March 18: We Remember . . .

March 18, 2010 | By Nancy Bowers

On March 18, 1977, Elgin Hobert Strait, 80, was found dead at his Mason City, Iowa, residence from a shotgun blast to the head.

Elgin Hobert Strait

Elgin Hobert Strait as a Teenager

Elgin Hobert Stait was born October 15, 1896 in Adams County, Iowa, one of 15 children of Josie Mary McCord and Peter Addison Strait. His brothers were Jacob M. Strait, Cyrus Daniel Strait, Blaine Lockheart Strait, Warren Lester Strait, Arnold A. Strait, Arlan Lewis Strait, Donald Robert Strait, and Byron Roosevelt Strait. His sisters were Winnie Mable Strait Westcoat, Celia Bell Strait Ritenour, Agnes Vernice Strait Hardee, Iva C. Strait Scott, Blanche Rose Strait, and Flossie Fern Strait Smith Jackson. Many of his siblings preceded him in death.

On May 5, 1917, he married Flossie J. Ridnour in Corning, Iowa, and the couple had four children: Geneva Rose Strait LaGrange, Otho Strait, Colleen Strait, and Ruth Strait DeMaris. He also had several grandchildren.

Although his death was examined by a Cerro Gordo County Grand Jury in July 1979, there were no suspects named and it was declared an “unsolved murder.” The case has never been solved.

If you believe you have any information concerning this case, click here to report it to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Cold Case Unit.

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A Young Woman Who Cared for Children and a Child . . .

March 13, 2010 | By Nancy Bowers
Sarah Ann Ottens

Sarah Ann Ottens

On March 13, 1973, 20-year-old Sarah Ann Ottens was found murdered in her University of Iowa dorm in Iowa City. Sarah was a nursing student from Morrison, Illinois, who worked in the cafeteria attached to the Medical School’s rehabilitation center for handicapped children. She was a pretty and vivacious young woman with many friends. Among those who loved her were her parents, Robert William and Myra Schaut Ottens; her paternal grandparents, Harriet Ten Boer and William Ottens; and her siblings Sandy, Scott, Sam, and Susan.

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

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Ten years later on March 13, 1983, a dead newborn infant was found along a rural road in Story County, Iowa. The child’s identity is unknown, but someone somewhere must remember and grieve.

If you have information about this child, please contact the Story County Sheriff’s Office.

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We Remember . . . .

March 10, 2010 | By Nancy Bowers

The first week in March brought the sad death anniversaries of five Iowans, two of them children and one a teenager.

Steven Fisher

Steven Fisher

March 3, 1983, 20-year-old Steven Joseph Fisher and his 17-year-old girlfriend Melisa Lynn Gregory were found beaten to death at the Copper Dollar Ranch, a Quarter Horse and Appaloosa operation northwest of Newton, Iowa, in Jasper County.

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Melisa Gregory

Melisa Gregory

On March 6, 1965, sisters Sherry Lee Martin, (8) and Victoria Linn Martin (4) died in a deliberately set fire at the Dubuque, Iowa, home of their parents, Janet and Donald Martin.
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Gloria Faye Slump

On March 6, 1967, the beaten and stabbed body of 24-year-old Gloria Faye Slump was found by Burlington Railroad employees under a trestle over Pony Creek three miles south of Council Bluffs, Iowa.
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Dale Redman

Dale Redman

On March 6, 1968, Dale Redman, 60, was found dead at his La Porte City, Iowa, dairy operation. He was shot in the head eight times and robbed of his billfold.
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Please take time to remember the lives of these Iowans who were so violently taken from their families and friends. And if you have any information about these homicides, contact iowacoldcases.com or the Iowa DCI Cold Case Unit.

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A Sad Anniversary for Two Families

March 9, 2010 | By Nancy Bowers

Today we remember two victims murdered on March 9. Their cases have long gone cold, but they are not forgotten by family and friends.

On March 9, 1965, Myrtle Zelda Cumpston, 60, was shot and killed at C & K Aqualand, Incorporated, her co-owned wholesale tropical fish aquarium business in rural Dallas County near Redfield, Iowa. She was murdered for 50 dollars. Myrtle was the mother of three children and the wife of Charles Cumpston.

On March 9, 1972, the body of Tommy Morris was found in the 1800 block of Des Moines Street in Des Moines, Iowa.

Murder cases are not closed until someone is tried and convicted. If you have any information that could help solve these cases, please click here to send your information to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation or leave your information at iowacoldcases.com.

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Remembering Sheila

January 25, 2010 | By Nancy Bowers
Sheila Collins

Sheila Collins

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

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Today’s anniversaries: George Geary and Angela Hennes

January 13, 2010 | By Jody Ewing

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.

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Two Young Women: Pam Hinrichs and Kimberly Ratliff

January 12, 2010 | By Jody Ewing

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.

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Remembering Julie Ann Benning

November 29, 2009 | By Jody Ewing
Julie Benning with boulder-size rockEvery 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.

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This week’s Cold Case anniversaries

November 16, 2009 | By Jody Ewing

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

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Matt Pusateri: cab driver shot 21 years ago today

November 12, 2009 | By Jody Ewing

Nov. 12, 1988:

Matt Pusateri

Matt Pusateri

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.

Brian Schappert

Brian Schappert

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.

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