Polk County in Iowa

Cold Cases in Polk County, Iowa

* Note: These are cold cases that exist in Polk County, though many are under the jurisdiction of the Des Moines Police Department or other cities/townships within Polk County. They are listed here for cross-reference purposes because they are within Polk County.

George W. Mattern

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 injury on April 12, 1918.

Thaddeus Mitchell

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.

Double Homicide
Claud F. Miller, 64
Anna H. Miller, 61
2 miles north of Camp Dodge
Polk County
April 4, 1949

Claud and Anna Miller were found dead of shotgun wounds in the basement of their rural Polk County home on April 4, 1949. Their son Frank was held in their deaths, but a grand jury failed to indict him.

Leon Groves

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.

Charles Sanders

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

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

Rose Grandanette

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 Des Moines 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

Darlene Fitchett was killed in Des Moines, Iowa, on February 8, 1960.

Dorothy Coon

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

Floyd Cramer was killed in Des Moines, Iowa, on December 9, 1960.

Ramona Jean Cox

Homicide
Ramona Jean Cox
24 YOA
1526 Woodland Ave.
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 62-00508
April 22, 1962

Ramona Jean Cox, 24, was found dead in her first-floor apartment at 1526 Woodland Ave. in Des Moines on Sunday morning, April 22, 1962. Cox, who was from Moravia, Iowa, but worked as a secretary in Des Moines, had been raped and slashed across the throat with a hook-billed linoleum knife.

Homicide
Earl J. Lambert
58 YOA
Under E. 14th St. viaduct bridge
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1962-12962
October 1, 1962

Earl J. Lambert, 58, was found dead beneath the E. 14th Street Viaduct bridge in Des Moines at about 1 a.m. on October 1, 1962. Railroad employees found Lambert’s body on railroad tracks, but authorities said they did not believe Lambert — who worked for the Des Moines Central Railroad — had been struck by a train. They also said they did not believe he fell from a moving train.

Homicide
Anna Marie Medici
21 YOA
Carney, IA
Polk County
Case # 62-01063
November 16, 1962

On November 16, 1962, Anna Marie Medici, 21, was hit and killed by a vehicle near her home along Highway 69 in Carney. On November 30, 1962, evidence of the crime was removed from the driveshaft of a 1961 Pontiac registered to an Ankeny man, but no one was ever charged in the hit-and-run.

George Geary

Homicide
George Geary
40 YOA
Keo & Crocker
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Des Moines Case # 1963-601
DCI Case # 63-00218
January 13, 1963

George Geary, 40, was shot about 1:30 a.m. on January 13, 1963, during a robbery at the Des Moines service station where he worked.

Lillian Randolph

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, Iowa. On May 11, 1965, state authorities found her body stuffed in the trunk of her car at the Polk County Municipal Airport. She was stabbed 13 times in the chest.

Donald Nervig

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

Donald Nervig, 52, 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
24 YOA
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 66-00274
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.

Judy Corbin

Homicide:
Judy Ann Corbin
17 YOA
Hotel Chamberlain, Rm 522
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
April 19, 1967

Judy Ann Corbin, 17, was stabbed to death at the Hotel Chamberlain in Des Moines on Wednesday, April 19, 1967. Corbin, who’d been stabbed in the neck, was left to bleed to death in room 522 at the same hotel where her alleged killer worked.

Leota Camp

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.

Patricia Veach

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

At 1:30 a.m. Saturday, June 26, 1971, Ross R. McConnell, 47, awoke 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 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, Iowa, on January 4, 1972.

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

Tommy Morris was killed in Des Moines, Iowa, on March 9, 1972.

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

Early Monday morning, December 18, 1972, Roy Madison was found dead in his Des Moines, Iowa home with stab wounds to his face and chest. Several friends — who’d come by to visit the 69-year-old Madison — discovered the body and notified authorities.

Homicide
David Morris
68 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, 68, was robbed and shot to death in his Des Moines grocery store, 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

Ernest H. Lilly, Sr., a 50-year-old World War II veteran, was murdered in Des Moines, Iowa, on December 19, 1973.

Mary K. Senne

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

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

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 later died at a local hospital.

Homicide
Gregory Neal Dickey
Interstate 80 eastbound on-ramp
Altoona, IA
Polk County
Case # 75-00248
February 18, 1975

On February 18, 1975, Iowa State Trooper Charles Black discovered a 1966 green Ford van on Interstate 80 at the eastbound “on” ramp at Altoona. The van bore a 1973 Washington license plate number L84590 and, apparently abandoned, was impounded. When officials broke into the van in search of clues as to where Gregory Dickey may have been headed, they discovered his body in the van’s back seat under a blanket, a cord wrapped around the young man’s neck.

Diane Schofield

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.

Geralyn Jean Kean

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.

Tommy McConkey

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 McConkey 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 point black 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

Greg Nepstad was killed at 1128 6th St. in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, September 27, 1975.

Alice Van Alstine

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.

Kathleen Holliday

Homicide
Kathleen L. Holliday
37 YOA
Home Residence: 10001 N.W. Beaver Drive
Grimes, IA
Body found in Saylorville Reservoir
Polk County
DOD: March 12, 1977

Kathleen Louise Holliday, a rural Grimes mail carrier, finished up her mail route on Saturday, March 12, 1977, and then vanished without a trace. Her body was found two months later in the Saylorville Reservoir — just as a psychic had predicted.

Frank Goff

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 Ave. in Des Moines. As Frank walked in the door, he immediately was shot in the neck. He died the following day.

Steve Gardner: 1950-1978

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.

Camille Njus

Homicide:
Camille Njus
20 YOA
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 78-06827
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.

Glenn Turner: 1918-1978

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 Williamson
23 YOA
1311 21st
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: 80-02405
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 was stabbed in the back.

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

An unidentified female body was found in the Des Moines River in southeast Des Moines on 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.

Johnny Gosch

Missing Person:
Johnny Gosch
12 YOA
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
Case # 82-04613
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.

Jeffrey Thomas Deaver

Homicide:
Jeffrey Thomas Deaver
25 YOA
Seneca Apartments
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

Eugene Martin

Missing Person
Eugene W. Martin
13 YOA
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 84-03891
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 Street
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1984-37964
October 1, 1984

Fifty-three-year-old WWII veteran Warren Swanson was murdered at 709 25th Street in Des Moines on 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.

Marc James Warren Allen

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

Kristine Mitchell was killed in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 27, 1986.

Bryan Pence

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

52-year-old Morris Wright was killed in Des Moines, Iowa, on September 15, 1986.

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

21-year-old Jamiedia Hines was killed at 1700 Oakland in Des Moines, Iowa, on September 5, 1987.

John Jeffery

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 block of Euclid Avenue
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1990-32639
July 10, 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 strangled. Carter had been reported missing on July 10, 1990, and the state medical examiner determined she had been dead about one month.

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

Becky Palmer was killed in Des Moines, Iowa, on November 16, 1990.

Matthew Ferris

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.

Keith Clayborne, II

Jerry Cooper

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.

Lana Anderson

Homicide
Lana J. 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, 43, was robbed and killed while working in the office of the Des Moines apartment complex which 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

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

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

Homicide
Johnetta Jackson
22 YOA
Missing from Des Moines, IA
Found in Pleasant Hill, IA
Polk County
May 4, 1993

Johnetta Jackson, 22, was reported missing from Des Moines on May 4, 1993; she left behind a bloody and disarrayed apartment. Her body was discovered on May 23, 1993 in Four Mile Creek in Pleasant Hill just east of Des Moines. Cause of death could not be determined due to decomposition caused by the water.

Homicide
Kathleen “Kathy” Stith
47 YOA
966 E. 6th Avenue
Des Moines, IA
Case # 1994-7200
February 24, 1994

At 5:30 p.m. on February 24, 1994, 47-year-old Kathleen “Kathy” Stith was found dead on a sofa by the boyfriend she shared a townhouse with at 966 E. 6th Avenue in Des Moines.

Steven Graves

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.

Connie Choate Bodensteiner

Homicide
Connie Jo Choate Bodensteiner
24 YOA
2800 Fleur Drive
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
August 8, 1995

On Tuesday, August 8, 1995, Connie Jo Choate Bodensteiner was found locked in a basement storage bin at a south-side Des Moines apartment complex. An autopsy showed the 24-year-old had been strangled.

Mark Atkins

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.

Martha Erickson

Homicide
Martha “Marty” D. Erickson
47 YOA
Case # 95-13479
Avon, IA
Polk County
November 21, 1995

On Tuesday, November 21, 1995, Martha “Marty” Erickson, 47, was killed while on her way to a dance. Her body was found the following day in Avon Lake. Erickson died of a single stab wound, and bruises on her face indicated she also was beaten. It was determined she probably died between 24 and 48 hours before her body was found.

Darrell Lewis, Sr.

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

Rafael Robinson

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.

Robert Scott: 1953-1996

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.

Raul Camacho

Homicide
Raul Camacho
18 YOA
1820 E. Army Post Rd.
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’ east side by a Hispanic subject who fled the scene.

Earl Hamilton

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 flown to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

John Johnson

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.

Michael Booth

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.

Julie Davis

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.

Beth Ricketts

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: 98-00744
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.

Susan Hagen

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.

Rodrigo Duran, Sr.

Homicide
Rodrigo Duran, Sr.
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.

David Shumpert

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.

David Marchan

Missing Person
David Marchan
Age at Report: 18
Weight: 168 lbs.
Height: 5’08″
Race: White
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Sex: Male
Incident Type: Other adult missing
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Missing Since: January 1, 2001

David Marchan was reported missing to the Des Moines Police Department in Des Moines on January 1, 2001. He usually wears Docker-type pants and button-down collar shirts. His left ear is pierced.

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

Missing Person
Bryan Ashley Howser
Age At Report: 33
DOB: March 17, 1968
Weight: 155 lbs.
Height: 5’06″
Race: White
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Hazel
Sex: Male
Incident Type: Disability – physical / mental
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
Missing Since: April 4, 2001

Bryan Ashley Howser, 33, was reported missing to the Des Moines Police Department on April 4, 2001. He was last seen wearing black jeans and a black Hawkeye sweatshirt.

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.

Emanuel Burgs

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

Emanuel Burgs, Jr., II, 21, and 22-year-old Celestina Payano were found bound and shot to death at 1831 Mondamin on September 12, 2002.

Melissa Hasley

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.

Christopher Stewart

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.

Corey Poffenberger

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 St. in Des Moines.

Jeremy J. Spencer

Homicide
Jeremy J. Spencer
27 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.

Ruth Kingery-Pohlmeier

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.

Kyanja Vanwey

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.

Unidentified White Male

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, Iowa
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.

Annamarie Rittman

Homicide
Annamarie Rittman
46 YOA
Lowe’s Parking Lot
Altoona, IA
Polk County
December 27, 2005

Annamarie Rittman, a 46-year-old employee at the Lowe’s Store in Altoona, Iowa, was struck down by a pickup that swerved into her on December 27, 2005. The mother of three was walking through the store’s parking lot just before 5:30 a.m. when video cameras captured on tape a red four-door Ford pickup truck running her down and hitting her from behind. Justin Pollard, a fellow Lowe’s employee, was charged and acquitted in her murder.

Jeannie Hernandez

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 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.

Missing Person
Gustavo Beranza Cruz
Age at Report: 31
Weight: 180 lbs.
Height: 5’08″
Race: White
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Sex: Male
Incident Type: Other adult missing
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Missing Since: April 1, 2008

Gustavo Cruz was reported missing to the Des Moines Police Department in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 1, 2008.

Margaret Feige

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

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

Hazel Reimann

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 into the home.

Brandy Ratliff, Jr.

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
Luis Angel Hernandez
Age at Report: 2
Weight: 33 lbs.
Height: 2’00″
Race: White
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Sex: Male
Incident Type: Familial abduction
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Missing Since: December 18, 2008

Luis Angel Hernandez was reported missing to the Des Moines Police Department in Des Moines, Iowa, on December 18, 2008.

Jared Parks

Homicide
Jared Parks
18 YOA
DOB: October 5, 1990
Interstate 35/80
Urbandale, IA
Polk County
May 11, 2009

Jared Parks, 18, was found dead on Interstate 35/80 near the Beaver Avenue Bridge in Polk County, Iowa, on Monday, May 11, 2009. He’d been hit by at least two semi tractor-trailers. The Polk County medical examiner said there was nothing to indicate that Parks was injured before the crash or that he might have jumped from the bridge. Investigators never found Jared’s cell phone, and his wallet, earrings, and tennis shoes were also missing. They have ruled the death as suspicious.

Missing Person
Ater K. Chol
Age at Report: 4
Weight: 60 lbs.
Height: 3’06″
Race: Black
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Sex: Male
Incident Type: Familial Abduction
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Missing Since: November 1, 2009

Ater Chol was reported missing to the Des Moines Police Department in Des Moines, Iowa, on November 1, 2009.

Missing Person
Larry O. Martin
Age at Report: 44
Weight: 195 lbs.
Height: 5’11″
Race: Black
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Sex: Male
Incident Type: Endangered / physical
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Missing Since: December 15, 2009

Forty-four-year-old Larry Odell Martin was reported missing to the Des Moines Police Department in Des Moines on December 15, 2009. He was last seen leaving a bar and grill with friends, wearing a black trench coat with a hood and jeans.

Missing Person
Chantal Casillas-Estrada
Age at Report: 5
Weight: Unknown
Height: Unknown
Race: White
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Sex: Female
Incident Type: Familial Abduction
Missing From: Polk County, IA
Missing Since: April 5, 2011

Chantal Casillas-Estrada was reported missing to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 5, 2011. Height and weight are unknown. This case is considered a familial abduction by a non-custodial relative.

Missing Person
Cristal Casillas-Estrada
Age at Report: 7
Weight: Unknown
Height: Unknown
Race: White
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Sex: Female
Incident Type: Familial Abduction
Missing From: Polk County, IA
Missing Since: April 5, 2011

Cristal Casillas-Estrada was reported missing to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 5, 2011. Height and weight are unknown. This case is considered a familial abduction by a non-custodial relative.

Missing Person
Juan Reyes-Estrada
Age at Report: 12
Weight: Unknown
Height: Unknown
Race: White
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Sex: Male
Incident Type: Familial Abduction
Missing From: Polk County, IA
Missing Since: April 5, 2011

Juan Reyes-Estrada was reported missing to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 5, 2011. Height and weight are unknown. This case is considered a familial abduction by a non-custodial relative.

Ashley Okland

Homicide
Ashley Okland
27 YOA
558 Stone Creek Court
West Des Moines, IA
Polk County
April 8, 2011

Ashley Okland, a 27-year-old Iowa Realty agent, was shot twice and killed shortly before 2 p.m. on Friday, April 8, 2011, while working inside a West Des Moines model townhouse.

Missing Person
Colleen K. Wright
Age at Report: 53
Weight: 200 lbs.
Height: 5’06″
Race: White
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Sex: Female
Incident Type: Other adult missing
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Missing Since: July 21, 2011

Colleen Wright was reported missing to the Des Moines Police Department in Des Moines on July 21, 2011. She was last seen wearing a flowered blouse, blue jean shorts and red flip flops. She has a tattoo on her left shoulder.

Marion Harris

Homicide
Marion Harris
32 YOA
Courtside Bar & Grill
1014 E. 14th St.
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
October 9, 2011

Marion Harris, 32, was shot October 9, 2011 at about 1 a.m. at the Courtside Bar & Grill located at 1014 E. 14th St. in Des Moines. Police said someone approached Harris and shot him where he sat.

Missing Person
Mary J. Waggle
Age at Report: 56
Weight: 155 lbs.
Height: 5’07″
Race: White
Hair: Red
Eyes: Brown
Sex: Female
Incident Type: Endangered / Physical
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Missing Since: April 5, 2012

Mary Waggle was reported missing to the Des Moines Police Department in Des Moines on April 5, 2012. She was last seen wearing a gray hoodie and blue jeans.

Missing Person
Sonja J. Connell
Age at Report: 33
Weight: 150 lbs.
Height: 5’06″
Race: White
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Brown
Sex: Female
Incident Type: Endangered / Physical
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Missing Since: July 15, 2012

Sonja Connell was reported missing to the Des Moines Police Department in Des Moines on July 15, 2012.

Nick White

Homicide
Nicholas “Nick” David White
20 YOA
1511 29th St.
Des Moines, Iowa
Polk County
November 26, 2012

Nicholas “Nick” David White, a 20-year-old Drake University student, was murdered on Monday, November 26, 2012, in a Des Moines home he shared with two other young men. Des Moines police said the 20-year-old student died of undisclosed trauma in the basement of a house located 1511 29th Street. The home is located about one block away from Drake’s main campus.

Rashad Adair

Homicide
Rashad Demarco Adair, Sr.
31 YOA
1410 Washington Avenue
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Shot: December 7, 2012
Died: Christmas Day, 2012

Rashad Adair, a 31-year-old father of four, was shot six times on December 7, 2012, while sitting in a parked car at 14th Street and Washington Avenue in Des Moines. He died 18 days later on Christmas Day.