Fugitive often hid inside hollow tree to evade capture

ROBY, Mo. -- Neldon Neal, wanted for allegedly killing his wife, eluded capture for nearly two months in the thick forest of south-central Missouri, often hiding for days inside a hollow tree.

At times, police searched just a few feet away, unaware the 60-year-old suspect was inside the tree. His freedom ended Saturday, when a group of officers came upon Neal in the woods outside of Winnipeg, Mo. He had a handgun but was arrested without incident.

"It's a load lifted off of me," Texas County Sheriff Carl Watson said. He led the manhunt that at one point included 100 officers.

Neal is accused of fatally shooting his wife, Judy Lewis, 51, on March 13 in Roby, about 60 miles south of Rolla. Authorities don't know what prompted the killing. The couple lived in a trailer.

Working off a tip, about 20 officers went into the woods Saturday, about 1 1/2 miles from the nearest road. Neal was found under a rock overhang about halfway down a bluff overlooking the Gasconade River.