Clinton County in Iowa
Ewald E. "Ed" Bandixen
Ewald Emil Bandixen, Jr.
70 YOA
U.S. Highway 67
Folletts, IA
Clinton County
Case # 74-00523
October 28, 1974
In 1931, Ewald Emil “Ed” Bandixen opened a service station a mile south of Folletts on U.S. Highway 67 not far from where the Wapsipinicon River merges with the Mississippi.
He sold gas, auto parts, and miscellaneous items like pop and candy.
Ed Bandixen never married. He shared an apartment behind the service station with his bachelor brother Johannes.
Courtesy photo Quad City TimesThe brothers kept a flock of chickens and tended a garden, generously giving away produce to anyone who stopped by.
Johannes passed away in June 1974, but Ed had other family members in the area to socialize with.
Everyone in Folletts, an unincorporated town of 150, knew Ewald as a good, kind man.
The owner of another local business said,
“He must have fixed nearly every kid’s bicycle in town at one time or another.”
By 1974, the 70-year-old Bandixen had been in business at the same spot for 43 years.
On Sunday, October 27, 1974, his station was the only one open in the area. Ed Bandixen pumped a lot of gas that day and took in a good deal of money, about $500 according to the estimates of relatives.
When a friend dropped by at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, October 28 for his daily visit, all was well with Bandixen. It seemed like just another business day at the tidy, well-kept station.
Two hours later, however, a customer wanting to buy gas discovered Bandixen lying behind the counter — shot once in the head.
Bandixen was dead on arrival at Jane Lamb Hospital in Clinton at about 12:30 p.m.
Clinton County Coroner A.A. Young determined time of death corresponded to the two hours between the friend’s visit and the discovery of the body.
The station showed no signs of a struggle, although the register was placed on the counter top with the cash drawer open.
It looked like an armed robbery, but some checks and cash were left in the drawer and there was money in Bandixen’s pockets.
Courtesy photo Quad City TimesHis family said Ed placed his cash in bags that he hid around the station. This made determining the amount stolen very difficult.
Clinton County Sheriff Gary Mulholland and the Iowa Highway Patrol were assisted in the investigation by the Iowa Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
However, no one was charged with the crime and the case went cold.
Ewald Emil “Ed” Bandixen, Jr. was born January 4, 1904 in Clinton County, to Iowa native Ella Hinricks and German immigrant Ewald Emil Bandixen, Sr. He had seven siblings: Johannes, George F. August M., Elsa, Walter Martin, Benjamin, and Rosetta.
He opened his Folletts service station in 1931, taking time out to serve in the Army Air Forces during WWII.
Funeral services were held on October 31 in Dewitt, Iowa; and Ed Bandixen was buried in Shaffton Cemetery alongside family members.
Courtesy photo Iowa Gravestone Photo ProjectQuestions and information about the unsolved 1974 murder of Ewald Bandixen should be directed to the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office at 563-242-9211 or Iowa Cold Cases through the Contact form.
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Terriable that they never caught the person that did this. Luckily with all the advances in forensics etc…there is still a chance that justice will be done.
Yes, it’s possible justice can still be done, Samantha. That’s why the Iowa Cold Case Motto is, “Where hope is never laid to rest.” Thanks for your comment.
It is sad they never caught him.