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.

This piece aired on March 3, 2010.

Cold Cases: Gone But Not Forgotten, Part I is the first in Ashley’s series and is a testament to the struggles and successes cold case investigators face when looking to bring justice to victims and the victims’ families.

This episode aired on Tuesday, March 2, 2010.

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.

One 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.

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

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!

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!

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 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.

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.

Eleven 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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Lisa McCuddin

A day seldom goes by that I don’t receive e-mail asking about an Iowa cold case, but occasionally one arrives that — before I’ve even clicked to open and read it — makes my heart skip a beat or two. They are the ones where I recognize the sender’s last name because it matches a victim’s last name. The message will be highlighted in blue, indicating it’s addressed to my cold cases e-mail address, and when the subject line says something like “My Daughter,” all doubt is indeed removed; a victim’s parent has taken time to write me about his or her daughter — a daughter whose death I’ve most likely written about on the cold cases website.

Due to the vast number of cases listed there, most victim pages include “case summaries” I’ve compiled from collective news media articles, police reports and/or other documentation, rather than a by-lined article. (Links to any referenced articles follow the summary.) But even when I set about putting together each case summary, I give myself mental reminders: This person was somebody’s mother, someone’s daughter and sister; this could have been my brother, my uncle, my grandfather; and How would I feel were I to read this about my daughter or brother or son or sister?

Unsolved murders (and longtime missing persons cases where the victim is assumed deceased) are hard enough on families, and in writing about either, one often walks a fine line between disclosing delicate or unpleasant details about the victim’s life (especially if it played a role in the crime) while still respecting family members’ feelings.

So when a family member writes me for the first time, and particularly if it’s one of the victim’s parents, yes, I do worry if I’ve somehow offended them even though I’ve never gotten any negative calls or mail that would rationalize my fears.

On Friday, I received three e-mails, and by the time I finished reading the third, I suddenly recognized the three true things I consistently see in “cold case families,” and the attributes had been there all along.

Families of cold case victims are kind.

They tend to appreciate and be thankful for any efforts — regardless of how small — others extend on behalf of their loved one. They seem to have an innate sense that people are good, have the best of intentions, and are trying to help. They are long on praise and short on criticism.

Families of cold case victims are patient.

They understand that media will have other stories to cover, police and sheriff’s departments other cases to investigate, and friends and even other family members lives to still lead and move forward.

Families of cold case victims never lose hope. Ever.

Despite dead-end leads and witnesses who refuse to get involved, they never lose hope that those responsible for their loved one’s death will be brought to justice. Whether five years or 40, hope is always viable in a world where advancing DNA technology rivals any aging conscience.

While passing years spent waiting for justice could reasonably make one bitter, the e-mails I’ve received are a testament to the strength, the compassion, and the courage cold case families find within themselves under circumstances many cannot imagine.

Clips from Yesterday’s Letters
(reprinted here with permission)

From Becky McCuddin, mother of Lisa Ann McCuddin, who was shot and killed while riding as a passenger in a vehicle on its way to a Fort Dodge, Iowa, motel on October 2, 2004:

I am so glad you have this website. People don’t believe me when I tell them Iowa has a huge amount of unsolved murders. It is going on 5 years and still no arrest in my daughter’s case. This is not because of lack of trying on the investigator’s part. A lot of it has to do with people not wanting to get involved and coming forward.

Robert Bates

From Tracy Kaiser, girlfriend of Robert Bruce “Kip” Bates III, who was shot around 10 p.m. on September 27, 2007, while working at the Carter Lake, Iowa, ‘Jump Start Conoco’ convenience store:

Robert was my boyfriend. I gave birth to his daughter a few weeks after he was murdered. This Sept. 27th will mark 2 years since he left us. He was working when someone shot him. He was not supposed to work that night. He was scheduled to work in the morning but switched shifts with someone else. The investigators have confirmed that it was not meant for my boyfriend. They have an idea on who did it but do not have enough evidence to prosecute.

And from Jennifer McCuddin, sister of Lisa Ann McCuddin

I just wanted to send a big thank you for setting up this web site. We are coming up on 5 years and nothing new on her case yet. I have sent this web site to many friends and if it doesn’t help my sister’s case I hope it will help someone’s family.
____________________________

My sincere thanks to Becky, Tracy and Jennifer for writing. Keep the faith.

Yours in hope,

Jody

Lisa Peak

While many families celebrate today’s Labor Day holiday, at least two Iowa families will mark the day with another kind of remembrance: the loss of a young, vibrant daughter, and the cold case anniversary of each of their untimely and senseless deaths.

Thirty-three years ago on Tuesday, September 7, 1976, the nude, beaten body of 20-year-old Marie “Lisa” Peak was found lying face down under a lone cottonwood tree in a ditch a quarter mile north of Waverly, Iowa’s, city limits. She had been sexually assaulted, and, according to autopsy findings, died of suffocation and a broken neck. None of her clothes were found at the scene.

Peak, a sophomore majoring in journalism at Wartburg College in Waverly, had just returned to the campus following a summer vacation break. She disappeared the following day — Labor Day — after telling friends she was going shopping.

Many couldn’t help but wonder if Peak’s murder might be connected to two other Waverly homicides.

The nude body of 19-year-old waitress and budding writer Julie Ann Benning of Clarksville had been found March 18 approximately six miles from where Peak’s body was discovered. Benning had been missing since late November 1975 and had been strangled. An autopsy report established her death was due to “homicidal violence, caused by injury to the throat area.”

Five years prior to Benning’s murder, the partially clad body of Valerie Lynn Klossowsky, 14, was found south of Waverly. She, too, had been strangled.

All three cases remain unsolved.

Labor Day also proved deadly for another young Iowa woman. On September 7, 1992, Rhonda Anette Knutson — a month shy of her 23rd birthday — was murdered in the early morning hours while working the 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. shift at the Phillips 66 convenience store in Chickasaw County. Knutson died from severe traumatic head injuries caused by beating from a blunt object.

The investigation into her death 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.

Her case also remains unsolved.

When one mentions missing persons in Iowa, most people usually cite those with which they’re familiar: Jodi Huisentruit, Johnny Gosch, Eugene Martin. Here are some other names worth remembering. Click on the links for more information about each case.

Missing Person
Elizabeth Nicole Forshee-Syperda
Age at Report: 22
Missing From: Mount Pleasant, IA (Henry County)
Missing Since: July 17, 2000

Elizabeth Syperda was last seen by her roommate at their East Madison Street apartment in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, at 10:30 p.m. on July 17, 2000, when the roommate left to go to work. When the roommate returned at 4:00 a.m., Elizabeth was gone, though she did not have access to a car and all her personal belongings were left behind.

Missing Person
Crystal Ann Arensdorf
Age at Report: 20
Missing From: Dubuque, IA (Dubuque County)
Missing Since: July 4, 2001

Crystal Arensdorf of Dubuque, IA, was last seen at approx. 2 a.m. on July 4, 2001 at Knicker’s Saloon, 2186 Central Ave. in Dubuque. Arensdorf — a minor at the time of her visit to the bar — was there with friends and trying to get a ride to East Dubuque, Ill.

Missing Person
Gregory J. Howell
Age at Report: 44
Missing From: Fort Dodge, IA (Webster County)
Missing Since: January 1, 2005

Gregory Howell was reported missing to the Fort Dodge Police Department on January 1, 2005. Few details are available in his case.

Missing Person:
Clarence LeRoy Cecil
Age at Report: 81
Missing From: Davis County, IA
Missing Since: June 5, 2004

Clarence Cecil went fishing in Davis County, Iowa, on June 5, 2004, and was reported missing when he did not return. He has never been heard from again.

Missing Person:
Arthur Rascon
Age at Report: 72
Missing From: Davenport, IA (Scott County)
Missing Since: July 25, 2005

Arthur Rascon was reported missing to the Davenport Police Department on July 25, 2005. Few other details are available in his case.

Missing Person
William Francis Rogers
Age At Report: 46
Missing From: North English, IA (Iowa and Keokuk Counties)
Missing Since: February 25, 2001

William Rogers was last seen at his residence in North English, Iowa, during the evening hours of February 25, 2001. His home burned down during the night and he has never been heard from again.

Missing Person:
Peggy Ann Cottrell
Age at Report: 66
Missing From: Marshalltown, IA (Marshall County)
Missing Since: May 26, 2001

Peggy Ann Cottrell resided at the Southridge Nursing Home in Marshalltown, Iowa. A relative dropped her off at the facility at approximately 6:30 p.m. on May 26, 2001, and Cottrell was last seen running away from the home only minutes later. A fisherman discovered Cottrell’s purse along the banks of the Iowa River several weeks after she was reported missing.

Missing Person:
L.C. Matlock
Age at Report: 37
Missing From: Waterloo, IA (Black Hawk County)
Missing Since: July 5, 2004

On July 5, 2004, 37-year-old L.C. Matlock walked across the Mullen Avenue Bridge in Waterloo, Iowa, and was never seen nor heard from again.

Missing Person
Kevin Lee Griebel
Age at Report: 36
Missing From: Jackson County, IA (Maquoketa)
Missing Since: February 26, 2004

Kevin Griebel was last seen in Maquoketa, Iowa, and reported missing to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office on February 26, 2004.

Missing Person
Christopher Lee Stewart
Age at Report: 36
Missing From: Des Moines, IA (Polk County)
Missing Since: August 17, 2003

Christopher Stewart was last seen after 10:30 p.m. on August 17, 2003, outside his apartment in the vicinity of the 600 block of 18th Street in Des Moines, Iowa. He has never been heard from again.

Missing Person
Beth Ann Ricketts
Age at Report: 31
Missing From: Des Moines, IA (Polk County)
Missing Since: December 22, 1997

Beth Ricketts was reported missing to the Des Moines Police Department on December 22, 1997. She was last seen wearing black pants, a white shirt, a zebra belt, a black leather blazer and carrying a medium-sized black purse.

Missing Person
Melissa Dawn Hasley
Age at Report: 31
Missing From: Des Moines, IA (Polk County)
Missing Since: October 18, 2002

Melissa “Missy” Hasley was last seen at a party between 11:45 p.m. and 1:45 a.m. at an apartment complex in the vicinity of the 1700 block of Grand Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa.

If you have any information regarding the whereabout of any of these individuals, please contact the respective law enforcement agency.

Patricia Anne Jauron, 45, was stabbed to death at her former residence at 1516 Old Highway 141 just outside of Sioux City, Iowa.

Patricia and her husband, Gene, had moved out of the house about six months earlier and into a house across the road at 1541 Old Highway 141. The day of her murder, Patricia allegedly went to the former residence at 9 a.m. to show a waterbed to a person responding to an ad placed on the radio show Swap Shop.

When Patricia did not return, her husband went looking for her, and after finding blood in the house called 911.

Patricia was found in the front yard on a downhill slope, though the weapon was never found.

The Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office asks anyone with information to call the office at 712-279-6010 or (800) 352-6352, or Crime Stoppers at 712-258-8477 or (800) 728-6401.

When Mrs. Kelly’s husband awoke that morning, he discovered she was missing and reported her as a missing person that afternoon.

Mrs. Kelly left behind her purse and had not mentioned plans to travel anywhere. Her gold 2000 Honda Accord with Iowa license plate number 953EDK also was missing.



Few details are available in Mrs. Kelly’s case, but she has not been heard from nor seen since reported missing.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Sioux City Police Department at 712-279-6390.

Valerie Peterson

Today marks the anniversaries of two Iowa cold cases — that of eight-year-old Elna Maria “Valerie” Peterson in 1971 and 31-year-old Barbara Lealyn Lenz in 1989.

Valerie Peterson of Manson, IA, was killed by a hit-and-run driver while riding her bicycle along the road at the Manson Lutheran Church. One other girl riding ahead of Valerie saw a green/blue truck with two or three men inside traveling north at a high rate of speed. The girl said they appeared to have long hair, and she believed the truck had some sort of equipment in the flatbed.

Based on the girl’s detailed description, the FBI and CBI suspected one family in particular — those owning the green/blue truck — and visited their home immediately following Valerie’s death. There, they gathered paint chippings from the truck. Within the week, the family sold the truck to Ross Motor in Manson.

Initial evidence taken and sent to Washington, D.C., was damaged through testing procedures, and Valerie’s case remains open.

Barbara Lenz

Barbara Lenz of Woodbine, IA, was last seen in Harrison County, IA, on May 6, 1989, and reported missing to the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office in Logan, IA. At the time of Barbara’s disappearance, her mother was hospitalized in Missouri Valley with pneumonia and Barbara visited her every day. When Barbara did not visit her mother for two days in a row, her mother sent relatives to check her daughter’s residence. Inside the home, they found Barbara’s coffee pot half-full and switched on, her laundry half-folded and Barbara’s keys and purse.

Barbara left behind a three-year-old daughter and has never been heard from again. Investigators believe she was taken against her will.

If you have any information regarding the Valerie Peterson case please call the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department at 712-297-7583.

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Barbara Lenz, please contact the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office at 712-644-2244.

Brief overviews of each case follow, with links to the individual victim pages.

Missing Person:
Naomi Wilson
Age at Report: 32 YOA
Missing From: Cedar Rapids, IA (Linn County)
Missing Since: April 12, 1981

Naomi Wilson was reported missing to the Cedar Rapids Police Department in Cedar Rapids on April 12, 1981. If you have information regarding her disappearance, please contact the Missing Person Information Clearinghouse/Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation at 1-800-346-5507.
____________________________________________

Homicide:
Leota Camp
25 YOA
3213 Flemming Ave.
Des Moines, IA (Polk County)
July 10, 1967

Just after 12:00 noon on Monday, July 10, 1967, Mrs. Raymond (Leota) Camp, 25, was discovered “bleeding” in her home’s front bedroom by her son Kevin, 4, and daughter Brenda, 3, who immediately went crying to neighbors. Neighbors then found the young mother lying face down on the bed, her arms crossed and tied behind her back with a necktie. Neckties also bound Camp’s neck and ankles, and a necktie was stuffed in her mouth as a gag. She had been stabbed four times in the back while her two older children played outside and her three-month-old daughter Christine lay on a white blanket on the living room floor, nursing a warm bottle of milk.
____________________________________________

Homicide:
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 Sioux City residence, 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.
____________________________________________

Homicide:
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:
Betty Swetnam
73 YOA
1610 West 19th St.
Sioux City, Iowa (Woodbury County)
January 1, 1994

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. She had received multiple stab wounds. Sioux City police observed that the house had been ransacked, with drawers dumped out of dressers. The victim had operated a massage business out of her home, and though investigators interviewed every client named in Swetnam’s book as well as all relatives and associates, no viable suspects were developed.
____________________________________________

Missing Person:
Barbara L. Elms
50 YOA
Missing From: Cedar Rapids (Linn County)
Date Reported Missing: August 25, 1993

Barbara Elms was reported missing to the Cedar Rapids Police Department on August 25, 1993.