Iowa Cold Cases Blog » Iowa City

Jane Wakefield: The Bits and Pieces of a 35-year-old Mystery

Nancy Bowers — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:06:53 +0000

Since early 2009, the possibilities for justice and solution of violent crimes in our state have increased dramatically with the creation of the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation Cold Case Unit, funded by a federal grant in cooperation with the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.

Every year, scientific methods at DCI labs advance significantly. Cases once thought to be colder than cold now have a chance for resolution.

The tiniest amount of DNA, fabric, or hair can be analyzed, not just to identify perpetrators but to identify remains.

Jane Wakefield, 26, disappeared from Iowa City in 1975 and is presumed dead.

The 1975 disappearance and presumed murder of 26-year-old Iowa City resident Jane Ellen Wakefield might be one of those cases where renewed examination of evidence could be productive.

The petite public school teacher vanished after a bike ride with friends on September 5, 1975.

Iowa City Police received a tip from a credible informant that Jane was murdered and her cremated remains scatted along I-80 north of Iowa City. A section of the highway was combed for clues, but results were not made public.

In January of 1976 — four months after Jane disappeared — police searched an Iowa City bar where a female suspect worked.

In addition, searches were made of the apartment of Jane’s soon-to-be ex-husband, John Wakefield, as well as of Magoo’s Lounge and the Four Cushions Billiard Parlor which he operated.

Investigators retrieved five vacuum cleaners and household items.

Ashes collected from an incinerator contained bone fragments and what was believed to be a tooth filling.

However, lacking today’s sophisticated technology, labs at the Iowa Bureau of Criminal Investigation (at it was then known) found nothing conclusive to identify the minute evidence as the remains of Jane Wakefield.

Authorities believed they knew who was responsible for Jane’s disappearance, but filed no charges due to lack of evidence that would sustain a court trial.

Today that evidence might be available through DNA analysis of all that is believed to remain of Jane Wakefield.

If you have any information about the disappearance and suspected murder of Jane Ellen Wakefield, contact the Iowa City Police at 319-356-5276 or the Iowa DPS Missing Person Information Clearinghouse.

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.

Ronald Lipsius: The Extraordinary Day

Nancy Bowers — Sun, 16 May 2010 16:00:23 +0000

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.

This week’s Cold Case anniversaries

Jody Ewing — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:30:53 +0000

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

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

Roberta “Bobbi” Crawford

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