“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
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
Patricia Veach
Valerie Peterson
Kenny Joe Johnson
Ricky Morehouse, III
Jaymie Grahlman
Josh Yoder
Evelyn Miller
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. Continue reading »
Monday, May 16, 1966 seemed an ordinary day at the beginning of another work week for 30-year-old Ronald F. Lipsius. At 8:30 a.m., he opened his grocery, the Clover Farm Food Market at 812 South Summit Street in Iowa City, Iowa. He put 50 dollars in the cash register, got ready to cut meat and assist customers, and waited for his clerk to arrive at 9:00.
Ronald Lipsius's Clover Farm Food Market at 812 South Summit Street in Iowa City, Iowa
But, this was not to be an ordinary day. Not long after it started, Ronald lay dead in a yard a block away—shot while trying to prevent a robbery even though he always told his clerks to hand over the money and not resist.
Even more extraordinary was that the robber was a young woman, a statistical rarity. Although there were two men waiting for her in a car, she went alone into the store, threatened Lipsius with a .22 caliber pistol, took the 50 dollars, fled, and shot him when he pursued.
What is truly sad—but unfortunately not extraordinary in the annals of robbery/murders—is the very small amount of money that this woman killed for.
She not only took the life of Ronald Lipsius, she also changed forever the lives of his three small children and pregnant wife.
It is not too late for justice. If you have information about the unsolved murder of Ronald F. Lipsius, contact the Iowa City Police Department.
Sometimes, I must admit, it’s just downright difficult hunting down information on a specific cold case. Despite the number of online search engines and newspaper archives, some cases, it seems, are just plain elusive.
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
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
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
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