Matthew Tjaden seemed upset that they would not leave the property and at one point yelled, "Get the f--- off my property." He again refused to return to the home to talk to investigators. Amber Tjaden's daughter told deputies that when she went to the home to search for her mother, Matthew Tjaden yelled at her to leave and stated he felt "she was there to spy on him."

Eventually, Matthew Tjaden returned to the residence but would not come up the driveway. When deputies put the cruiser lights on, he took off and deputies initiated a pursuit. After a brief chase, Matthew Tjaden pulled back into his driveway. Deputies said he would not cooperate and refused orders to get down. Eventually, a Taser was deployed and he was taken into custody.

Amber Tjaden filed for two protection orders again Matthew in 2015. In one of the petitions in Douglas County, Amber said her husband had been working in Iowa, becoming more mentally unstable, and she believed he was using drugs. She called some of his behavior "bizarre."

Amber Tjaden wrote in the petition that Matthew called her at 12:30 a.m. one morning "screaming at me there was a man in our home. He told me he was loading his shotgun and on his way to shoot me."

She wrote, "I am in a constant state of fear for the safety of my children and myself."

Matthew Tjaden was arrested on charges of flight to avoid prosecution and child neglect. Authorities at the Cass County jail confirmed he bonded out of jail Monday night.
'The worst has happened': Family members confirm missing Cass County woman has died