2010-2
2

Iowa Central Features Cold Case Intern on Criminal Justice Program home page

Category: Media, News | Tags: , , , | No Comments
Rebecca Russell

Rebecca Russell

Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge has featured our intern and co-administrator, Rebecca Russell, on the Criminal Justice Program’s home page along with information about Iowa Cold Cases and its mission. Rebecca earned her Criminal Justice Diploma from Iowa Central, and the program highlights student success stories on its departmental website.

Iowa Central’s Criminal Justice program can be taken as a diploma program when 33 core semester hours are completed or as an Associate of Science or Arts track when certain core semester hours are completed in accordance with each degree’s requirements.

Iowa Central Criminal Justice logoOne of the program’s strengths is the fact that many of the instructors are currently working or have worked in the Criminal Justice field. The ranks of its teaching staff have included a police chief, a chief deputy, a detective, criminal prosecutors, a former trooper, a correctional officer, and many other local criminal justice personnel.

In addition to program and course information, the website also features instructional videos, a photo slideshow of students participating in forensic science activities and a list of careers available in the criminal justice field.

For more information visit the Iowa Central Criminal Justice Program website.

2010-1
25

Remembering Sheila

Category: Anniversaries, Young Women | Tags: , , , , , | No Comments

Sheila Jean Collins was 18.  She was full of life, friendly, and fun-loving.  Her smile and green eyes dazzled, her long brown hair swung thick and beautiful.  Her contagious laughter rang through the halls of her Iowa State dorm.  She was smart and an excellent seamstress.  She was tolerant and generous and kind.  She lived an exemplary life and harmed no one.  She was loved by her parents and sisters and a boy who was planning to give her an engagement ring.  Her complete innocence and her trusting nature led her to accept a ride with a stranger.

She was murdered 42 years ago today, on January 26, 1968.

Tonight, once again, a small group of us still seeking answers will retrace her journey from the ISU campus to the spot where her body was found in rural Story County.  It will be a somber and humbling moment in which we remember Sheila’s life and honor her memory.  The lack of resolution will be frustrating and saddening.

Someone knows what happened to Sheila Collins.  Someone can provide the answers to the mystery of this beautiful life ended too soon.  If you have any information, please come forward.  It is never too late.   Nancy Bowers

2010-1
25

Dr. Nancy Bowers joins ICC as co-administrator

Category: News | Tags: , , | 2 Comments

I’m pleased to introduce Dr. Nancy Bowers, who joins the Iowa Cold Cases administrative team with an impressive background in writing and teaching, records research and criminal justice work. Nancy will help co-admins Jody and Rebecca with case summaries for the website, case updates to the blog and our Facebook group, and follow-up communications with law enforcement agencies, victims’ family members and other individuals involved with the respective cases.

Nancy received her Doctorate in English and Film Studies from Drake University. She earned an M.A. in 19th Century British Literature and an A.B. degree in English and History at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

She is the author of four published books: John Schlesinger: A Guide to References and Resources; The Hollywood Novel: 1912-1982; A Life in Time: Brown Munro, Sr. (1829-1909), and Lives to Share.

She has been a university teacher, editor, and Administrative Assistant in the Iowa General Assembly. She spent two years working in the Records Division of the Ames Police Department, where she currently volunteers, and two years assisting at the Adult Probation Office in Ames.

She is currently researching the January 1968 unsolved murder of Iowa State University student Sheila Jean Collins.

Nancy lives in Ames, Iowa, with her husband Neal and their six special needs cats.

Please join me in welcoming Nancy to the Iowa Cold Cases team!

2010-1
16

Iowa Cold Cases Welcomes First Intern

Category: Media | Tags: , | 1 Comment
Rebecca Russell

Rebecca Russell

Iowa Cold Cases is pleased to introduce our first intern, Rebecca Russell.

Rebecca earned her Criminal Justice diploma at Iowa Central Community College and currently attends Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) in Ankeny as well as Grand View University in Des Moines, where she plans to major in Criminology. Following graduation, her goal is to work as a private cold case investigator in the Des Moines area.

Rebecca will help with research and case summaries, e-mail inquiries, updates to the ICC blog and our Facebook group, and in other areas as needed.

Born in Kansas City, Kansas, Rebecca’s family relocated to Ames, Iowa, before Rebecca celebrated her first birthday. She says she first became interested in cold case work after enrolling in the course ‘Scientific Investigation,’ an elective she took at DMACC. Professor Nickolas Brown, who taught the course, brought his own real-life investigating experience to the class and incorporated forensic science, which then inspired Rebecca to pursue her education in criminal justice.

“Justice for the families and friends of the victims is what motivated me to pursue cold case work as a career,” Rebecca says. “No one should ever have to give up on finding out what happened to their loved one.”

In addition to her criminal justice studies, Rebecca’s hobbies include traveling, movies, swimming and photography. She currently resides in Ames with her significant other, Jace, and their 6-month old son, Gabriel.

Please join me in welcoming Rebecca to the Iowa Cold Cases family!

2010-1
13

Today’s anniversaries: George Geary and Angela Hennes

Category: Anniversaries, Rewards | Tags: , , , | No Comments

Today marks another two cold case anniversaries: that of George Geary in Des Moines and Angela Hennes in Scott County.

George Geary, 40, was shot to death about 1:30 a.m. on January 13, 1963, during a robbery at his M & H service station at Keosauqua Way and Crocker St. in Des Moines. A total of $252.15 had been stolen from the filling station’s cash register.

Angela Marie Hennes

Angela Hennes

Angela Marie Hennes, a 41-year-old mother of two sons, went missing for 10 days in January 2007 before her badly burned body was found face down in the fetal position in a farm field off Seven Sisters Road in rural Scott County about 4 p.m. January 13.

Pathology reports indicated Hennes had been dead two to three days, and toxicology reports showed no drugs or alcohol in her system.

Hennes’ cell phone went off January 3, 2007 — the day she disappeared.

A $5,000 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in Hennes’ murder.

2010-1
12

Two Young Women: Pam Hinrichs and Kimberly Ratliff

Category: Anniversaries, Iowa DCI, Workplace Murders, Young Women | Tags: , , , | No Comments

As I continue adding and updating pages on the Iowa Cold Cases website, I’m constantly amazed at the number of young women killed either on their way to work or after leaving work, and sometimes, even while still on the job. And while victimology studies and reports often help profilers and investigators track down offenders, a young woman alone — particularly at night — is still at risk of being targeted as easy prey for the determined perpetrator.

The brutal and senseless murder of any individual is always horrific, but each time these all too frequent anniversary dates come and go for so many of these young women’s unsolved crimes, I begin thinking about their fathers, their mothers; I have a twenty-something daughter myself and simply cannot imagine the sheer true grit they’ve been forced to summon and maintain.

Today I’m thinking about the families of Pamela Hinrichs of Clinton, Iowa, and Kimberly Ratliff of Council Bluffs.

Pam Hinrichs, 19, was shot 29 years ago during an apparent robbery of the AMVETS Post No. 28 at 1317 S. 17th Street in Clinton either late evening on January 12, 1981, or early morning Jan. 13. The cash register and a nearby safe were cleaned out, and there were no substantial leads, suspects or witnesses. Her case remains unsolved.

Kimberly RatliffEleven years ago today, Kimberly Ratliff, 22, was found in a car left in the People’s Natural Gas parking lot at 1414 West Broadway in Council Bluffs. Her throat had been slashed.

Ratliff worked at Airlite Plastics Co. in Omaha, Neb., and was last seen alive when she got off work about 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 8, 1999. She lived in Council Bluffs with her mother and stepfather, Joyce and Leslie Kennedy.

To this day, no witnesses have come forward and police have not charged anyone with the crime.

Not yet, anyway. But the times — they are a’changin’. And the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s new Cold Case Unit has a powerful ally in DNA’s growing technology and database .

Those responsible for the deaths of Pam and Kimberly and many others like them may run, but soon there will be nowhere to hide.

2009-11
29

Remembering Julie Ann Benning

Category: Anniversaries, Young Women | Tags: , , , , | No Comments
Julie Benning with boulder-size rock

Every year, Julie Benning and her four sisters helped their father clear rocks from the field before he planted.

She was bright, beautiful, spunky and ambitious, and always eager to get out and meet people and make things happen. She had a zany laugh and quick smile, designed and sewed her own dresses, loved live music and the weekly Top 100 Countdown.

She also was an avid reader — Nancy Drew mysteries were a favorite — was already writing her own stories and had an interest in investigative journalism. But the day after Thanksgiving in 1975, Julie Ann Benning suddenly vanished without a trace.

The recent Plainfield High School graduate’s whereabouts remained a mystery for nearly four months until a Butler County road maintenance worker discovered her body alongside a quiet country road. Thirty-four years after the spirited and independent teen first went missing, her case remains unsolved.

If you think you have any information that could help solve this case please click here to send your information to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

2009-11
16

This week’s Cold Case anniversaries

Category: Anniversaries, Missing Persons | Tags: , , , , , , , , | No Comments

Sometimes, I must admit, it’s just downright difficult hunting down information on a specific cold case. Despite the number of online search engines and newspaper archives, some cases, it seems, are just plain elusive.

I’ve been dealing with that problem with one of today’s cold case anniversaries — that of Becky Palmer — killed 19 years ago (Nov. 16, 1990) at 1300 E. 25th Ct. in Des Moines. I’ve got the case number, too (1990-40843), but searches under Becky Palmer and Rebecca Palmer have turned up nothing under “this” specific Becky Palmer.

A few months ago, Lt. Moran of the Des Moines Police Dept. was kind enough to send me a list of the city’s open homicides, but they’ve got a lot of them (79) dating back to 1951, and a lot of time and resources would have gone into sending along case description summaries and photos for all 79 victims. The list he sent, however, ensured I had a complete — and equally as important, accurate — list for the state’s biggest city, and his goodwill already has saved me countless hours of uncovering all those names. For that I am grateful.

And yes, I also must admit I tend to thrive on research, so take my grumblings about the AWOL Becky Palmer articles with a grain of salt… (smile)

Of course if you’re reading this and just “happen” to have some of those articles or a Becky Palmer photo lying around you’d like to share, don’t let my explorations come between your keyboard and my inbox.

To contact the Des Moines police with information about this case, please call (515) 283-4864.

Charles Elmquist

Charles Elmquist

Charles Elmquist

Today’s other cold case anniversary involves missing person Charles Elmquist, who disappeared from Iowa City in 1979.

Elmquist’s 1961 blue GMC van was located on November 17, 1979, parked in the Univ. of Iowa Hydraulics Laboratory storage lot.

Elmquist was 34 when he disappeared; today he would be 64.

If you have any information about Charles Elmquist’s case please call the Iowa City Police Department at (319) 356-5275 or the Missing Person Information Clearinghouse / Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation at 1-800-346-5507.

Tomorrow’s Anniversary

Roberta “Bobbi” Crawford

Bobbi Crawford

Bobbi Crawford

Roberta “Bobbi” Crawford, 53, was found murdered inside her Hampton, Iowa, home on November 17, 1999. 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.

If you have any information about Bobbi Crawford’s murder, contact the Hampton Police Dept. at (515) 456-2529.

Yours in hope,

Jody

2009-11
12

Matt Pusateri: cab driver shot 21 years ago today

Category: Anniversaries | Tags: , , , | No Comments

Nov. 12, 1988:

Matt Pusateri, a cab driver for Yellow Cab in Cedar Rapids, IA, was shot in the head while sitting in his parked cab about 3 a.m. in a parking lot in the 800 block of Sixth Street SW.

Police speculate that two assailants tried to rob Pusateri, 26, and when he refused to hand over any money, they shot him.

Police have compared Pusateri’s murder to that of Brian Schappert, 22, also of Cedar Rapids, who was stabbed to death less than one year later as he worked at the Kum & Go convenience store at 2743 Mount Vernon Rd. SE.

Both victims were described as “good kids,” and robbery most likely was the motive in both homicides.

There was also the possibility that in each case, the young man died because he recognized the robber and could have identified him to police.

Both cases remain unsolved.

2009-11
8

Cold Cases blog now merged with website

Category: Website Updates | No Comments

The Iowa Cold Cases “Blog” is now hosted on the same server as the website and may be accessed at the new address: http://iowacoldcases.com/blog

We’re now using WordPress, and though the blog has a different “look” than the regular ICC pages (just as it did with Blogspot), we hope you’ll find the new format easier to read and navigate. Feedback is always welcome, and one need not be registered with WordPress to leave comments on this blog.

The blogspot site will remain up for a while in order to give subscribers time to bookmark the new site.

Thanks for your patience during this transition, and please let me know if you have any questions or trouble accessing any pages.

Jody