Trial Testimony Reveals How Investigators Found Sydney Loofe

Omaha World-Herald Photo

After slashing his neck with a small blade the previous day, Aubrey Trail chose not to attend his court proceedings on Tuesday, but testimony continued anyway.

Trail, 52, is currently standing trial for the murder of Sydney Loofe in Saline County District Court. He has been charged with first degree murder, a class I or class IA felony; conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, a class II felony; and improper disposal of human skeletal remains, a class IV felony.  

Tuesday’s testimony focused on the search for Sydney, who disappeared after arranging a date with Bailey Boswell via the online dating app, Tinder.

FBI and LPD investigators and a motel clerk detailed the whereabouts of Trail and Boswell after Sydney’s disappearance. 

Trail and his co-defendant Boswell fled to Iowa after swapping cars with another woman. On Nov. 29, 2017, an Ames, Iowa motel clerk said she called a police tip phone line. FBI did a search of their room, finding maps of Iowa and the Texas-Mexico border area and four sex toys.

The FBI testified how the two were eventually tracked to a Branson, Missouri motel using a Facebook video posted by Trail and Boswell on Nov. 29, 2017. In the video, which was shown in court as evidence, the couple denied their involvement in Sydney’s disappearance. "I hope that Sydney is found soon," Trail said in the video. "I'm sorry that her family has to go through this." Trail and Boswell were eventually arrested at the Branson motel about 6 a.m. on Nov. 30, 2017.

LPD investigator Robert Hurley secured phone records for Trail and Boswell’s cell phones. Using that data, he was able to plot the route they took together, which led west from Wilber and eventually to Clay County. Hurley was able to determine when the couple either slowed down or stopped in several places. On Dec. 4, 2017, he was able to direct a search team to the rural area where numerous bags of human remains were discovered. 

Trail’s attorneys objected to each photo of body parts which were shown to the jury, claiming it would prejudice the jury since their client pleaded guilty to the charge of improper disposal of human skeletal remains last week.

On Wednesday, FBI agent Eli McBride is expected to resume his testimony about the evidence collected during the rural Clay County search.

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