Iowa’s Murdered Children: No Voice, No Choice

Nancy Bowers — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 14:29:44 +0000

“Bless . . . the children, for in this world they have no voice, they have no choice.”

If murder is the most unacceptable act in our society, then surely the murder of a child — who is totally defenseless — is the most horrific of all.

Amber Marie Hayes

Today is the anniversary of the murder of Amber Marie Hayes, a seven-and-a-half-month-old girl left in the care of her mother’s boyfriend on June 8, 1988 whose dismembered body was found the next day with her blanket and pink diaper bag in a remote area near Lake Odessa in Muscatine County, Iowa.

Amber is only one of Iowa’s murdered children.
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On Tuesday, August 31, 1954, eight-year-old Jimmy Bremmers, a boy with a speech impediment and whose only friend was his black and white dog, was abducted in Sioux City, Iowa, and murdered.
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Donna Sue Davis

On July 10, 1955, Donna Sue Davis, 22 months, was abducted from her home in Sioux City, Iowa, and then sexually abused, tortured, beaten, and dumped in a corn field across the Missouri River in Nebraska. Iowa Cold Cases Co-Administrator Jody Ewing has written a book about this beautiful little girl — The Darling of the Neighborhood.
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Two sisters –- Victoria Lynn Martin, 4, and Sherry Lee Martin, 8 -– died in an arson fire on March 6, 1965 in their Dubuque, Iowa, home.
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On July 10, 1969,

Patricia Veach

8-year-old Patricia Ann Veach was found sexually molested and strangled in her own bed in Des Moines, Iowa.
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Valerie Peterson

Elna Maria “Valerie” Peterson, 8, was struck and killed by a pickup that did not stop on May 6, 1971 in Manson, Iowa.
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“Baby Girl Lambert” was found dead in the 2700 block of West 72nd Street in Davenport, Iowa, on August 26, 1980.
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A newborn baby was discarded on a rural road in Story County, Iowa, on March 13, 1983.
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Kenny Joe Johnson

On October 10, 1987, the body of 14-year-old Kenny Joe Johnson was found in an isolated park near Dubuque, Iowa. He had been given alcohol, sexually molested, and strangled.
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An unidentified infant was discovered by Iowa City, Iowa, landfill workers on December 21, 1991.
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On November 10, 1996, Baby Jane Doe Lincoln was found in a garbage bag in a barn at Lisbon, Iowa.
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Ricky Morehouse, III

Two-year-old Ricky Neal Morehouse, III, burned to death in an arson fire in his Kent, Iowa, home on March 3, 2001.
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Jaymie Grahlman

Jaymie Grahlman, 6, died from injuries suffered in a late-night fire set at her Cedar Rapids home on Saturday, April 5, 2003.
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Josh Yoder

On May 3, 2005, four-year-old Josh Yoder was struck by a hit-and-run driver in the 500 block of South 9th Street in Clinton, Iowa, and died the following day.
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Evelyn Miller

Five-year-old Evelyn Miller was reported missing from her Floyd, Iowa, home in the early morning hours of July 1, 2005, and her body was found five days later in the Cedar River.
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This litany of terrible deaths is difficult to read and nearly impossible to comprehend.
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How do we safeguard those who have no voice, who have no choice?
Adults can do simple things like teaching children basic rules about safety and “stranger danger,” always knowing where they are, and providing a secure home environment.

And — most importantly — parents can protect their children from unsafe situations and individuals by making wise relationship choices and refraining from substance abuse.

Unfortunately, a child is often abused or murdered by someone they know –- the very people who should be their voice and make the right choice for them.

If you know of an endangered child, contact the Iowa Department of Human Services.

If you have information on any of the child murders on this site, please contact Iowa Cold Cases or the appropriate law enforcement jurisdiction.

Two Young Women: Pam Hinrichs and Kimberly Ratliff

Jody Ewing — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 23:03:25 +0000

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.

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.

Iowa Cold Cases Blog » Clinton

Iowa’s Murdered Children: No Voice, No Choice

Two Young Women: Pam Hinrichs and Kimberly Ratliff