Welcome to the official Iowa Cold Cases website
Writer Jody Ewing launched the Iowa Cold Cases website in December 2005 after working on a cold case series for the Sioux City Weekender.
Her first in the series -- the 1974 triple slaying of two young men and a pregnant woman shot execution style in the home they shared -- would pose a new kind of challenge for the Iowa author and set the stage for what Ewing now calls one of her greatest passions and commitments.
Ewing, who admits she loves research almost as much as writing, returned in 2006 to Iowa State University to add a Criminal Justice Studies Minor to her Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree in order to gain a better understanding of crime, victimization, and other criminal justice issues. She postponed her Fall 2007 graduation after her stepfather's unexpected death on September 1, 2007; in a cruel twist of fate his case is now listed here as having gone cold. Ewing plans to resume her studies this Fall and graduate in December.
Her stepfather's unsolved homicide has given her a new perspective into the investigative processes and at what point a case goes cold. Her goal is for the Iowa Cold Cases website to serve somewhat as a hub where families, friends and law enforcement officials can come together and share what information they can, to whatever extent that information may be. She says it just might -- in some small way one least expects -- be that single missing puzzle piece that leads to solving a case.
Providing that missing piece isn't always easy, however, particularly when many of Iowa's 150 unsolved cases aren't widely known; not all law enforcement agencies list cold cases on their websites.
"There will always be certain details officials can't release to family members or the general public, but I'd like to encourage city police and county sheriff departments to provide what information they can," Ewing says. "Even if it's just a list of names and dates of unsolved crimes in those cities and counties, at least it gets the victims' information out before the public, whereas someone might be prompted to share an unknown detail and set in motion a fresh lead."
Resources here include case descriptions and photos, newspaper and feature articles, videos, links to Iowa police and sheriff's departments, a weblog, sex offender registries and other helpful links to governmental and national organizations. As time permits and names come in, we continue to add individual pages for each victim with more detailed information about his or her case.
Photos and news reports are always welcome. The Photos page contains a slideshow of just some of those we've loved and lost. The Videos page provides broadcast footage of cold cases in the news as well as personal tributes made by family members and/or friends. If you've made a photo or video tribute for a loved one and would like it included here, please e-mail Jody with a link to the site (such as YouTube) where the tribute may be accessed.
Please feel free to pass along any other links you find useful.
If you know of or would like to submit a cold case for inclusion here, please fill out the Contact form and we'll do our best to research the case and get back to you in a timely manner. In certain situations, Jody will also be in touch with and share information with Iowa DCI Special Agent Kevin Winker, who oversees Iowa's new Cold Case Unit.
If you'd like to submit an article for consideration, please contact Jody. We will accept feature articles, essays, memoirs and other cold case related non-fiction works. Reprints are fine as long as the writer owns reprint permissions or cites original publisher and publication date. This site is operated on a strictly volunteer basis, so while we can't pay for articles at this time we're more than willing to include your byline.
This site is dedicated to Iowa's cold case victims and all their families with the hope that someday, in some way, those responsible for their deaths will be brought to justice.
Thank you for taking the time to visit.
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