Please Note:
This list is by no means inclusive of all Iowa Cold Cases and as time permits we continue to add separate pages for Iowa cities and counties. If you'd like a particular case added now or have additional information on a case already listed here, please e-mail Jody with the relevant details and we'll respond to your inquiry as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience.The cases are listed in chronological order beginning with the oldest. Those with active links contain additional information and/or feature stories. (Click here for a text only alphabetical list of cases.)
Donna Sue Davis
22 months of age
715 Isabella Street
Sioux City, IA (Woodbury County)
July 10, 1955
At approximately 9:30 p.m., Mary Davis put her 22-month-old daughter, Donna Sue, to bed in her crib after giving her a bath. Shortly thereafter, a white male partially removed the storm screen from the bedroom window, entered the residence and abducted Donna Sue from her crib. About that same time, several witnesses in the neighborhood observed a man acting suspiciously who appeared to be carrying something in his arms.
The next afternoon, a local farmer found Donna Sue's diaper, plastic pants and pajamas in a rural ditch alongside a gravel road on the outskirts of South Sioux City, Nebraska. Her body was found a short time later near the road in the first two rows of a cornfield, three-quarters of a mile from where the clothing had been found and about eight miles from the Davis home. Donna Sue had been raped, sodomized, badly beaten, had a severe skull fracture, a lower-left fractured jaw, and had numerous burns on her body likely caused from cigarettes or a lighter.
____________________________________________
Homicide:
Maureen Farley
17 YOA
Cedar Rapids, IA (Linn County)
September 24, 1971
On Sept. 20, 1971, 17-year-old Maureen (Brubaker) Farley
failed to show up for her job as a waitress. On Sept. 25,
two young boys hunting in a secluded wooded area near the
southwest edge of Cedar Rapids found her body atop the
trunk lid of an abandoned vehicle in a wooded ravine.
Officials stated she had been dead about 7 days, and
theorized her body had been thrown from a passing vehicle
and crashed through heavy vegetation onto the car trunk.
Cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.
____________________________________________
Unidentified Body:
Description:
White male, 33-53 years of age, approximately 5'6" tall
Details:
Skeletonized remains found 08/30/88 in a roadside ditch
1/2 mile east of Correctionville in Woodbury County.
Clothing:
One short sleeved plain colored shirt with button down
collar. No markings were found on this item. This shirt
was made of a light weight fabric. One short sleeved
white or pale yellow shirt of a broadcloth type fabric.
One red, white and black plaid long sleeved shirt
(pictured below). The characters "SL51" were stenciled in
the center of the neck band. This shirt also had a button
down collar. Three pairs of socks-one black pair, one
brown pair and the remains of one pair of unknown color.
The remains of one pair of shoes. The soles of the shoes
had the characters "7' DE" and "675" molded on the
surface. One pair of light weight black dress type
gloves. One baseball type cap which was black in color.
One blue double insulated baseball cap.
Possessions:
Black plastic wallet with imprint design and plastic
metal clasp coin purse. Shaving materials consisting of
two razors, styptic pencil and shaving brush contained in
a gym bag (see picture below).
Cause
of Death: Unknown.
Estimated date of death: 1971 - 1973.
Agency:
Woodbury County Sheriff's Office 712-279-6010
References:
Iowa DCI
____________________________________________
Dennis Michael Clougherty
23 years of age
U.S. Highway 20
Cedar Falls, IA (Black Hawk County)
August 12, 1974
At 6:18 a.m. on Tuesday,
August 13, 1974, a motorist discovered Clougherty's body
lying in the ditch of Union Road just south of U.S.
Highway 20 (which is now Highway 57 or W. 1st Street)
located in the extreme northwest corner of Cedar Falls,
Iowa. A coroner's report indicated Mr. Clougherty had
died of five gunshot wounds to his body. It is believed
the victim was shot between 10:45 and 11:00p.m. on the
night of Monday, August 12, 1974.
____________________________________________
Ernest William (Billy) Isom II, 27 years of age;
Jesse James Hanni, 26;
117 Morningside Avenue
Sioux City, IA (Woodbury County)
December 3, 1974
At 11:22 a.m., the bodies of three persons were found brutally murdered in a rented two-story home.
The mother of victim Ernest Isom discovered the bodies.
Jesse Hanni was found fully clothed, wearing a winter jacket, shot once through the back and once behind the left ear in execution style.
____________________________________________
Unidentified
Body:
Description:
Black female, 12 - 23 years of age, 5'2" to 5'4", 100 to
120 lbs., average build, black hair.
Details:
Body found 04/11/75, in river in Clinton County. Victim
was approximately 10 weeks pregnant.
Clothing:
None
Jewelry:
None
Cause
of Death: Gunshot
Wound. Death occurred sometime in early 1975.
Agency:
Clinton County Sheriff's Office 319-242-9311
Reference:
Iowa DCI
____________________________________________
Jane Wakefield
DOB: 11/19/1948
Missing From: Iowa City, IA (Johnson County)
Missing Since: September 6, 1975
Jane Wakefield
was reported missing to the Iowa City Police Department
in Iowa City on Sept. 9, 1975. If you have any
information please call the Iowa City Police Department
at 319-356-5275.
____________________________________________
Alice Mae
Vanalstine
DOB: July 23, 1947
Missing From: Polk County, IA
Missing Since: April 2, 1976
Alice Vanalstine was reported
missing to the Polk County Sheriff's Office in Des Moines
on April 2, 1976. She may have been taken against her
will.
____________________________________________
Charles Elmquist
DOB: 05/03/1945
Missing From: Iowa City, IA (Johnson County)
Missing Since: November 16, 1979
Elmquist went missing November 16, 1979. His 1961 blue GMC van was located on November 17, 1979, parked in the UI Hydraulics Laboratory storage lot. If you have any information please call the Iowa City Police Department at 319-356-5275.
____________________________________________
Johnny Gosch
12 YOA
Missing From: Des Moines, IA (Polk County)
Missing Since: September 5, 1982
On September
5, 1982, Johnny Gosch left his home to work his Des
Moines Register paper route. What happened after that has
been the subject of speculation. According to Noreen
Gosch, two men approached him, he was thrown into a
vehicle and kidnapped.
____________________________________________
Maurice Kneifl
58 YOA
Sioux City Area (Woodbury County)
February 14, 1983
The SCPD
received a report of a missing person by Kneifl's
girlfriend, Joyce Fish (whom he'd dated for several
years), and her daughter Lori. Maurice was reportedly
last seen on Feb. 14, 1983, driving his 1981 dark brown
Fleetwood Cadillac, bearing Iowa license plate HIZ379. He
had left Joyce's residence around 9:30
p.m.
____________________________________________
Graciela (Grace)
Esquivel
Reported Missing: June 1983
Missing From: Mason City, IA (Cerro Gordo County)
Esquivel, 25, the mother of a
six-year-old daughter, Angie, was reported missing in
June 1983. She lived at 1619 N. Pennsylvania Ave. in
Mason City.
____________________________________________
Terri McCauley
18 YOA
33rd & Pavonia St.
Sioux City, IA (Woodbury County)
October 6, 1983
On Oct. 1,
1983, 18-year-old McCauley was reported missing by her
mother. She was reported last seen alive on Tuesday,
Sept. 27, 1983, at approximately 2:15 a.m. in the area of
W. 7th & Omaha in Sioux City. At approximately 8:15
a.m. on Oct. 6, 1983, her partially decomposed body was
located in a wooded area in the vicinity of 33rd &
Pavonia Street by a local resident walking his dog. The
victim had died from a shotgun wound to the
face.
____________________________________________
Unidentified
Body:
Description: White male,
28-48 years of age, 5'7" to 5'9", approximately 150 lbs.,
brown hair, medium build, right handed, surgical pin
implanted in right knee.
Details:
Skeletal remains found 2/28/84, in brushy area along a
dirt trail in Des Moines, Iowa.
Clothing:
Faded blue denims with 31" waist, dark leather belt,
brown socks, low cut TRAX sneakers brown/blue in color.
Possessions:
Plastic comb, plastic Copenhagen snuff box and a pocket
knife.
Cause
of Death: Blunt
trauma, sometime during the summer of 1983.
Agency:
Des Moines Police Department 515-283-4800
Reference:
Iowa DCI
____________________________________________
Homicide:
Charles
Jaeger
914 Second Ave. SE
Dyersville, IA (Dubuque County)
August 29, 1984
On
Aug. 29, 1984, Charles "Chuck" Jaeger reportedly was
found in his bed in a pool of his own blood, a bullet
lodged in his brain. He had been shot in the back of the
head with a rifle or a handgun. He was transported from
his Dyersville, Iowa, home to the University of Iowa
Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, where he was
pronounced dead. He was 37. The gun used was never found.
No one has ever been charged. The case remains open in
name only.
____________________________________________
Ronald Leroy Zellmer
31 YOA
Sioux City Area (Woodbury County)
April 6, 1985
At approx.
5:50 a.m., South Sioux City Police located a 1984 Chevy
Cavalier -- registered to Zellmer -- parked on the south
end of the Veterans Memorial Bridge. Sioux City Police
were called to check Zellmer's residence at 1003 Pierce
Street, Apt. B-3, and found it empty with nothing unusual
within the apartment. Family members reported he had
suffered from depression for years. A search of the
Missouri River proved unsuccessful.
____________________________________________
Description: White male, 33-36 years of age, 5'6" to 5'9", 145 - 160 lbs., brown hair, medium build
Details: Skeletal remains found 03/31/86 between hay bales at a farm site in Winneshiek County, Iowa
Clothing: Plaid white-tan-black pile-lined jacket, medium white-tan short sleeve terry cloth shirt, blue cords with 33" waist, black socks, extra-large blue windbreaker and brown shoes
Possessions: A one dollar bill, pink blanket and a match book
Cause of Death: Unknown. Estimated date of death: April 1985
Agency: Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office 319-382-4268
References: Iowa DCI
The individual
may have been traveling from Ohio to California. Skull
reconstruction pictures indicate what the individual may
have looked like. The pictures show the clothing the
individual was wearing.
____________________________________________
Unidentified Body:
200 Block of S. Lewis Blvd. (Hwy 75)
Sioux City, Iowa (Woodbury County)
March 25, 1986
Description: White male,
45-49 years of age, 5'6" to 5'8", 145 to 155 lbs., medium
build, blood type A+.
Details:
Burned body was found under a bridge of an abandoned
river channel in Sioux City on 03/25/86.
Clothing:
Subject was wearing white cotton gloves, brown western
shirt, blue jeans, blue cotton socks and tan western
boots.
Possessions:
Tube of contact cement.
Cause
of Death: Apparent
suicide; burned body was found doused with gasoline.
Estimated time of death was the late afternoon of
03/24/86.
Agency:
Sioux City Police Department 712-279-6365
References:
Iowa DCI
At approx. 9:42 a.m., Sioux City Police responded to a
report of a man down under a bridge near Marx Trucking.
Marx employees had observed smoke and a noxious odor
coming from the area the day before. Investigators
located the body of man -- believed to be between 35-50
years of age -- burned beyond recognition, with a gas can
located between the victim's legs. A nationwide search
has not determined the man's identity.
____________________________________________
Rodney J.
Olsen
Mason City, IA (Cerro Gordo County)
October 18, 1986
Olsen, a rural Mason City farmer, was 32 when he was
reported missing on October 18, 1986. Olsen was the
father of a young son and farmed northeast of Mason City.
He had moved from his native Britt area not too long
before he disappeared.
____________________________________________
Homicide:
Kevin Clark
26 YOA
1514 Villa Avenue
Sioux City, Iowa (Woodbury County)
December
8, 1991
Clark
and a group of friends had just left a party after 5 a.m.
Clark got into the back passenger seat of a friend's 1981
tan and brown Chevy Citation, which was parked out front
with three other persons in the vehicle. At approx. 5:19
a.m., a black male subject, 5'10", 165 lbs., approached
the vehicle with a 9 millimeter rifle. The subject stated
something like "M***** F*****, I finally caught up with
you!" and then began firing into the vehicle. Clark --
who had in his possession a 38 Titan Special revolver --
returned the gunfire, but was struck three times in the
torso.
____________________________________________
Homicide:
Rhonda Anette Knutson
Phillips 66 Convenience Store
Chickasaw County, Iowa
September
7, 1992
In
the early morning hours of Monday, September 7, 1992,
Rhonda Anette Knutson was murdered while working the 9:00
PM to 5:00 AM shift at the Phillips 66 convenience store
in Chickasaw County. The store was located six miles
south of New Hampton on U.S. Highway 63 and one-quarter
mile north of the junction of highways 63, #18 and #346.
The store was open 24 hours a day, but no longer exists
due to road construction.
It was determined that the probable cause of death was to
have been from severe traumatic head injuries from a
beating with a blunt object. The investigation included
hundreds of interviews by deputies and agents from the
Iowa division of criminal investigation along with the
employment of a private investigator and several
psychics.
The crime remains unsolved and the Chickasaw
County Sheriff's Office continues
to ask for assistance for any information related to
this murder.
____________________________________________
Homicide:
Phillip Terrell
42 YOA
Des Moines, IA
Body found in Warren County
December 24, 1993
Just before Christmas 1993, Phil Terrell’s family
reported him as missing from Des Moines, IA. On March 2,
1994, at approximately 2 p.m., a horseback rider found
Terrell’s snow-covered, decomposed body in a creek
bed just inside Warren County. Warren County officials
said Terrell’s death is a homicide. Assistant
Medical Examiner Francis Garrity said autopsy results
showed that Terrell died after being hit on the head with
a blunt instrument.
____________________________________________
Homicide:
Betty Swetnam
73 YOA
1610 West 19th St.
Sioux City, Iowa (Woodbury County)
January 1, 1994
The
victim operated a massage business out of the basement of
her residence. When Swetnam's family couldn't contact her
by phone, they sent her grandson and granddaughter's
husband to check on her welfare. The grandson found his
grandmother dead at the bottom of the basement steps.
Investigators observed that the house had been ransacked,
with drawers dumped out of dressers. Swetnam had received
numerous stab wounds. Investigators interviewed every
client named in Swetnam's book as well as all relatives
and associates. No viable suspects were
developed.
____________________________________________
Jodi Huisentruit
27 YOA
600 North Kentucky Ave.
Mason City, IA (Cerro Gordo County)
June 27, 1995
At
approximately 4:30 a.m., CBS affiliate KIMT-TV morning
and noon anchor woman and producer Jodi Sue Huisentruit
was abducted from the parking lot of her apartment before
leaving for work that Tuesday morning. Police officers
found at the scene a number of Jodi's personal
possessions including her hair spray, hair dryer, key
ring and red high heeled shoes strewn about the parking
lot. DNA testing on blood found on the passenger side
rearview mirror and in the parking lot indicated a match
with that of Ms. Huisentruit. Despite 11+ years of
investigative efforts by the FBI, IA
DCI, MCPD and several private investigators, no
evidence of Jodi Huisentruit or her whereabouts has ever
been found and the case remains
unsolved.
____________________________________________
Susan J. Kersten
38 YOA
Iowa City, Iowa (Johnson County)
September 24, 1995
Susan
Kersten's body was found in a car that had been set on
fire in a field south of the Regency Trailer Court in
rural Iowa City, where she lived.
When Kersten's body was found in 1995, investigators
didn't suspect she was murdered until an autopsy was
performed several days later. While the case has been
investigated actively for the past 13 years, no arrests
have been made.
____________________________________________
Kenneth Harker
34 YOA
Sioux City, Iowa (Woodbury County)
October 9, 1996
Marie Harker came to the SCPD to report her adult son missing. According to Marie, Kenneth suffered from a head injury he'd received several years earlier that had left him disabled. On Oct. 5, 1996, Harker's 1977 white Chevy Suburban was tagged as an abandoned vehicle by the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office while parked on a gravel road (K-42). A search of Harker's residence at 504 Colon Street turned up no clues as to his whereabouts.
____________________________________________
David Redowl
27 YOA
610 West 3rd St.
Sioux City, Iowa (Woodbury County)
April 26, 1997
At approx. 2:00 a.m., Redowl and his 24-year-old sister, Sonja, had a physical altercation in the back yard of their mother's residence on West 3rd St., which both Redowl and his sister listed as their home. The SCPD and medical personnel were called at 2:07 a.m. Upon arrival they found Redowl unconscious and he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Mercy Medical Center. Cause of death was a stab wound to the chest. Because of conflicting witness statements and inconsistencies, no charges were ever filed.
____________________________________________
Wilbur Brown
47 YOA
603 West 5th St.
Sioux City, Iowa (Woodbury County)
Sept. 14, 1997
An area
resident returning home at approx. 5:30 a.m. noticed
Brown lying on the ground between a curb and the
sidewalk. After calling Sioux City Police, Brown was
transported to a hospital and died shortly thereafter. An
autopsy revealed he'd been beaten about the head and body
and died as a result of those injuries. Brown had
recently received and cashed his paycheck, though no
money was found on his person. Police interviewed
numerous people but no suspects were
arrested.
____________________________________________
Homicide:
Patricia
Jauron
45 YOA
Hwy 141
Woodbury County, IA
May 26, 1998
Patricia
Jauron's body was discovered by her husband Gene at their
former home across the road from where they'd just moved
after she left to show someone a waterbed and didn't
return home. Patricia had been stabbed multiple times
with such force the blade broke off in her
chest.
____________________________________________
Homicide:
Lowell Stumo
48 YOA
Northwood, IA (Worth County)
December 8, 1997
Lowell Stumo, 48,
was found shot to death near his farmhouse southwest of
Northwood on Monday, Dec. 8, 1997. The Stumo farm borders
Elk Creek Marsh, a state-owned property where hunting is
allowed. Authorities initially questioned whether the
death was a murder or a hunting accident. According to
Worth County Sheriff David Gentz the case has never been
closed.
____________________________________________
Kimberly Ratliff
22 YOA
1414 West Broadway
Council Bluffs, Iowa (Pottawattamie County)
January 12, 1999
The
body of 22 year old Kimberly M. Ratliff was found with
her throat slashed in a car that was left on the parking
lot of Peoples Natural Gas, 1414 West Broadway. An
employee made the discovery at about 10:40 am, January
12, 1999. It is believed the 1988 Plymouth Sundance with
the body inside had been parked on the lot over the
weekend. To this day, no witnesses have come forward and
police have not been able to gather enough evidence to
charge anyone with the crime. Anyone with information is
asked to call (712) 328-4765 or (712) 328-4758.
____________________________________________
Missing
Person:
Greg Stover
44 YOA
DOB: 7/20/54
White male
Missing since 3/8/99
Missing from: Sioux City, Iowa (Woodbury
County)
____________________________________________
Homicide:
Roberta “Bobbi” Crawford
53 YOA
Hampton, IA (Franklin County)
November 17, 1999
Roberta “Bobbi” Crawford, 53, was found
murdered Nov. 17, 1999, in her Hampton home. Authorities
said she died of blunt trauma to the head.
Crawford’s body was found after co-workers at
Ellsworth Community College, Iowa Falls, reported her
missing.
____________________________________________
Homicide:
Gerald Best
50 YOA
4 N. Madison Ave.
Mason City, IA (Cerro Gordo County)
December 30, 1999
Gerald Best was found stabbed to death on Dec. 30, 1999,
in his apartment at 4 N. Madison Ave. in Mason City. His
throat had been slashed.
____________________________________________
Adrian Reuwsaat
69 YOA
DOB: 1/28/33
White male
Missing since: 11/3/02
Missing from: Sioux City, Iowa (Woodbury County)
____________________________________________
Josefina Hernandez
DOB: 08/28/1988
Missing From: Iowa City, IA (Johnson County)
Missing since July 31, 2003
Josefina went missing from the Youth Emergency Shelter. If you have any information please call the Iowa City Police Department at 319-356-5275.
____________________________________________
Robert "Corey" Poffenberger
2211 East 37th St.
Des Moines, IA (Polk County)
October 24, 2003
Robert Corey Poffenberger was
murdered early Friday morning October 24, 2003 in the
driveway of his home at 2211 East 37th St. in Des Moines.
If you or anyone you know remembers seeing a vehicle or
person(s) near Corey’s home around this time, or if
you have heard anything that might be pertinent to this
case, please contact the Polk County CrimeStoppers at
515-223-1400. Callers may remain anonymous.
____________________________________________
Josh Yoder
4 YOA
500 Block of South 9th Street
Clinton, IA (Clinton County)
May 3, 2005
The Clinton
Police Department is renewing its appeal for information
on the hit-and-run death of Josh Yoder. Josh Yoder, age 4
was killed on May 3, 2005, when a hit and run driver
struck him in the 500 block of South 9th Street in
Clinton, Iowa. The Clinton Police Department is seeking
information leading to the identification of the driver,
or the offending vehicle, involved in the
incident.
____________________________________________
Helen J. Kelly
83 YOA
DOB: 8/26/21
White female
Missing since: 5/18/05
Missing from: Sioux City, Iowa (Woodbury County)
Height: 5' 5"
Weight: 115 pounds
Hair color: Gray
Eye Color: Brown
Kelly was last seen in Sioux
City, Iowa on May 18, 2005. When her husband woke up that
morning, she was missing. He reported her as a missing
person that afternoon. Kelly left behind her purse and
had not mentioned plans to travel anywhere. She has never
been heard from again. Her gold 2000 Honda Accord
with Iowa license
plates numbered 953EDK is also missing. Few details are
available in her case.
____________________________________________
Homicide:
Evelyn Miller
5 YOA
Floyd, Iowa (Floyd County)
July 1, 2005
Evelyn was
reported missing in the early morning hours of July 1,
2005, from an apartment south of Floyd that her mother,
Noel Miller, shared with her fiance, Casey Frederiksen.
Frederiksen was at home with Evelyn and two other
children while Miller was working a night shift. She
returned home around 6 a.m. and reported her daughter
missing. An intensive search involving more than 1,500
North Iowans was conducted during the first several days.
Evelyn’s body was found in the Cedar River, about 2
miles from her home, five days after she was reported
missing. Her death has been ruled a homicide, but details
about how and exactly when she was killed have not been
released.
____________________________________________
Unidentified Body:
Description:
White male,
40-45 years of age, 5'8" to 5'10", 195 to 210 lbs., Brown
hair, goatee.
Details:
Body was found submerged in the Des Moines River, West
Bank, in Des Moines on 10/25/2005. No apparent injuries
or trauma.
Clothing:
Subject was wearing size 36 tan shorts under size 38 blue
trousers, no shirt and a yellow and white Relic brand
watch.
Possessions:
Less than $10 in cash and coins.
Cause
of Death: Drowning
Agency:
Des Moines Police Department - 515-283-4805
References:
Iowa DCI
____________________________________________
Mark Snopek
Hit-and-run homicide
53 YOA
County Road R18 (also known as L Avenue)
Rural Boone
Boone County, Iowa
August 8, 2007
On
August 8, 2007, at approximately 8:53 p.m., 53-year-old
Mark Snopek of rural Boone was riding his bicycle on
County Road R18 (also known as L Avenue) traveling
northbound when he was struck from behind by a dark
colored vehicle. From there, the vehicle fled the scene
and continued northbound.
____________________________________________
Earl Thelander
80 YOA
701 1st St.
Onawa, Iowa (Monona County)
August 28, 2007
On the evening of August 27, 2007 or early morning Aug. 28, thieves broke into a vacant rural rental property located at 20877 Gum Ave. in Onawa, IA, where they cut copper propane lines and let the home fill with propane gas. Later that morning, the home exploded when owner Earl Thelander returned to install a new water pump. Earl died four days later on Sept. 1 in an Omaha hospital after suffering second- and third-degree burns over 80% of his body. The family has offered a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for his death.
____________________________________________
Agnes Kennedy
51 YOA
1800 Block of West 8th St.
Davenport, Iowa (Scott County)
December 22, 2007
Agnes Kennedy was found murdered in the north alley of the 1800 block of West 8th Street in Davenport, Iowa, on December 22, 2007. Anyone with information is asked to call the Quad Cities CrimeStoppers. All calls are anonymous. Please call the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 309-762-9500. CrimeStoppers has a $1,000 Reward if information leads to an arrest. The family has offered an additional $9,000 Reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
____________________________________________
Anyone with
information on any of the Sioux City cases should contact
Sioux City Police at 712-279-6390.
Anyone with information on the Jodi Huisentruit case
should contact Mason City Police at 641-421-3636.
Anyone with information on the copper theft causing Earl
Thelander's death in Onawa should contact the Monona
County Sheriff's Dept. at 1-800-859-1414. The Thelander
family has offered a $5,000 reward for information
leading to the arrest and conviction of those
responsible.