If A Branch Of The Juke Family Were Elves

And if Keebler baked mayhem instead of cookies, they'd put their factory right here. Full article after the jump; it's got to be read to be believed:

A former convict wanted in his wife’s shooting death has evaded authorities in south-central Missouri for more than a month, at one time possibly hiding in a hollowed-out tree trunk.

About 100 officers have been searching for Neldon Neal since his wife was shot March 13.

Officers believe he has stayed within miles of his home, and they think he hid for days inside a hollow tree trunk in Mark Twain National Forest.

But authorities also said Neal had help, and have charged four women with allegedly providing him with food, beer, soap and an occasional shower.

“It’s a big game to a lot of them,” Texas County Sheriff Carl Watson said.

Neal, 60, has strong ties to the rural Ozark county, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Sunday. And he has had several run-ins with the law on charges including kidnapping, burglary and robbery.

He’s also known for receiving a court judgment that could have made him a millionaire, though some of his family spent much of it before he got out of prison, said his former lawyer.

Recently, Neal had lived with his wife, Judy Lewis, in a dilapidated trailer.

Authorities say on March 13, the unemployed Neal and a drinking buddy returned to the trailer. His wife, Lewis’ former daughter-in-law and her 2-year-old daughter were there.

The sheriff said a fight broke out and Lewis, 51, was shot. Neal fled.

The former daughter-in-law and the drinking buddy drove Lewis to a gas station. The station’s owner, Linda Openshaw, said she dialed 911 but she said it was clear Lewis was already dead.

The Neal family, which includes 10 children, is well-known in Texas County, home to 23,000 people and Missouri’s largest county at more than 1,100 square miles.

Neldon Neal’s criminal record stretches back to 1965, the sheriff said. His most recent prison term came in 1998 with a 15-year term for stealing beer. While jailed in Miller County, Neal was beaten by deputies, said Kansas City attorney Don Roberson, who was hired by Neal to sue for damages.

His $1 million award was settled for $500,000. After expenses, Neal received a check for about $275,000. His family handled the proceeds, and the money was mostly gone by the time Neal was released from prison early for good behavior in October 2005, Roberson said.

Neal returned to Roby and married Lewis. But their relationship was marred by violence. Late last year, an argument resulted in Neal being shot in the shoulder by his wife’s grown son. Neal was stitched up by a friend, the sheriff said. Lewis’ son was fatally shot by police in Richardson, Texas, in early March.

Since Lewis’ shooting, authorities have scoured the area for Neal. Some in the county are locking their doors for the first time. Others keep their guns close at hand. The profusion of ready weapons led to the accidental fatal shooting of a 9-year-old boy by his brother, authorities say.

Authorities say they got one clue in the search for Neal after the fire department reported three young boys had burned down a shed to stay warm. The heat inside their trailer was broken, and their mother was not at home.

The boys told deputies their mother and another woman had visited Neal in the forest, Watson said. Two of the boys were Neal’s grandchildren.

Four women, all of whom knew each other, were charged with hindering prosecution. They told authorities they bought Neal food and beer and gave him a tent and sleeping bag, according to court documents.

They also revealed that Neal was holed up inside a hollow tree. In the national forest, the log is about 30 feet long and appears to have toppled years ago. Neal told the women he was hiding inside the log as a team of searchers rode by him on four-wheelers.

The sheriff said while extra patrols are gone, he and his deputies continue to look for Neal. They’ll find him, he said, but he doesn’t know when.