Home - Iowa Unsolved Murders: Historic Cases This page is not available in other languages. Mitchell refused to take antipsychotic medications prescribed by prison doctors. 10 S. Adams Ave., Apt. [28] The defense also requested that evidence pertaining to Burns' cell phone browser history be suppressed. Her friend declined. On July 1, 2014, jurors found Harris guilty of first-degree murder. A cold case crusader - Link MagazineLink Magazine There is no way she left her dog at home and walked the half mile to the river without her shoes or other personal items (teeth, jacket, etc.).. In December 2016, Preston was found shot to death in a field near Johnson Avenue and 225th Street. Agency: Marion Police Department 32 YOA Arrest Made: June 8, 2011 Clark and Hibbler also pleaded guilty to one count of use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence causing death. Utah, Iowa, Arkansas, West Virginia and Florida, are pitching school . Alford Plea Entered: Feb. 17, 2017. Contact Us. My father was murdered in a hotel at pocahontas Ia in 1977. 17 YOA [9] She was last seen almost 9p.m. outside of a jewelry store in the mall. She contacted the medical examiners office, and Polk County Chief Medical Examiner Gregory Schmunk was able to positively identify the body as that of McMahon. No other issues were discussed. Young murder victim helps solve her own cold case nearly 40 - CBS News The sketch indicated a white man in his late teens or early 20s, weighing between 165 and 175 pounds, and standing about 6 feet tall. Date of Death: April 29, 2011 Note: While cases are cross-referenced by city and county for geographical purposes, some . [2] The police received more than 100 tips following the release of the new images. The indictment alleges that, on or around May 31, 2014, the three persons named conspired to, and then did, rob Booher of methamphetamine that he posessed and the proceeds from the sale of meth. Jasper County No one has ever been arrested for his murder. In 2018, the company entered the DNA data from the case into the public genealogy website GEDmatch, where it found a familial DNA match. ", Chief Wayne Jerman announced that a suspect has been arrested in the 39-year old murder case involving Michelle Martinko. The police chief at the time, Ray Baker, said the fatal stabbing "outraged the whole community.". Guilty Verdict: Feb. 13, 2019 (second-degree murder) FBI SAYS ZODIAC CASE REMAINS OPEN AFTER INDEPENDENT GROUP SAYS IT HAS ID'D KILLER. Burns, who was 25 when Martinko died, will make his first court appearance Thursday morning in Linn County. Best I can tell Myra Williams is expressing her remorse to Richard Clark for the death of his father Warren Douglas Clark at the hands of her father Kline Goeders a man implicated in the death of Mamie Sime (profile on this web site) as well I might add. 1613 S. 13th St., Apt. SOLVED; NEWS. Went Missing From: Pottawattamie County Crime Date: January 12, 1981 The multi-jurisdictional investigation included the Bellevue Police Department, Iowa Department of Public Safetys Division of Criminal Investigation, Division of Criminal Investigation Criminalistics Laboratory, Dubuque Police Department, Jackson County Sheriffs Office, Jackson County Attorneys Office and the Iowa Attorney Generals Office. [35] On May 29, 2020, Burns' attorneys filed a motion asking for a new trial, claiming his constitutional and state rights were violated and that the court made a mistake in overruling the request for evidence to be suppressed. Sioux City, Iowa SE. Police arrested Jerry Lynn Burns, 64, on Wednesday morning in the decades-old fatal stabbing. [18][19], Controversy arose five months after the murder, after a woman who was driving by the mall parking lot in the early hours of December 20 came forward with information. Eldon, IA (Wapello County) This page is dedicated to the many past and present investigators who never gave up on seeing justice served for the victim and his or her family. Two weeks after the verdict, a judge found Turney in contempt of court over her handling of the Michael Cisneros murder trial. [2] Police determined from the lack of blood outside the car that Martinko had been killed while in the car, and the medical examiner later estimated she had died between 8 and 10p.m.[17] The murder weapon was "sharp-pointed" but not definitively a knife, and the medical examiner could not determine its size. Lee County Burns' defense team objected to the wording of one of the prosecution's questions, which they claimed implied unequivocally that Burns' blood had been at the scene. Zachary Dye, 28, accepted a deal with prosecutors and was convicted of aiding and abetting first-degree arson. Date of Crime: October 7, 2008 Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Hundreds of people were interviewed and countless leads were followed, police said a year after the slaying. Smith was an acquaintance of Farleys at the diner where she worked. Arrests Made: June 10, 2016 Gone Cold:Michelle Martinko of Cedar Rapids, killed in 1979. It was a cold case until 2018, when familial DNA identified a suspect 39 years after the crime who was charged, tried and convicted of her murder. Late on Tuesday, May 8, 2012, Jack Wendell Pursel, a 66-year-old former Waterloo resident whod been living in South Gate, Calif., walked into the Waterloo Police Department and confessed to the double homicide. A witness went to authorities last year and told them that a few weeks after the killing, Cahill made comments that she was responsible for the homicide, according to a criminal complaint. The defense requested the case be declared a mistrial as a result, but the judge denied the request and asked the prosecutor to rephrase the question. A Des Moines Register story published Oct. 14, 2019, said a jury wont gather to determine Burns fate until Feb. 10, 2020, if not later. [38] Burns is currently imprisoned in the Anamosa State Penitentiary.[39]. Arrest Made: July 12, 2012. You may, however, want to keep up with the Iowa Board of Parole and let them know how you feel. Freeman was killed four months after authorities allege he killed Rotatori. It later was determined the two were bludgeoned to death. On Friday, July 27, 2012, the Clinton County Sheriffs Office announced they had arrested Cole and charged him with first-degree murder in Marburgers death. Arrest Made: July 27, 2015 If theres any photos of that man available. If you'd like to reprint a post or case summary, please contact us with the name of the requested post/article. Davis told authorities Holly had committed suicide. Approx. SE in Cedar Rapids. December 26, 2016 Story County jury acquits Mitchell of all charges: Oct. 23, 2013 Robert Beaver sentenced Sept. 1, 2016, to 20 years in prison. She, too, had died from blunt force trauma to the head. On June 8, 2011, Scott County authorities announced they had charged Chad Michael Lee Welsh, 33, with Angelas murder. Camanche, IA Conviction Date: March 10, 2015. On Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014, Robert Gene Pilcher, 68, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Mary Jaynes death. Police suspected Rulli was the killer early in the investigation but didnt have enough to move forward with an arrest. [2] That narrowed the suspects down to a set of three brothers, who had grown up in Manchester, Iowa. Approx. Rotatori had lived at the motel for about a week while in training for her new job as food service director at Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs. Shame on you. [21] Psychics were also consulted early on in the investigation. The perp was born in September 1955, and at age 18 he was already making the news for his criminal acts. DeWoody and Burtchs wife spent the evening of August 12, 1985, together and then Burtchs wife returned home to Burtch. Council Bluffs, IA . Arrest Made: Feb. 25, 2021, Mykel Roberts, 29, from Modesto, Calif., charged in Meeks death. [Yenger] Found Guilty: Feb. 14, 2017. #4 Her coworker discovered her lifeless body in her. Burns, who was 25 when Martinko died, made his first court appearance Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018, in Linn County. Case Solved: January 10, 2014. Nancy Grace featured the cold case in 2010, and the family received a new . Case Number: 84-01854 The U.S. has 250,000 unsolved murders, a number that increases by about 6,000 each year, according to the FBI's Uniformed Crime Report data. 20, and his girlfriend Melisa Gregory, 17, were bludgeoned to death on a ranch northwest of Newton, Iowa, in 1983. Polk County Cedar Rapids, Iowa Published: Oct. 7, 2021 at 6:49 AM PDT CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG/Gray News) - The Cedar Rapids Police Department announced on Tuesday it successfully identified the suspect in the homicide cold. Bonnie Jean Callahan, 73, of 111 S. Second St., Apt. Linn County If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison. On May 22, 2019, three people were indicted on multiple federal charges in connection to an unsolved crime from 2014 that resulted in the death of James Booher. Along that path were murdered victims most identified, some anonymous. Date of Crime: July 18, 2009 In the early morning hours on July 31, 2003, Nelson Selena Alvarez-Hernandez, 33, was stabbed to death in front of an apartment building at 1613 So. He is currently being housed in the Jackson County Jail. Home Residence: Sabula, IA Had you not done your work, and Iowa Cold Cases not put it out there, he would have been never identified., 29 YOA Law enforcement authorities in Iowa say that the cold case murder of a 32-year-old woman who was sexually assaulted and brutally murdered nearly 40 years ago has finally been solved. [23] Out of more than 80 potential suspects that had been identified over the years, more than 60 people were tested and cleared of suspicion. Burns maintained that he did not know Martinko and was not there when she died, although an investigator later testified that Burns did not specifically deny killing Martinko. [26] He was not able to provide an explanation for why his DNA would have been present at the crime scene. 1401 George St. Arrest of Johnathan Dewayne Mitchell: May 3, 2011 During an interview with the Des Moines Register, Laymon called the arrest "amazing" news and said she was relieved. After nine years, Des Moines police announced on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021, that theyd made an arrest in Stanley Golinkskys brutal murder. [8][9] She attended Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School, where she was an above average student and well regarded by school officials. [7] Martinko was the younger of two daughters of Albert F. Martinko and Janet Martinko (ne Zillig). (Courtesy Council Bluffs Police Department). Disappearance of Johnny Gosch - Wikipedia 22 YOA Date of Crime: July 1, 2005 COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) On Friday, the Council Bluffs Police Department announced the identity of Lee Rotatori's killer, closing a case that had been open for nearly 40 years. 13th St. in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Wapello County Rural Fire and Rescue and the Hedrick Fire Department were called and responded to the scene. Then we went through a little bit of anger, I think, because he was allowed to live his life without facing justice in this world," Schenzel said. They soon determined that Golinskys death was a homicide based on his injuries, Des Moines CBS affiliate KCCI reported at the time. A juvenile found carrying a knife was interviewed and ruled out in her murder, as was a shopping center employee who had told police that he enjoyed following women and ogling store mannequins. Neither will have the possibility of parole or the right to appeal his conviction. Prior to your father being murdered, he had a history of larceny, as is shown by this link: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/1239451/. Friday, June 10, 2016. Mr. Syperda was sentenced on August 23, 2018, to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The bullet lodged in Prestons spinal cord and left the basketball enthusiast paralyzed from the neck down and dependent on a ventilator to breathe. Scott County Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. An investigator with the Cedar Rapids police department contacted DNA-tested members of two of the branches of the family tree, and eliminated those branches as containing the killer. The victim was 17-year-old Maureen Brubaker Farley, a newly married woman not much older than the boys who found her. 44 YOA It happened about 2-1/2 miles south of Fayette. On Friday, Feb. 17, 2017, Klein entered an Alford plea on charges of second-degree arson, willful injury causing serious injury and suborning perjury in the death. The case eventually went cold and remained unsolved for 40 years. Cold Case Murder Solved. Blog Since that time, police said Wednesday, detectives covertly obtained DNA from Burns and it matched the DNA evidence they had on file from Martinko's killing. Yancey pleaded guilty in May to the same charges. Crime Date: June 15, 2004 Burns was held Wednesday night at the Linn County Jail, records show. In 2001, authorities submitted evidence collected at the scene of Lee Rotatori's murder to a state crime lab for further analysis. Case # 92-08083 [2], On October 29, 2018, an investigator observed one of the brothers, Jerry Lynn Burns, drink multiple sodas using a plastic straw. Case Closed: September 6, 2019. [32] Prosecutors also played a video of a police interview of Burns, in which he denied being at the crime scene on the night of Martinko's murder, and could not explain how his DNA had been found at the scene. Date of Crime(s): April 13, 1984 Michael is being held in the Fayette County Jail on a $50,000.00 cash only bond. The Disappearance of Sherri Miller and Pam Jackson, 1971 : Solved by a fisherman. Her mother, Janet, died in 1998. He was never charged with the Martinko murder, he denied the accusations, and DNA evidence, found later, did not match his DNA. This helps me find some peace of mind. Investigating Agency: Fayette County Sheriffs Office Authorities said Beaver beat and held Canfields wife while Clark and Hibbler struggled and robbed Canfield. Arrest Made: Nov. 13, 2012. Victims for whom there was no justice, no resolution or answers. "I am thrilled for her sister, Janelle, and wish her parents were alive to see this," Laymon said. The case was appealed and was eventually decided by the Iowa Supreme Court in favor of the mall owners. She was convicted on the testimony of a girl who was 9 when she claims to have overheard this confession. On Sunday, January 22, 2012, he passed away in Tampa, Florida, where his family had taken him for longterm care. The case was closed without prosecution because Smith died in 2013 at the age of 94, police said. 65-year-old cold case of two murdered teens solved using forensic genealogy 51 YOA Case Number: 92-08179 Sentencing: August 23, 2018, sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole, Michael Lee Syperda (Courtesy Quad-City Times). The investigation revealed Ridnour was pursuing a relationship with Callahans 15-year-old granddaughter, which Callahan didnt agree with. Johnson was taken to the Webster County Jail on a $1 million cash bond. [6] In September 2020, Burns filed a notice of appeal. Armed with shields, rifles and crowbars, officials arrested Mitchell at the home without incident, and later charged him with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery in Stickleys homicide. Des Moines, IA Polk County Case Number: 03-004354 In January 2016, the case was reopened after information came to light that two individuals started the fire after a physical altercation at the residence shortly before the fire was discovered. More than 17 years after Liz Syperda went missing, her estranged husband, Michael Lee Syperda, 52, was arrested Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017, in Rifle, Colorado, near Glenwood Springs, and charged with first-degree murder in his wifes death, despite his wifes body never being found. Alford Plea Entered: June 23, 2016 for Voluntary Manslaughter. In a press conference during which the new image was shared, a former classmate of Martinko exclaimed that the face looked like another one of their classmates, but that classmate had been investigated and was cleared based on a DNA swab several years before. Schapperts throat was slashed and he also sustained multiple stab wounds to his back. Cole, 48, entered an Alford plea and on Thursday, July 11, 2013, was sentenced in Clinton County District Court to 10 years on one count of voluntary manslaughter and 5 years for assault with intent to commit sexual abuse. During the initial investigation, the affidavit indicates Ridnour gave inconsistent accounts about his location at the time Callahan went missing, and about his relationship with her granddaughter. Guilty Verdict Reached: February 24, 2020 Second Trial: Sept. 9, 2019 in Muscatine Roberts made his first court appearance in Linn County District Court on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, where he was charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and going armed with intent. Support local journalism. Westdale Mall Black Hawk County Suspect Acquitted: July 14, 2014. William Rulli (Courtesy Des Moines Police). On Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016, Hibbler was sentenced to serve 35 years in prison; Beaver was sentenced to serve 20 years in prison. Best Western Frontier Motor Lodge John Bloomfield dies while awaiting trial: Nov. 6, 2014. James Jim Remakel, 59, was stabbed to death inside his 606 South Riverview Street home in Bellevue, Iowa, on Sunday, December 25, 2016. Follow ICC on Twitter, GONE COLD: EXPLORING IOWAS UNSOLVED MURDERS, death of James Booher, a known drug dealer, in 2014, murder trial was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Oct. 14, 2019, the trial for Burns will likely be postponed, a jury wont gather to determine Burns fate until Feb. 10, 2020, federal judge ruled Mitchell finally competent to stand trial, waiting more than 11 years to see justice, https://law.justia.com/cases/iowa/court-of-appeals/1988/86-1844-0.html, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/1239451/, https://law.resource.org/pub/us/case/reporter/F2/986/986.F2d.257.91-3755.91-3778.92-1702.html, https://www.iowacourts.gov/media/documents/3258_6F32212D5F6F4.pdf, Iowa Missing Person Information Clearinghouse. [3] The brothers were placed under surveillance, and investigators began to attempt to collect their DNA secretly. About Cari Lea Farver, 37, of Macedonia, Iowa, was last seen alive in Omaha the morning of Nov. 13, 2012. Case Number: S12-021291 Hed been last seen with a friend from Florida, and a search warrant served on Kosters house revealed all his clothes and possessions still in the home. On August 7, 2020, Burns was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Legal Statement. Frances Bloomfield was reported missing on September 22, 1997, by her husband, John, who had returned from a business conference in France. Ely Road SW This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Sac County Arrest Made: March 24, 2016 Iowa City, IA [16] Another rumor emerged that a second stabbing had happened in the following days and that police were keeping it secret, which police denied. Charged: Nathanial Leo Ridnour, 34. No kidding, wow, hard to follow to say the least. Woodbury County Firozeh Dehghanpour. Thomas O. Freeman Identified as Killer of Lee Rotatori - Law & Crime On Friday, April 13, 1984, the body of 20-year-old Justin Alfred Hook Jr., was found outside near his burned-out mobile home in rural Drakesville in southeast Iowa. That company, police said, produced portraits for the associated person of interest. Johnson County [7] Eventually, more than 125 people would have their DNA swabbed and compared against samples taken from the scene. Newton, IA Thank so much for your help. Freeman, 35, was found buried in a shallow grave near Cobden, Ill., in October 1982 just four months after authorities allege he killed Rotatori. Body Identified: November 2014. Burtch was scheduled to face trial Feb. 7, 2017, but in January 2017, he entered a guilty plea to obstructing prosecution, a misdemeanor, and the murder charges against him were dropped. Golyar chose a bench trial over a jury trial. His name is Warren Douglas Clark. On Thursday, August 31, 2017, a federal judge ruled Mitchell finally competent to stand trial, although Christopher Nathan, Mitchells lawyer, asked that the court be closed for discussion about setting a new trial date because it involves trial strategy that he didnt want to make public at this time. By Gina Tron DNA Solves 46-Year-Old Murder Of 5-Year-Old Siobhan McGuinness 59 YOA Wapello County Cold Cases That Were Solved In 2021 - Grunge Market data provided by Factset. Iowa teen's 50-year-old cold case murder finally solved, police Crime Date: October 13, 1992 50 years later, teen's cold-case slaying solved in Iowa - CBS7 The cases listed below represent Iowa cold cases where arrests have been made since we first began tracking the states unsolved cases in December 2005. [10][11] She was also a talented performer, joined the twirling squad as a sophomore, and performed in choirs and theater productions. WHO-TV eventually removed the story and video and from its website, but the case summary and video remained on the Iowa Cold Cases site. Cedar Rapids police have identified Maureen Brubaker Farleys killer as George M. Smith who died in 2013 at the age of 94. Coralville, IA Investigators had linked Cisneros to the crime via solid DNA evidence found on the toddlers pajama bottoms. Shortly after her return, Burtch left for approximately an hour-and-a-half. Federal prosecutors charge and indict Mitchell April 26, 2016, in U.S. District Court for violently robbing Stickley on April 29, 2011. Kerstens former boyfriend, Steven J. Klein, was arrested in Muscatine July 17, 2015, and charged with first-degree murder in the nearly 20-year-old unsolved homicide. Date of Crime: April 16, 2000 Alysia Kay Marburger, 27, was last seen alive leaving a friends apartment with Andy Cole of Clinton about 2:15 a.m. October 7, 2008. Cora Ann Okonski, a 23-year-old young mother engaged to be married the following month, went missing from her Tama, Iowa, home around 9 p.m. on Palm Sunday, April 16, 2000. October 7, 2021. Arriving emergency personnel found two individuals outside of the home. [31] The defense argued that DNA evidence had been mishandled,[31] and that different articles of clothing from the scene should not have been stored together in one evidence bag. On June 19, 1980, police released a composite sketch, developed based on descriptions provided by two witnesses, of the man they believed stabbed Martinko. At approximately 6:33 a.m. on March 5, 2006, a neighbor observed smoke and flames coming from the residence of 11612 140th Street. Case # 83-1119 Fort Dodge, IA [2], Jerry Lynn Burns (born December 23, 1953[13]) was 25 years old when he killed Michelle Martinko in December 1979. John David Gosch (November 12, 1969 - disappeared September 5, 1982) was a paperboy in West Des Moines, Iowa, who disappeared between 6 and 7 a.m. on September 5, 1982.He is presumed to have been kidnapped. Persia is located about 35 miles northeast of Omaha. It was a cold case until 2018, when familial DNA identified a suspect 39 years after the crime who was charged, tried and convicted of her murder.[2]. Authorities say 67-year-old Bud Leroy Christiansen was . On July 14, 2014 just six days before the cases 20th anniversary Cerro Gordo County jurors acquitted Cisneros, despite the DNA evidence, after public defender Letitia Turney based her entire defense not on her clients innocence but by defaming the boys father to make him appear responsible for the crime.