Adams County in Iowa
Courtesy photo Jason WhiteChad William White
21 YOA
Corning, IA
Adams County
May 21, 1993
Chad White and his brother Jason were close as they grew up in a series of tiny Iowa towns. School years were spent with their mother and stepfather, summers in Illinois with their dad.
They were forced to be independent and raise themselves, but they looked after each other and stayed together.
Jason told Iowa Cold Cases:
“Chad was a good guy. He was a mechanic by trade and a motorhead for life. He loved cars, his motorcycle, chewing tobacco, Dixie, AC/DC, and going fast.”
Dixie was Dixie Kinser, his girlfriend. They had set a date for their wedding and shared a house.
During the last year of Chad’s life, the White brothers saw less of each other. Chad’s whole world was Dixie. The two brothers also led differing lifestyles; Chad, 21, was a “motorhead” who drank beer and Jason, 18, a skateboarder who liked to experiment with pot.
Courtesy photo Jason WhiteWhen Jason got his own apartment partway through his senior year in high school, the brothers had separate friends and saw little of each other — just around Corning — although both always knew they could count on the other when needed.
The weekend of May 21-23, 1993 promised to be a happy and special couple of days for the White brothers.
Dixie’s bridal shower was scheduled for Saturday, May 22; and Jason’s graduation from Corning High School was set for Sunday, May 23, 1993. Their father and his family were in town for the celebrations.
In the heartfelt, personal way only a family member can write about a victim, Jason described for Iowa Cold Cases what happened on the night of Friday, May 21, 1993.
“It was around 11:00 p.m. and I had to take my girlfriend home. She lived on the same side of town as my brother, so we started in that general direction.
As we were driving, one of the town of Corning’s officers flew by us with his lights on. As we came over the hill to Chad’s house, I noticed the cop stopped in front of his house. I pulled up behind the officer and got out. He ran out of the house with his gun drawn and around to the back.
As I walked into the yard, I noticed Dixie lying on the ground in front . . . . I knelt down next to her. She was face-down, having trouble breathing; and I saw a big tear down the back of her jacket.
It’s kind of a blur, but I remember the ambulance showed; and I turned to the house and started up the stairs to the front door. One of the neighbors was in the doorway and wouldn’t let me in. I think I knew right then that my brother was dead.
I came back down the stairs and found the police officer. I asked him what happened and all he would tell me was that they had been shot. He wouldn’t tell me whether my brother was dead or not. I watched the ambulance take Dixie away, and I noticed that they didn’t take my brother.”
Jason took his girlfriend home and went to the home of an aunt to call his mother and his father. Then he drove back to the murder scene:
“My mother and stepfather arrived and the officer told them my brother was dead. I lost it for a little while and cried harder than I have ever cried. My father showed up to find out that his first son had been murdered.”
The murder stunned the town of Corning. No one knew what happened, so conspiracy theories followed — perhaps it was a love triangle or the wrong house and the wrong people. However, this much was certain: nobody was ever charged with the murder and assault.
From talking with authorities and with Dixie Kinser, Jason pieced together the events of that night:
“Chad and Dixie never locked their doors. It was a small town. Someone entered their house and waited in their bedroom with a .20 gauge shotgun. Chad and Dixie were out on his motorcycle.
When they got home, the person came out of their bedroom and shot Chad in the head while he stood at the kitchen sink. Dixie screamed and turned and ran for the door. The person shot again but missed and hit the door frame. As Dixie was running out the door, he shot again and hit her in the back. She flew out and landed on the front lawn. The shooter came out the front door and ran off.”
Things were tough for Jason after the murder:
“I spent my graduation asking people to be pallbearers at my brother’s funeral.
The beginning of my adulthood was hard. My brother had been murdered. A couple of months later the police thought I might have had something to do with it because I smoked weed; so they arrested me, and I spent a year on probation.
To top it off my unstable father hung himself in my uncle’s house a year and week [after Chad’s murder].
I spent a good part of my life scared to walk in my front door after that. I didn’t know if one day the same person would come after me or not for whatever reason.”
Jason, however, has brought his strength to bear and is determined to lead a life that would honor his murdered brother:
“It’s been hard to deal with a lot of times, but life goes on. I’ve made a good life for myself. I live in Denver, Colorado, and have a house, a wife, a dog, a good family, and a good life; but Chad’s death will haunt me forever.”
Questions and information about the unsolved 1993 murder of Chad William White should be directed to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office at 641-322-4444 or Iowa Cold Cases through the Contact form.
Copyright 2012 Iowa Cold Cases, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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