Many thanks go out to KCRG-TV 9 (Cedar Rapids) Anchor/Reporter Ashley Hinson, who recently wrapped up a series on Iowa cold cases and took the time to meet with ICC’s Nancy Bowers.
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.
Nov. 12, 1988:
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.
In the last week or so, I’ve been able to get six more victim pages added to the Iowa Cold Cases website. Four are unsolved homicides and two are missing persons cases. More details are still needed for some — particularly the missing persons cases — and we hope to have that information soon.
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.
Recent Comments