Missouri traveler stabbed and his wife seriously injured in attack at rest stop on Nebraska Highway

A 72-year-old man was killed in an attempted robbery at a highway rest area in eastern Nebraska on Wednesday, and his 71-year-old wife was seriously injured in a knife attack, authorities said.

The Hall County Sheriff’s Office said officers were called to a rest area on Interstate 80 shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday and found the couple stabbed. Authorities said Gary and Mary Weaver had been traveling through Nebraska in their RV before the attack.

Gary Nelson died at a hospital in Grand Island. Mary Nelson was hospitalized in critical condition Wednesday with life-threatening injuries, authorities said. The Nelsons were from Eureka, Missouri.

The suspect fled the rest area in a vehicle before police arrived, but Grand Island Police Captain Dean Elliott told KSNB that officers received a description of the suspect.

The Nebraska State Patrol attempted to stop a vehicle of that description near the Wood River and pursued it at speeds up to 120 mph before the vehicle exited the interstate and turned south. Elliott said the vehicle eventually entered the Platte River. State police used a police dog to find the suspect and arrested him about 30 minutes later.

“Excellent teamwork by police and Hall County officials to quickly locate and arrest the suspect,” the Nebraska State Patrol said on social media. “Our thoughts are with the two victims and their families.”

James Thompson Jr., 22, of Elyria, Ohio, was being held in the Hall County Jail on Wednesday. He faces numerous charges, including first-degree murder, attempted murder, robbery and eluding police. Because he has not yet appeared in court, he does not have an attorney who could comment on his behalf.

At the beginning of the month, a man shot at a rest stop during an attempted robbery in California.