CONRAD — William Glenn Olson, charged in connection with the disappearance of Alicia Wood, appeared in Pondera County District Court on Monday, December 16, 2024.
Olson, 29 years old, has been charged with deliberate homicide and tampering with evidence.
During his arraignment hearing, Olson pleaded not guilty to both counts.
Olson remains jailed; bail has been set at one-million dollars.
A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for January 27th, 2025.
A deliberate homicide conviction could mean the death penalty for Olson, or up to life in prison.
Court documents state Olson told investigators that he strangled Alicia in Conrad and disposed of her body in a dumpster in Great Falls.
A days-long search at the High Plains Landfill northeast of Great Falls was suspended on Saturday (see below). The search included scores of people from numerous agencies, including the Cascade County Sheriff's Office, Montana Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation, Great Falls Police Department, Republic Services, Great Falls Public Works, Cascade County Search & Rescue, Pondera County Sheriff's Office, Lewis & Clark County Sheriff's Office, and the Cascade County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).
On Monday afternoon, the Cascade County CERT in Great Falls notified its volunteer members that it is now being asked to provide "site support for landfill search in Pondera County" beginning on Tuesday, December 17.
(MONDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 16) The search for Alicia Wood of Conrad at the High Plains Landfill several miles northeast of Great Falls has been suspended, Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter announced in a news release on the morning of Monday, December 16, 2024.
Wood, 46 years old, was reported missing on November 30, 2024. The reporting party said that she had last been seen on November 22, 2024.
As of Monday, December 16, she has not been found.
On December 11, Olson was charged in Pondera County with deliberate homicide and tampering with evidence in connection with her disappearance.
On the charge of deliberate homicide, court documents state that on or about November 22 through November 26, Olson "purposely or knowingly caused the death of Alicia Lindsey Wood." On the charge of tampering with evidence, court documents state that knowing an investigation was underway, Olson placed Alicia's body in a suitcase and disposed of it in a dumpster.
Officials have not released information about the nature of the relationship between Olson and Wood.
When Olson was initially questioned on December 2nd about the disappearance of Alicia, he told investigators that he had last seen her on November 10th, and he did not know where she was now. He then said he did not want to answer any more questions until he talked with his attorney.
On December 3rd, investigators learned that Olson had several arrest warrants, including a felony warrant for violation of conditions of release related to a partner/family member assault.
Later that day, Olson was taken into custody based on the outstanding warrants and then taken to the Pondera County Sheriff's Office for questioning.
Court documents state that Olson told investigators that he and Alicia had been fighting at her residence in Conrad, and admitted that he strangled Alicia by placing her in a headlock, and put her body in a hard-sided suitcase.
He said that he put the suitcase in the trunk of Alicia's car and drove to Great Falls, where he placed the suitcase into a dumpster.
Olson later told investigators that the dumpster was along the 900 block of Sixth Alley NW.
A sanitation supervisor for the City of Great Falls confirmed that a city-owned garbage truck collected the contents of the dumpster on November 27, and the contents were off-loaded at the High Plains Landfill, which is several miles northeast of Great Falls.
Regarding the suspension of the search at the landfill, Sheriff Slaughter said, “The is not a decision we took lightly, however; we feel we have conducted a thorough search of our landfill based on the information and leads provided."
He said the the investigation and search efforts will continue under the lead of the Pondera County Sheriff’s Office and DCI.
Anyone with information about the disappearance of Wood is encouraged to contact the Division of Criminal Investigation by calling or 406-444-3874 or emailing contactdci@mt.gov.
Sheriff Slaughter thanked all partnering agencies and volunteers who helped in the search, along with the supporters who provided meals.
