Richard F. Chadek III

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Douglas County Sheriffs Office (NE)

Offense Location:

Omaha, Nebraska

Summary:

Richard Frank "Ricky" Chadek III was born December 10, 1974 and was an 11-year-old boy from Omaha, Nebraska. On March 23, 1986 - Palm Sunday - he was abducted from the parking lot of a bank at 42nd and Valley Streets in Omaha by a white male believed to be driving a blue pick-up truck. He had been kept alive for about a week and then strangled to death. A suspect has never been arrested in Ricky Chadek's death.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Offense:

On March 23, 1986 - Palm Sunday - Ricky was heading home from a friend's house when he was abducted from the parking lot of a bank at 42nd and Valley Streets in Omaha by a white male believed to be driving a blue pick-up truck. His mother found only his bicycle leaning up against a fence. Ricky's mother Theresa drove him and his bike to his friend, Tony's house, that was around noon. Ricky was supposed to be home by 5pm. He called his mother saying "I'm running late. I forgot all about it, I'm sorry." His mother replied "don't worry about it babe, just be safe!" It was the last time Theresa would talk to her son. Theresa started getting worried around 5:30pm when Ricky still wasn't home. She drove down the street to the bank at the corner of 42nd and Valley and saw his bike shoved back in there between the dumpster and the wooden sides of the enclosure. On the morning of Monday March 31, 1986, a farmer found the boy's body in a grove of trees near 168th and Ida.

Additional Details:

A city-wide search followed. Ricky's mother placed his Easter basket on the altar of St. Thomas More Catholic Church where she and her son were members. Then, his body was discovered on Easter Sunday in a grove of trees at 168th and Ida Streets. Ricky's body was found down an embankment near 168th and Ida. His hair, clothes and body – all clean. Detectives believe Ricky was kept alive, cared for, even fed – for at least seven days. Food was even found in Ricky's digestive track. "It looked like some ham that had been fried because of the burnt edges around it, corn, celery, potatoes," said Pankonin. "So, it looked like he was fed possibly a good meal, a good Easter meal or just before Easter." The killer took Ricky on Palm Sunday, held him during Holy Week and strangled him on Easter Sunday. Cold case detectives wonder if there was a religious connection. Investigative efforts centered on an old blue pickup truck seen in the area by three people at the time the boy disappeared. A witness indicated that a boy matching the description of Ricky did approach a blue truck. The blue truck was described as a blue ford or chevy pick-up with wooden sideboards. Mark Gentile in the Douglas County sheriff's office told WOWT-TV that new DNA evidence could help link an unknown suspect to the death of 11-year-old Richard "Ricky" Chadek III. The evidence was found during a fresh look at the case. Detectives found hair follicles that were submitted for testing, what returned was only a partial DNA profile – not enough to enter into the national DNA database. Fast forward 35 years, police are now turning to a private company to take a second look.

Case Last Updated:

Sep 01, 2026