Webster County in Iowa

Cold Cases in Webster County, Iowa

*Please Note: The cases listed below are within Webster County but may fall under a city police department’s jurisdiction. They are included here for cross-reference purposes. More specific information may be found on each victim’s individual page.

Homicide
William Freimuth
71 YOA
Case # 61-00355
Fort Dodge, IA
Webster County
February 16, 1962

William Freimuth, a 71-year-old Fort Dodge service station attendant, was shot in the back of the head shortly after 8 p.m. on February 16, 1962, by a gunman who took $140 from the cash register.

Homicide
Douglas Alan Nielsen
Humboldt, IA
Webster County
Case # 74-00512
October 17, 1974

On October 17, 1974, Douglas Nielsen was shot and killed during a house party in Humboldt, Iowa.

Angela Marie Altman

Homicide
Angela Marie Altman
22 YOA
215 S. 7th Street
Fort Dodge, IA
Webster County
Case # 81-00528
January 24, 1981

On January 24, 1981, 22-year-old Angela Marie Altman bled to death from stab wounds in her Fort Dodge residence. A juvenile was charged in the death but was never prosecuted.

Marvin Brandland

Homicide
Marvin C. Brandland
69 YOA
Ninth Ave. South
Fort Dodge, IA
Webster County
Case # 82-05814
October 30, 1982

On October 30, 1982, Marvin Brandland, 69, was confronted at his Fort Dodge, Iowa, home by a masked “trick-or-treater” brandishing a gun who said “Trick or treat. Give me your money or I’ll shoot.” Believing it was a Halloween prank, Brandland reached for the gun and was shot by the masked man.

Sandra Vanderhoef

Missing Person
Sandra S. Vanderhoef
Age at Report: 42
Missing From: Webster County, IA
Missing Since: September 22, 1986

Sandra Vanderhoef was reported missing to the Webster County Sheriff’s Office in Fort Dodge on September 22, 1986.

Bertha Mae Foy: 1969-1987

Homicide
Bertha Mae Foy
18 YOA
Fort Dodge, IA
Webster County
August 9, 1987

Bertha Mae Foy was killed in Fort Dodge on August 9, 1987. Two men were questioned in her murder, but neither was charged.

Lisa McCuddin

Homicide
Lisa Ann McCuddin
23 YOA
Fort Dodge, IA
Webster County
October 2, 2004

On October 2, 2004, Lisa Ann McCuddin was shot and killed while riding as a passenger in a vehicle on its way to a Fort Dodge motel. Officials initially were called to Trinity Regional Medical Center in Fort Dodge where a man had gone after reporting being shot at the Holiday Inn. But when police got to the Holiday Inn to investigate the shooting, a car pulled into the parking lot driven by a man who said he and a female passenger had just been shot while driving to the hotel.

Greg Howell

Missing Person
Gregory J. Howell
Age at Report: 44
Missing From: Fort Dodge, IA
Webster County
Missing Since: January 1, 2005

Gregory Howell was reported missing to the Fort Dodge Police Department on January 1, 2005.

Roberto Guerra

Missing Person
Roberto J. Guerra
Age at Report: 44
Missing From: Fort Dodge, IA
Webster County
Missing Since: October 16, 2007

Roberto J. Guerra was reported missing to the Fort Dodge Police on October 16, 2007.

Brandyn Preston

Homicide
Brandyn Preston
19 YOA
1101 10th Ave.
Fort Dodge, IA
Webster County
Date of Crime: May 8, 2011
Date of Death: January 22, 2012

On Sunday, May 8, 2011 — Mother’s Day — Brandyn Preston of Fort Dodge was shot in the neck while attending a bonfire party in the back yard at 1101 10th Ave. SW in Fort Dodge. He died on January 22, 2012, in Florida where his mother was caring for him.

Missing Person
Christopher M. Glaser
Age at Report: 24
Weight: 170 lbs.
Height: 5’09″
Race: White
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Sex: Male
Incident Type: Disability — physical / mental
Missing From: Webster County, IA
Fort Dodge, IA
Missing Since: March 2, 2012

Christopher Glaser was reported missing to the Webster County Sheriff’s Office in Fort Dodge, Iowa, on March 2, 2012. He has a tattoo on his left shoulder and his right shoulder.