Des Moines, IA, Cold Cases

* Note: Individual pages and case summaries for many of these victims are currently being compiled. If you have any information or photos you’d be willing to share, please e-mail us or send via our Contact form. You may also contact the Des Moines Police Department at 515-237-1554.

Homicide
John Allen
Age Unknown
Ensign Livery Stable
Walnut between 2nd & 3rd
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
July 8, 1864

A drunken Union soldier on leave shot and killed John Allen, a black man described by newspapers as being “peaceable,” on July 8, 1864 in front of Ensign Livery Stable in Des Moines. The murder was senseless and without provocation, and the guilty party was never brought to trial.

 

Homicide
William Asbury Hunt
Des Moines’s 1st Police Chief
63 YOA
Locust between 6th & 7th
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
September 27, 1893

On September 27, 1893, Des Moines’s first Police Chief — William Asbury Hunt — was attacked and pushed down a flight of stairs. Hunt, who lost his right arm during the Civil War, was robbed of his pension money.

 

Homicide
John “Joplin Red” West
Age Unknown
Northwestern Hotel
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
February 24, 1900

Notorious career criminal and Des Moines character John “Joplin Red” West was found dead of poison in room 54 of the Northwestern Hotel on February 24, 1900.

 

Homicide
Charles Johnson
26 YOA
E. Fifth and Court Avenue
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
December 24, 1901

On Christmas Eve 1901, Charles Johnson, 26, was stabbed outside his saloon at E. Fifth and Court Avenue in Des Moines by a mob of men angry because he refused to treat them to a free holiday bottle of whiskey.

 

Double Homicide
Lena Peterson, 15, and
Tommy Peterson, 13
E Madison Avenue
Highland Park, Lee Township
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
April 13, 1902

On the evening of Sunday, April 13, 1902, siblings Lena Peterson, 15, and Tommy Peterson, 13, were attacked and bludgeoned to death on E. Madison Avenue in Lee Township of Polk County just north of the Des Moines city limits.

 

Homicide
Isaac Finkelstein
42 YOA
E. Walnut Street alley
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
August 5, 1902

At 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 5, 1902, 42-year-old Isaac Finkelstein was murdered on the north side of East Walnut Street near an alley running parallel to East 6th and East 7th streets. He was bludgeoned with a singletree taken from an old wagon standing at the back of Harry Levich’s furniture store.

 

Homicide
Thomas Callahan
66 YOA
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
June 25, 1904

Thomas Callahan, a 66-year-old bachelor shoe cobbler, was brutally stabbed and his throat cut while he slept in his rooms near the west approach to the South Fifth Street Bridge over the Raccoon River on the night of June 25, 1904. He was robbed of an unknown amount of money.

 

Homicide
George R. Griswold
Conjunction of Des Moines &
Raccoon rivers
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
September 13, 1905

On the morning of Saturday, September 16, 1905, the body of Des Moines life insurance agent George R. Griswold was found caught on a fishing line at the conjunction of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers. His death was very similar to that of Frank Callahan several days later.

 

Frank Callahan
34 YOA
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
September 19, 1905

Peosta resident Frank Callahan, 34, was last seen alive near the Rock Island Depot in Des Moines on the evening of September 19, 1905. On September 24, his body was found in the Des Moines River 8 miles southeast of the city. He was struck on the head, robbed, and thrown in the water to drown. Many believed he was murdered by those who killed George R. Griswold in Des Moines only days earlier.

 

Homicide
John Schnellbacker (Schnellbächer)
55 YOA
E. Third and E. Walnut streets
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
March 10, 1913

Late in the day of Monday, March 10, 1913, John Schnellbacker (Schnellbächer) was found unconscious on the sidewalk at the corner of East Third and Walnut streets in Des Moines. He died the following day from an internal skull fracture.

 

Homicide
Otto H. Samp
37 YOA
618 E. 2nd Street
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
October 1, 1916

Newton, Iowa, baker Otto H. Samp, 37, was found stabbed to death in the back yard of 618 E. 2nd Street on the east side of Des Moines. Although three people were quickly arrested, no one was charged with the murder.

 

Homicide
Francis “Frank” Oliverio
25 YOA
Southwest Fifth Street Bridge
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
August 6, 1917

Little Italy resident Frank Oliverio, 25, was shot from behind as he approached the Southwest Fifth Street Bridge while going to work early on the morning of August 6, 1917. Police believed his death was related to Black Hand extortion schemes and to three other murders: Dominic Sposeto in 1919, Dominico Barretto in 1921, and the “King of Little Italy” — Angelo Ferrari — in 1922.

 

Homicide
Officer George William Mattern
22 YOA
Des Moines Police Department
Killed in Line of Duty
Badge #: 54
Shot: August 8, 1917
Died: April 12, 1918

On August 8, 1917, Des Moines police officer George Mattern was shot in the abdomen by a man who had just tried to rob a local bar. Mattern died of his injuries on April 12, 1918.

 

Homicide
Dominic Sposeto
40 YOA
S.E. Seventh & Hartford
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
July 22, 1919

Dominic Sposeto was shot and killed at S.E. Seventh and Hartford streets on July 22, 1919 while hauling vegetables to market in a wagon. His murder was believed related to Black Hand extortion schemes and to the 1917 murder of Francis “Frank” Oliverio, the 1921 murder of Dominico Barretto, and the 1922 murder of Angelo Ferarri, known as “The King of Little Italy.”

 

Homicide
Carlisle Hunter
30 YOA
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
November 22, 1919

Carlisle “Lyle” Hunter of Guthrie Center was shot during a robbery early Saturday morning, November 22, 1919. He died a few days later at Samaritan Hospital.

 

Homicide
David A. Faulkner
36 YOA
2416 E. Lyon Street
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
May 1, 1920

David Faulkner was slain in his Des Moines home the evening of May 1, 1920 while his wife and son were at a movie. The killer sneaked up behind Faulkner, strangled him with his necktie, and then crushed his skull with a blunt instrument.

 

Homicide
Jane Doe
Adult
Conjunction Des Moines & Raccoon Rivers
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
June 7, 1921

On June 7, 1921, the skull of an adult woman was discovered under a foot of sand where the Des Moines River intersects the Raccoon. The victim was struck on the right temple and shot in the back of the head. No other parts of her body were located.

 

Double Homicide
Sister Mary Virginis (Née Mary Agnes Austin)
37 YOA
Sister Mary Rosalita (Née Agnes McLaughlin)
41 YOA
31st & Grand Avenue
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
November 2, 1921

On All Souls’ Day, November 2, 1921, St. Joseph’s Academy teachers Sister Mary Virginis (Née Mary Agnes Austin) and Sister Mary Rosalita (Née Agnes McLaughlin) were struck and killed by a car while crossing Grand Avenue at 31st Street. The car did not stop and no one was prosecuted for the crime.

 

Homicide
Angelo Ferrari
35 YOA
1066 42nd Street
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
February 26, 1922

Thirty-five-year-old reputed “King of Little Italy” Angelo Ferrari was shot and killed in his garage by two unknown men on February 26, 1922. His murder was believed to be associated with the Black Hand and with three other unsolved murders: Francis “Frank” Oliverio in 1917, Dominic Sposeto in 1919, and Dominico Barretto in 1921.

 

Homicide
Evelyn Marie Lee
9 YOA
Four Mile Creek near Youngstown
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
May 10, 1930

On May 10, 1930, 9-year-old Evelyn Marie Lee was abducted while she walked home from a friend’s house. Her body was found two days later near Four Mile Creek; she was raped and strangled.

 

Homicide
Floyd Melvin Alloway
36 YOA
1505 Vermont Street
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
December 18, 1937

Floyd Melvin Alloway, 36, was shot dead when he responded to a knock on the back door of 1505 Vermont Street. His death was believed related to his bootlegging activities.

 

Homicide
Thaddeus Mitchell
44 YOA
St. Joseph Avenue near 20th Street
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
December 7, 1922

Thaddeus William “Thad” Mitchell was shot to death in his taxi cab in a remote and deserted area of north central Des Moines on Thursday, December 7, 1922.

 

Homicide
Robert McCullough
33 YOA
Disappeared February 23, 1947
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Found August 14, 1947
near Hills, IA
Johnson County

Former Army paratrooper Robert D. McCullough, 33, was last in contact with his family on February 23, 1947 in Des Moines. His body was found near the Iowa River south of Hills in Johnson County on August 14, 1947, where it had washed up during June flooding. He died from a bullet wound to the skull.

 

Homicide
Anne M. McGrevey
44 YOA
6505 Forest Court
Windsor Heights
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
January 30, 1948

On January 30, 1948, Anne M. McGrevey, 44, died in an early morning fire at her fashionable Windsor Heights home in Des Moines. Although one of her houseboys was arrested, he was cleared by a lie detector test. She filed divorce papers on her third husband, James E. McGrevey, only four days before her death. Most of her estate went to her second husband, Emmet Miller.

 

Homicide
Leon Groves
40 YOA
SE 18th & Scott
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1951-9296
December 22, 1951

The body of Leon Groves, a Ruan cab driver, was found on the floor of his taxicab in a ditch at S.E. Eighteenth Street and Scott Avenue in Des Moines on December 22, 1951. He was shot three times and his billfold was missing.

 

Homicide
Earl McMurry
64 YOA
2623 Sixth Ave.
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
March 11, 1953

On March 11, 1953, Earl McMurry was found dead in the restroom of his Superior Oil Company service station at 2623 Sixth Avenue in Des Moines. He was stabbed 30 times, and $1,500 was missing.

 

Homicide
Charles Sanders
67 YOA
Court Avenue River Bridge
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1954-33401
April 15, 1954

The 67-year-old Charles Edward Sanders was found murdered and robbed under the Court Avenue Bridge in Des Moines on April 15, 1954 — the day before Good Friday.

 

Homicide
Rose Grandanette
33 YOA
Windsor Heights
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
September 14, 1958

Rose Grandanette, a 33-year-old mother of three children, was fatally shot in the head as she stood in the doorway of her Windsor Heights home the night of September 14, 1958.

 

Homicide
Darlene Fitchett
608 Pleasant View Dr.
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1960-1563
February 8, 1960

 

Homicide:
Dorothy Ruth Coon
36 YOA
2017 61st St., Des Moines, IA
Body found in rural Chariton, IA (Lucas County)
Des Moines PD Case # 1960-10204
DCI Case # 6007871
August 27, 1960

On Monday evening, August 29, 1960, Dorthy Coon was found dead in a ditch alongside a road in Lucas County, Iowa, 12 miles north of Chariton. Her body — clad in a dark green dress and white shoes — was discovered by a farmer mowing weeds. Mrs. Coon’s purse was found one mile away.

 

Homicide
Floyd Cramer
612 14th St.
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1960-14495
December 9, 1960

 

Homicide
Ramona Jean Cox
25 YOA
1526 Woodland Ave.
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 6200508
April 29, 1962

Ramona Jean Cox, 25, was raped and killed in her first-floor apartment at 1526 Woodland Avenue in Des Moines the evening of Sunday, April 29, 1962. Cox, who was from Moravia but worked as a secretary in Des Moines, was slashed across the throat with a linoleum carpet knife.

 

Homicide
Earl Lambert
Under E. 14th St. Viaduct
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1962-12962
October 1, 1962

Earl Lambert’s body was found beneath the E. 14th Street Viaduct in Des Moines on October 1, 1962.

 

Homicide
George Geary
40 YOA
Keo & Crocker
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Des Moines Case # 1963-601
DCI Case # 6300218
January 13, 1963

George Geary was shot about 1:30 a.m. on January 13, 1963, during a robbery at the service station where he worked.

 

Homicide
Janice Marie Snow
17 YOA
2000 block of S.E. Park Avenue
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
April 12, 1965

Janice Marie Snow, 17, went missing in Des Moines on April 12, 1965 after shopping for Easter clothes. On April 15, her body was discovered in the 2000 block of SE Park Avenue. She was stabbed 14 times in the chest, back, liver, and lungs.

 

Homicide
Lillian Randolph
57 YOA
Des Moines Airport
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1965-7249
May 2, 1965

On May 7, 1965, Lillian Elizabeth Randolph was reported missing from her farm home near Guthrie Center. On May 11, 1965, state authorities found her body stuffed in the trunk of her car at the Polk County Municipal Airport in Des Moines. She was stabbed 13 times in the chest.

 

Homicide
Donald Amos Nervig
53 YOA
7380 6th Ave.
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1965-20581
December 15, 1965

Donald Nervig, 53, was killed on December 15, 1965, by a blow to the back of his head. His body was discovered frozen at the bottom of a ravine in rural Polk County on January 26, 1966.

 

Homicide
Harold Holt
25 YOA
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 6600274
Date of Crime: January 1, 1966
Date of Death: January 17, 1966

Harold Holt was shot in the abdomen in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day 1966, while attending a party. He died from his wounds two weeks later on January 17.

 

Homicide:
Judy Ann Corbin
17 YOA
Chamberlain Hotel
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
April 17, 1967

During the early hours of Wednesday, April 17, 1967, someone slashed the throat of 17-year-old Judy Ann Corbin and left her to bleed to death in room 322 of the Chamberlain Hotel at the corner of 7th and Locust streets in Des Moines.

 

Homicide:
Leota Camp
25 YOA
3213 Flemming Ave.
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1967-10836
July 10, 1967

Just after 12:00 noon on Monday, July 10, 1967, Mrs. Raymond (Leota) Camp, 25, was discovered in her home — stabbed four times in the back — while her two older children played outside and her three-month-old daughter Christine lay on the living room floor, nursing a warm bottle of milk.

 

Homicide
Patricia Ann Veach
8 YOA
805 SW Lally
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1969-12925
July 10, 1969

On Thursday morning, July 10, 1969, 8-year-old Patricia Ann Veach was found dead in her bedroom at her Des Moines home. She was sexually molested and strangled in her bed.

 

Homicide
Ross R. McConnell
47 YOA
1604 Tichenor
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1971-29236
June 26, 1971

Early Saturday morning, June 26, 1971, Ross R. McConnell, 47, awoke at 1:30 a.m. in his Des Moines home and discovered he was on fire. He ran to a neighbor’s house for help, but died later that day at a Des Moines hospital.

 

Homicide
Shawna Johnson
1336 18th St.
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1972-2562
January 4, 1972

Shawna Johnson was murdered at 1336 18th Street in Des Moines on January 4, 1972.

 

William M. Reed
49 YOA
4795 N.E. 28th Court
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
January 11, 1972

William M. Reed, 49, died of carbon monoxide poisoning sometime between midnight and 1 a.m. January 11, 1972 in a mobile home at 4795 N.E. Twenty-Eighth Court. No source for lethal fumes was found.

 

Homicide
Tommy Morris
68 YOA
1800 Blk. Des Moines St.
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1972-15347
March 9, 1972

 

Homicide
Roy Madison
69 YOA
223 Racoon
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1972-87405
December 18, 1972

 

Homicide
David Morris
67 YOA
Morris Foods
2550 Maury Street
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1973-12106
February 22, 1973

On the evening of February 22, 1973, David Morris, 67, was robbed and shot to death in his grocery, Morris Foods at 2550 Maury Street.

 

Homicide
Ernest H. Lilly, Sr.
50 YOA
3940 McDonald
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1973-46114
September 11, 1973

 

Homicide
Mary K. Senne
21 YOA
4119 E. University Ave.
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1973-51704
October 22, 1973

On Monday October 22, 1973, Mary K. Senne, 21, was stabbed to death in her east Des Moines home between 6:00 and 6:30 p.m. Senne was stabbed twice in the stomach and one time in the throat. The telephone line was cut.

 

Double Homicide
Danny Lee Peters
21 YOA
Holiday Inn
1050 6th Avenue
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
August 22, 1974

Twenty-one-year-old Downtown Holiday Inn security guard and Simpson College criminal justice student Danny Lee Peters was shot during a robbery in the early morning hours of August 22, 1974.

 

Double Homicide
Luis A. Trujillo, Jr.
22 YOA
Holiday Inn
1050 6th Avenue
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
August 22, 1974

Twenty-two-year-old Luis A. Trujillo, Jr., assistant night auditor and bell captain, was shot during a robbery at the Downtown Holiday Inn.

 

Homicide
Cecil L. DuBois
71 YOA
1322 23rd St.
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1974-42891
November 15, 1974

On November 15, 1974, 71-year-old Des Moines resident Cecil L. DuBois was robbed and beaten in his home at 1322 23rd Street. He died later at a local hospital.

 

Homicide
Diane Marie Schofield
21 YOA
2000 Blk. Porter
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1975-24048
July 10, 1975

On Thursday afternoon, July 10, 1975, the body of a young woman was found in the trunk of a tan 1966 Rambler in a parking lot near the Des Moines airport and later identified as 21-year-old Diane Marie Schofield of 2931 Cottage Grove in Des Moines.

 

Homicide
Geralyn Kean
17 YOA
446 SE Hart
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1975-26584
July 29, 1975

On Tuesday, July 29, 1975, 17-year-old Geralyn Jean Kean’s nude and bullet-ridden body was found lying face down on a waterbed in her Des Moines home.

 

Homicide
Tommy Lee McConkey
38 YOA
2929 E. University
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1975-30748
August 27, 1975

On August 27, 1975, Tommy Lee was fixing the back door of Sondy’s Lounge at 2929 E. University Avenue in Des Moines. When he went to his pickup truck to get some materials about 4:25 p.m., an unknown person drove up and shot him in the left cheek. McConkey died the following day.

 

Homicide
Greg Nepstad
1128 6th
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1975-34651
September 27, 1975

 

Missing Person, Presumed Homicide
Alice Mae Van Alstine
28 YOA
DOB: May 23, 1947
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
Polk County
March 26, 1976

Alice Van Alstine, a former “Minutemen” sympathizer who’d recently abandoned the right-wing paramilitary organization, tucked her children into bed at their 29th Street apartment in Des Moines on March 26, 1976, and then vanished into thin air, never to be seen nor heard from again. Her purse and money were found in the apartment, and despite the near-freezing outside temperature, she’d also disappeared without her coat or shoes.

 

Homicide:
Earl “Frank” Goff
36 YOA
612 SE Jackson Ave.
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1977-35047
September 23, 1977

On September 23, 1977, Frank Goff’s brothers, Jerry and George, taunted him into coming to their parents’ home on Southeast Jackson Avenue in Des Moines. As Frank walked in the door, he immediately was shot in the neck. He died the following day.

 

Homicide
Steven Eugene Gardner
27 YOA
1037 23rd Street
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1978-11923
April 8, 1978

Steven Eugene Gardner, 27, was shot three times in the head as he sat behind the wheel of his pickup near the intersection of 23rd Street and Cottage Grove on Friday, April 8, 1978.

 

Homicide:
Anna T. Miller
57 YOA
3531 54th Street
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1978-25150
July 8, 1978

Anna Titje Miller, 57, was bludgeoned to death with a hammer or ax on Saturday, July 8, 1978 in the home at 3531 54th Street where she lived alone.

 

Homicide:
Camille Njus
20 YOA
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 7806827
August 4, 1978 (approximate DOD)

Camille Njus, a 20-year-old Grinnell College student and Department of Transportation intern, was reported missing in August 1978 after failing to return home for a weekend visit. On October 18, 74 days after her disappearance, her body was discovered by a city employee buried beneath brush and logs near an access road to the Des Moines River.

 

Homicide
Glenn W. Turner
59 YOA
2222 Hubbell Avenue
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1978-29909
August 9, 1978

On Thursday night, August 10, 1978, an employee of the popular Latin King Restaurant at 2222 Hubbell Avenue on the east side of Des Moines found the blood-covered body of Glenn Turner slumped in the back of a van in the restaurant’s parking lot. Turner was killed by blunt force trauma to the head and had been dead at least 24 hours.

 

Homicide:
Johnie E. “John” Clinton
68 YOA
1525 Walker Street
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1978-41681
October 27, 1978 (found)

The stabbed and bludgeoned body of 68-year-old Johnie E. “John” Clinton was found in the kitchen of his home at 1525 Walker Street on October 27, 1978. He had been dead for seven to nine days.

 

Homicide:
Gene W. Williamson
23 YOA
1311 21st Street
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1979-5278
February 9, 1979

Gene W. Williamson, 23, was found shot to death in his car in the driveway of an apartment building at 1311 21st Street.

 

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

William Thomas, 70, was beaten on the head near his home at 1213 Jefferson Avenue on September 9, 1979. He died the next day.

 

Homicide
Carol Ann Donnelly
18 YOA
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case Number: 8002405
November 16, 1979

Carol Ann Donnelly, 18, disappeared near Merle Hay Mall in Des Moines on November 16, 1979. On April 6, 1980, her body was found floating in Saylorville Lake. She had been stabbed in the back.

 

Homicide:
Jane Doe
River Area SE
Des Moines, IA
Case # 1980-20704
May 26, 1980

 

Homicide:
Donald Hebert
43 YOA
3115 SW McKinley Avenue
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1980-38313
September 8, 1980

Forty-three-year-old Donald “Don” Hebert was shot to death in the bathroom of his home at 3115 SW McKinley Avenue.

 

Missing Person:
Johnny Gosch
12 YOA
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
Case # 8204613
Missing Since: September 5, 1982

On September 5, 1982, Johnny Gosch left his home to work his Des Moines Register paper route. What happened after that has been the subject of speculation. Five witnesses saw and spoke to a man who they say approached and kidnapped the boy.

 

Homicide:
Pennye Watson
18 YOA
1054 21st
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1983-32787
September 10, 1983

Pennye Watson, an 18-year-old Technical High School student, was found strangled in September 1983 about four blocks from her home. The shy student’s nude body was discovered by a passing motorist.

 

Homicide:
Jeffrey Thomas Deaver
25 YOA
1132 E. Seneca Avenue
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1983-37472
October 17, 1983

Jeffrey Thomas “Jeff” Deaver, 25, was stabbed to death in his residence at the Seneca Apartments on October 17, 1983.

 

Homicide
Unidentified Body
Description: White male, 28-48 years of age, 5’7″ to 5’9″, approximately 150 lbs., brown hair, medium build, right handed, surgical pin implanted in right knee.
Details: Skeletal remains found 2/28/84, in brushy area along a dirt trail in Des Moines, Iowa.
Cause of Death: Blunt trauma, sometime during the summer of 1983.
Agency: Des Moines Police Department 515-283-4800
February 28, 1984

 

Missing Person
Eugene W. Martin
13 YOA
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 8403891
August 12, 1984

On August 12, 1984, Eugene left his home at approximately 5 a.m. to deliver newspapers. Between 5:45 and 6:05 a.m., he was seen folding papers and talking to a white male “about the age of his father” on the corner a few blocks from his home. Between 6:10 and 6:15 a.m., Eugene’s bag was found on the ground outside of Des Moines with 10 folded papers still inside.

 

Homicide:
Warren Swanson
53 YOA
709 25th
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1984-37964
October 1, 1984

 

Homicide:
John Shuey
26 YOA
1427 23rd Street
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1986-12024
March 24, 1986

The body of 26-year-old John Shuey was found in his upstairs apartment at 1427 23rd Street on March 24, 1986. He was stabbed during a robbery sometime in the preceding days.

 

Missing Person:
Marc James-Warren Allen
Age at Report: 13
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Missing Since: March 29, 1986

Marc J. Allen, 13, told his mother he planned to walk to a friend’s house down the street from their Des Moines home on March 29, 1986, but never arrived at the neighbor’s home. He was last seen wearing a light blue t-shirt, blue jean shorts, white socks, and gray tennis shoes with velcro tabs.

 

Homicide:
Kristine Mitchell
100 Forest
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1986-17433
April 27, 1986

 

Homicide:
Bryan Pence
21 YOA
3725 Hubbell Avenue
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1986-22875
May 29, 1986

On Thursday, May 29, 1986, Bryan E. Pence, 21, was shot and killed during a robbery of the Sinclair Service Station at 3725 Frederick M. Hubbell Avenue in Des Moines where he worked.

 

Homicide:
Morris Wright
52 YOA
1426 10th
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1986-41137
September 15, 1986

 

Homicide:
Jamiedia Hines
21 YOA
1700 Oakland
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1987-37149
September 5, 1987

 

Homicide
John Wayne Jeffery
31 YOA
1018 E. 12th Street
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1990-21313
May 29, 1990

At 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 30, 1990, 31-year-old John Wayne Jeffery was found dead in his car outside Leo’s Lounge at 1018 E. 12th Street in Des Moines. He was shot in the head with a small caliber weapon.

 

Homicide
Pamela Carter
Des Moines River
2300 Blk Euclid
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1990-32639
July 8, 1990

On August 8, 1990, after receiving an anonymous tip, police found the body of 24-year-old Pamela Carter in the Des Moines River. She had been choked to death. The medical examiner determined she was dead about a month.

 

Homicide
Becky Palmer
1300 E. 25th Ct.
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1990-40843
November 16, 1990

 

Missing Person
Matthew John Ferris
Age at Report: 20
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Missing Since: March 7, 1991

Matthew Ferris was reported missing to the Des Moines Police Department on March 7, 1991. Ferris disappeared on July 25, 1990.

 

 

Double Homicide
Keith Clayborne II, 20 YOA
Jerry Cooper, 23 YOA
3205 Kingman #208
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1991-12517
March 27, 1991

On March 27, 1991, Keith Clayborne II, 20, and Jerry Cooper, 23, were shot execution style at 3205 Kingman Avenue #208 in Des Moines, Iowa. The deaths were believed to be drug-related.

 

Homicide
Lana Jane Anderson
43 YOA
Landmark South Apartments
200 Dickman Rd. Bldg 204
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1991-19466
May 10, 1991

On Friday afternoon, May 10, 1991, Lana J. Anderson was robbed and killed while working in the office of the Landmark South apartment complex she managed.

 

Homicide
Lois Arlene Bradley
74 YOA
1729 Grand #204
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1991-27537
June 27, 1991

Lois Bradley, 74, was strangled in the apartment where she lived alone at 1729 Grand Avenue in Des Moines. Although her body was not discovered until June 29, authorities believed she was murdered on June 27.

 

Homicide
Dennis Moore
46 YOA
1535 7th St.
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1992-26312
June 19, 1992

Dennis Moore, a 46-year-old homeless man living in Des Moines, was shot in the chest while sleeping in his car in the early morning hours on Friday, June 19, 1992.

 

Homicide
Eric Jones
510 SW Payton
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1993-17587
May 3, 1993

 

Homicide:
Phillip Terrell
42 YOA
Des Moines, IA
Body found in Warren County
December 24, 1993

Just before Christmas 1993, Phil Terrell’s family reported him missing from Des Moines. On March 2, 1994, at approximately 2 p.m., a horseback rider found Terrell’s snow-covered, decomposed body in a creek bed just inside Warren County. Assistant Medical Examiner Francis Garrity determined Terrell died after being struck on the head with a blunt instrument.

 

Homicide
Kathleen Stith
47 YOA
966 E. 6th
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1994-7200
February 24, 1994

 

Homicide
Steven Wesley Graves, Jr.
19 YOA
1600 Blk. 16th Street
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1994-46422
November 8, 1994

Former Hoover High School football star and musician Steven Wesley Graves, Jr., 19, died on November 8, 1994 after being shot in the stomach while in a troubled area near 16th Street and Mondamin Avenue in Des Moines.

 

Homicide
Mark Atkins
23 YOA
1814 6th Street
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1995-36612
August 14, 1995

Mark Atkins, 23, was shot in the head and neck at 1814 6th Street on August 14, 1995 while trying to break up an altercation over ownership of a ring.

 

Homicide
William R. Talbert, Jr.
18 YOA
1400 21st
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1995-40323
September 3, 1995

William Ralph Talbert, Jr., of Des Moines, IA, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Des Moines early Sunday morning, September 3, 1995, as he stood on a sidewalk.

 

Homicide
Darrell Romain Lewis
39 YOA
2100 block Carpenter Avenue
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1995-58887
December 24, 1995

At 12:40 a.m. Sunday, December 24, 1995, 39-year-old Darrell R. Lewis was found shot to death between two parked cars in the 2100 block of Carpenter Avenue in Des Moines. He was clutching two bags of crack cocaine.

 

Homicide
Robert Furnish
1215 6th
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1996-30538
July 18, 1996

 

Homicide
Rafael Robinson
926 Oak Ridge
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1996-32331
July 31, 1996

On July 31, 1996, Iowa 90 Crips gang member Rafael Robinson was shot multiple times in the back outside a public housing complex at 926 Oakridge in Des Moines. Gunshots from more than one weapon were heard, but no one admitted witnessing the shooting.

 

Homicide
Robert Scott
43 YOA
1000 Blk. E. 12th
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1996-22677
May 30, 1996

Taxi driver Robert D. “Bob” Scott was murdered while on duty May 30, 1996 in Des Moines.

 

Homicide
Raul Camacho
18 YOA
1820 E. Army Post Road
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1996-39840
September 14, 1996

At approximately 1:15 a.m. on Saturday, September 14, 1996, 18-year-old Raul Camacho was shot several times outside the El Aragan bar on Des Moines’s east side by a Hispanic subject who fled the scene.

 

Homicide
Earl “Big Earl” Hamilton
53 YOA
Big Earl’s Goldmine
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
September 29, 1996

At approximately 3 a.m. on Sunday, September 29, 1996, Earl “Big Earl” Hamilton was shot in the head outside the strip club he owned and operated on the outskirts of Des Moines. Hamilton was air-lifted to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

 

Missing Person:
John Johnson
Age at Report: 71
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Missing Since: December 11, 1996

John Johnson was reported missing to the Des Moines Police Department on December 11, 1996.

 

 

Homicide
Mike Booth
45 YOA
510 15th #21
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1997-17132
April 26, 1997

The body of 45-year-old Michael Booth was found April 26, 1997 in his apartment at 510 15th Street. He had been bludgeoned to death during a drug robbery.

 

Homicide
Julie Bell Davis
33 YOA
613 E. 2nd
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1997-37722
August 28, 1997

On Thursday evening, August 28, 1997, Julie Davis, a 33-year-old Marion, Iowa, mother of two, was found with her throat slashed and fatally stabbed at Skyline Display’s satellite office in east Des Moines, where she worked.

 

Homicide
Beth Ann Ricketts
31 YOA
4000 Dubuque
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1997-57018
December 22, 1997

Beth Ricketts was reported missing to the Des Moines Police Department on December 22, 1997. She was last seen wearing black pants, a white shirt, a zebra belt, a black leather blazer and carrying a medium-sized black purse.

 

Homicide
Anthony Williams
1436 22nd
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1998-1045
January 8, 1998

 

Homicide:
Mariana Redrovan
15 YOA
Case Number: 9800744
Walnut Creek Inn
West Des Moines, IA
Polk County
January 23, 1998

On Friday, January 23, 1998, Mariana Redrovan, 15, was stabbed to death in a room at the West Des Moines Walnut Creek Inn where she worked as a housekeeper.

 

Homicide
Susan Hagen
600 Blk. Birdland Dr.
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1998-6532
February 12, 1998

Susan Diane Hagen, 44, was murdered and her body set on fire and left under the 2nd Avenue bridge over the Des Moines River on February 12, 1998.

 

Homicide
Ky Van Luong
6th & Birdland
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1998-6829
February 14, 1998

Ky Van Luong, 20, was found shot to death on February 14, 1998 on the bike path along Birdland Drive near 6th Avenue. His body had been dumped there.

 

Homicide
Rodrigo Duran
59 YOA
1820 E. Army Post Road
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1999-11835
April 3, 1999

On April 3, 1999, 59-year-old Rodrigo Duran was shot in the chest in the parking lot of El Palacio, a dance hall located at 1820 E. Army Post Road on the south side of Des Moines. He died at 2:00 a.m. in a local hospital.

 

Homicide
Cordell Kirby
46 YOA
1400 E. 18th
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1999-28964
August 2, 1999

 

Double Homicide
John Budd Taylor, 54 YOA
Janet Faye Taylor, 52 YOA
2223 E. Maple
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1999-29020
August 3, 1999

At 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, August 3, 1999, John and Janet Taylor — both in their 50s — were found dead in the bedroom of their burning home. Both had been stabbed to death.

 

Homicide
David L. Shumpert
27 YOA
400 blk. E. Locust
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1999-46557
December 2, 1999

Des Moines Police found 27-year-old David Shumpert mortally wounded in the 400 block of East Locust near the Hotspot Nightclub on December 2, 1999. He was shot one time in the chest.

 

Homicide
Harland Shuey
3310 E. 42nd
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 2001-1532
January 11, 2001

On Thursday, January 11, 2001, Harland S. Shuey, 79, was killed at 3310 E. 42nd Street in Des Moines.

 

Missing Person
Riccardo R. Bowers
Age at Report: 44
Incident Type: Endangered / physical
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
Missing Since: May 15, 2001

Riccardo Bowers was reported missing to the Des Moines Police Department in Des Moines, Iowa, on May 15, 2001.

 

Double Homicide
Emanuel Burgs Jr., II, 21 YOA
Celestina Payano, 22 YOA
1831 Mondamin
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 2002-36527
September 12, 2002

 

 

Missing Person
Melissa Dawn Hasley
Age at Report: 31
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Missing Since: October 18, 2002

Melissa “Missy” Hasley was last seen at a party between 11:45 p.m. and 1:45 a.m. at an apartment complex in the vicinity of the 1700 block of Grand Avenue in Des Moines.

 

Homicide
Donald Eugene Graspy
46 YOA
1104 Fremont
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 2003-27457
July 17, 2003

Donald Eugene Graspy, 46, was found dead in the garage of a vacant house at 1104 Fremont in Des Moines on July 17, 2003.

 

Missing Person
Christopher Lee Stewart
Age at Report: 36
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Missing Since: August 17, 2003

Christopher Stewart was last seen after 10:30 p.m. on August 17, 2003 outside his apartment in the vicinity of the 600 block of 18th Street in Des Moines.

 

Homicide:
Robert “Corey” Poffenberger
30 YOA
2211 East 37th St.
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 2003-42059
October 24, 2003

Robert Corey Poffenberger was murdered early Friday morning October 24, 2003, in the driveway of his home at 2211 East 37th Street in Des Moines.

 

Homicide
Jeremy J. Spencer
28 YOA
Tommy’s Hickman Pub
2335 Hickman
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 2004-3548
January 28, 2004

Jeremy J. Spencer, 28, was shot and killed outside Tommy’s Hickman Pub on January 28, 2004. Another man was wounded.

 

Homicide
Ruth Kingery-Pohlmeier
37 YOA
3839 E. 14th
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 2004-14785
April 25, 2004

The body of Ruth Kingery-Pohlmeier, 37, was found wrapped in a blanket next to the AMF Des Moines Lanes bowling alley on the city’s northeast side on Sunday evening, April 25, 2004. According to police, Kingery-Pohlmeier was the victim of a brutal attack and died from severe blunt trauma injuries to her head and face.

 

Missing Person
Kyanja Keri Vanwey
Age at Report: 18
DOB: November 27, 1987
Weight: 210 lbs.
Height: 5’06″
Race: White
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Incident Type: Endangered/physical
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
Missing Since: September 14, 2005

Kyanja Keri Vanwey, 18, was last seen on September 14, 2005, in Des Moines, Iowa. She was not reported missing to the Des Moines Police Department until January 4, 2006. It is unknown why she wasn’t reported earlier.

 

Unknown
John Doe — Unidentified White Male:
Approx. 40-45 YOA
Height: 5’8″ to 5’10″
Weight: 195 to 210 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown, with goatee
Eye Color: Unknown
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case #: 05-43363
Date Found: October 25, 2005

On October 25, 2005, the body of an unknown white male was found floating in the Des Moines River near the west bank’s homeless camp. His identity has never been determined.

 

Missing Person:
Jeannie Elizabeth Hernandez
Age At Report: 20
Date of Birth: March 25, 1985
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Investigative Case #: 2006-2350
NCIC #: M-595469829
Missing Since: December 31, 2005

Jeannie Hernandez was reported missing to the Des Moines Police Department on December 31, 2005. She was last seen at approximately 11:00 p.m. in the vicinity of SE 22nd and King in Des Moines, IA.

 

Homicide:
Margaret Feige
88 YOA
Saylor Township north of Des Moines
Polk County
May 22, 2008

Margaret Feige, 88, was found dead in the early morning hours on Thursday, May 22, 2008, in the laundry room of the Saylor Township home she shared with several other adults. Feige was beaten to death.

 

Missing Person
Mary Susan Keller
Age At Report: 54
Incident Type: Endangered / physical
Missing From: Des Moines, Iowa
Missing Since: June 1, 2008

Mary Keller was reported missing to the Des Moines Police Department in Des Moines on June 1, 2008.

 

Homicide:
Hazel Reimann
87 YOA
131 S.E. Watrous Ave.
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
September 2, 2008

On Tuesday, September 2, 2008, the sister of Hazel Reimann, 87, found Reimann dead in her basement at what police described as a bloody crime scene. Reimann was beaten and stabbed. Blood was found in the kitchen and on the walls, but there were no signs of forced entry.

 

Homicide:
Brandy Ratliff, Jr.
31 YOA
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
October 19, 2008

Brandy Ratliff, Jr. was killed in a drive-by shooting while sitting on a couch inside his cousin’s home at 1608 E. Capitol Ave. in Des Moines on October 19, 2008. Jesus Garcia, 35, and his nephew, Alfredo Garcia, 13, were arrested and charged with first-degree murder shortly after the shooting, but police later determined witnesses lied to them and charges were dropped.

 

Missing Person
Shelli Lynn Rice
Age At Report: 42
Weight: 115 lbs.
Height: 5’06″
Race: White
Incident Type: Endangered / physical
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Missing Since: December 10, 2008

Shelli Rice was reported missing to the Des Moines Police Department on December 10, 2008.

 

Missing Person
Stephon D. Harry
Age at Report: 48
Weight: 195 lbs.
Height: 5’10″
Race: Black
Eyes: Brown
Incident Type: Other adult missing
Missing From: “Mannings”
2102 Indianola Ave.
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Missing Since: September 9, 2011

Stephen D. Harry, 48, was last seen on Friday, Sept. 9, 2011, about 2 a.m. at Manning’s Bar in Des Moines. Harry has worked for Union Pacific for 15 years and his family says his disappearance is out of character for him.