Polk County in Iowa

Des Moines in Polk County

William Thomas

Homicide

William Thomas
70 YOA
1213 Jefferson Avenue
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1979-35742
September 9, 1979

In the early morning hours on Sunday, September 9, 1979, 70-year-old William Thomas was on his way home from a local bar when he was struck on the head not far from his 1213 Jefferson Avenue home in Des Moines.

A neighbor discovered Thomas’s body shortly before 2 a.m. and contacted police. Thomas, still conscious at the time, was able to provide Des Moines police with his name and home address before being taken to Broadlawns Medical Center.

Thomas was later transferred to Mercy Hospital Medical Center, and died the following evening, September 10, at 6:30 p.m.

Although robbery appeared to be the motive — Thomas’s wallet had been stolen — the victim still had $690 in his pants’ front pocket.

Information Needed

If you have any information about William Thomas’s unsolved murder please contact the Des Moines Police Department at 515-283-4864 or Iowa Cold Cases via our Contact form.

Sources:

• Des Moines Police Department, correspondence to Iowa Cold Cases, July 10, 2009
• “D.M. Man Who Was Beaten on Sunday Dies,” The Des Moines Register, Sept. 11, 1979