James Charles Huff, Jr.
26 YOA
Vinton, Iowa
Benton County
Case #77-00102
Crime Date: January 1, 1977
Date of Death: January 5, 1977
James Charles Huff, Jr., a farm hand who worked at the Ed and Jean Huelsenbeck farm about two miles southeast of Urbana, was taken to St. Lukes Hospital in Cedar Rapids on January 1, 1977 for injuries he’d sustained to the head. He died January 5, 1977 at the University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City, Iowa.
Courtesy photo Dean Close, Vinton TodayHuff had worked at the Huelsenbeck farm just over one month. The Palo Ambulance Service responded to the call, and upon arrival found Huff unconscious and bleeding from a severe head wound. The 26-year-old’s body also had sustained several bruises all throughout his body.
In a Waterloo Courier article published January 6, 1977, Benton County Sheriff Kenneth Popenhagen said that the Huelsenbeck’s son, Michael Huelsenbeck, 17, said he found Huff unconscious in the barn. Popenhagen said it appeared Huff’s injuries had been inflicted over the course of several days.
Popenhagen also stated that an autopsy was never able to confirm the actual cause of death.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s Cold Case Unit — which operated from 2009 until late 2011 before closing down due to lack of funding — listed Huff’s case as one of 150 they hoped to solve using advancements in DNA technology.
The case remains unsolved.
James Charles Huff, Jr. was born in Canton, Ohio on November 24, 1950, to Edna and James Charles Huff, Sr.
He was buried in Cedar Memorial Cemetery in Cedar Rapids.
If you have any information about James Huff’s unsolved murder, please contact the Benton County Sheriff’s Office at 319-472-2337 or Iowa Cold Cases via our Contact form.
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