Delia D'Ambra

A few days after the memorial service, a committee for the Idaho State Senate approved a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.

And shortly after that, a district judge signed a court order declaring Bill Pogue deceased.

I presume since his remains had not been found and it was unlikely in anyone's mind that he was still alive, this move was purely a formality.

It allowed his loved ones to claim things like life insurance, workman's compensation, and other post-death benefits.

In early February 1981, despite Claude still being a fugitive,

the Humboldt County District Attorney began preparing the case for a grand jury.

He wanted to make sure he had all his ducks in a row, and he wanted to explore potential charges for Claude's alleged accomplices.

You know, folks like George and Liz Nielsen, and even Jim Stevens.

Because there was little doubt that had those three people not done what they'd done to assist Claude, he'd likely be in law enforcement's custody, and more importantly, Bill Pogue's body might have already been found.

While the grand jury prep was underway, volunteer searches for Bill continued.

Tidbits of info about his alleged killer's whereabouts trickled in too, including reported sightings of Claude as far away as Alaska and Maine.

But nothing panned out.

By mid-March, Claude's parents had hired a lawyer to look into the case and investigate the alleged crimes their son would be charged with if and when he was found.

A few weeks after that, in April, reward posters advertising an increased reward of $20,000 were distributed nationwide and in Canada.

The flyer showed two variations of the fugitive trapper's appearance.

There was an actual picture of Claude that showed him without a beard, and next to that image was a composite sketch of what he'd look like with a fuller beard and wearing a wide-brimmed hat.

Nearly a year after that, in March 1982, Idaho's then-governor asked the FBI to add Claude to their 10 Most Wanted list, but was told that wouldn't happen until one of the fugitives who was already on the list was captured.

However, the universe must have been favoring the authorities because about a month later, on Sunday, April 18th, investigators got what they'd been waiting more than a year for, 10 Most Wanted list be damned.

Claude Dallas Jr.

surfaced all on his own in a blaze of gunfire.