Frequently Asked Questions

When it comes to cold cases, people typically have a lot of questions. On this page, we'll answer some of the more frequent questions asked and add others as necessary. In certain instances (where noted) the answers may apply specifically to Iowa law.

How long does someone have to wait before a case is listed as a Cold Case?

It depends entirely on each individual case. As a general rule, a case goes "cold" once all leads hit a dead end or have been "run out." When there's no further leads to investigate, city or county law enforcement officials will often announce the case has gone cold. In my stepfather's case, that announcement came eight months after the crime. By contrast, Evelyn Miller was killed over four years ago and investigators say the case has not yet gone cold. (Her case is listed on this site due to the number of years passed since her murder, and with the hope that any additional leads generated in the interim will help underscore a formal charge of murder and successful conviction.)

How do you use or share information submitted through the Contact form?

As information is received, we first cross-check files for any existing documentation on that victim. If no documents or files exist, we research the case to verify its status as an open case. Depending on what type of case details the Contact form included, that information may be passed on to Iowa DCI Special Agent in Charge Mike Motsinger, who oversees Iowa's new cold case unit, or submitted to the respective city or county investigating agency. If a writer requests we not disclose his or her name (as referenced in the Contact form), we fully respect that wish and no personal identifying information will be shared with others.

Are you a private detective and how can you help me with this particular case?

I [Jody] am not a private detective, nor does the Iowa Cold Cases website employ any private detectives. My degree is in communications and criminal justice studies, and though I research and investigate each case as much as possible prior to its inclusion here, unfortunately I do not have the resources to actively pursue individual cases on a full-time basis.

My goal is that the case summaries and data presented here will keep the victims' names "out there" before the public and encourage local media to cover cases in respective communities on or around cold case anniversary dates. Media play a large role in reminding readers and viewers a case is still unsolved, and even the briefest update may be enough to spark a fresh lead. While I care deeply about each case, my hope is that case information gathered and presented here will serve as a springboard in joint efforts to deliver one common message: these victims will not be forgotten, and justice served may very well be as close as one phone call away.

Who determines when an autopsy is necessary and requests an autopsy be performed?

County Medical Examiners, County Attorneys, and the State Medical Examiner may request that an autopsy be performed in cases where death is suspected to have arisen from violent, suspicious, and unexpected circumstances (Iowa Code 331.801(4)).

Who can obtain copies of an autopsy report and death certificate?

The cause and manner of death (contained in a death certificate) is a matter of public record and can be released unless release of such information will hinder or harm an on-going criminal investigation [Iowa Code 22.7(4)]. An autopsy report (which is confidential and treated as a medical record), is available only to the immediate and legal next of kin of the deceased (spouse, adult child, parent, adult sibling, grandparent, guardian), and to investigating law enforcement agencies and county attorney offices.

Iowa law provides this guidance for release of autopsy reports under Iowa Code sec. 22.7(41):

• Law Enforcement: Law enforcement agencies have the greatest access to medical information. Medical examiner records and reports, including autopsy reports, shall be released on request to a law enforcement agency that is investigating the death.
• Immediate Next of Kin: The decedent's immediate next of kin has conditional access to autopsy reports which shall be released on request, unless disclosure "would jeopardize an investigation or pose a clear and present danger to the public safety or the safety of an individual."
• General Public: The general public has no access to autopsy reports. However, information regarding the cause and manner of death is open and shall be released to the public, unless, like autopsy reports, disclosure of this information "would jeopardize an investigation or pose a clear and present danger to the public safety or the safety of an individual."

Requests for autopsy reports may be made through the county medical examiner department. More FAQ regarding autopsies may be found here.

Who makes the decision to exhume a body, and is the family's permission needed?

Iowa Code 144.34 states that disinterment for the purpose of autopsy requires a district court order and is allowed only when there is reasonable cause to believe that someone is criminally or civilly responsible for the death. While due consideration is given to the feelings of relatives, the ultimate decision lies with the court. Obtaining consent from the victim's family, however, can be crucial in the court's decision.

While court orders may be requested by and granted to local law enforcement officials as well as state and federal officials, a petition to exhume a body is normally not made unless officials believe they have a viable suspect, or, in cases where a death initially was ruled an accident or not a result of foul play, now believe a crime was committed and that previously overlooked trace evidence may exist.

Does Iowa have an official cold case unit, and what cases are they investigating?

Iowa established an official Cold Case Unit in January 2009, and its purpose is to identify, prioritize and evaluate violent crime cold cases that have the potential for resolution through DNA and other means. The Cold Case Unit is comprised of two special agents and one DNA Criminalist from the DCI Criminalistics Laboratory.

With the improvement of DNA testing methods, many unsolved cases from pre-DNA days are being reexamined. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation just recently launched their new Cold Case Unit website, which provides a list of cases under current investigation.

How did the Iowa Cold Cases website come about, and was it personal?

Writer Jody Ewing founded the ICC website after working on a Sioux City, IA, cold case series for the alternative newsweekly, Weekender. Once the series began, victims' family members started calling and sending e-mails, wondering if their loved one's case would also be featured. Outside the series, Jody began researching the other cases, and developed the website in an effort to present those victims' stories and case information.

Nearly two years after the website's launch, Jody's stepfather of 25 years, Earl Thelander of Onawa, IA, died from burns sustained in an explosion caused by copper thieves and became the nation's first innocent copper theft fatality. The following year, law enforcement officials declared the case as officially having gone cold, and Jody added another name to the website she never imagined she'd ever have to add.

Is it personal?

There's not a case listed here that isn't.