The Missing Persons Cases

Please Note: This list is ongoing and not inclusive of all Iowa missing persons cases. Though we have no fixed “time passed since missing” criteria for adding names, the individuals listed here reflect persons who have gone missing under suspicious circumstances where foul play is suspected or where the victim is assumed deceased.

The cases are listed in chronological order. Click on any hyperlink below to view a victim’s case summary page and to access additional information and/or feature stories related to that case.

Also See: Unsolved Homicides or Case Summaries

Lillian Demaris
Age at Report: 31
Missing From Mason City
August 14, 1952

Thomas Myles Dougherty
Age at Report: 45
Missing From:
Sioux City, IA
January 12, 1961

Guy Heckle
Age at Report: 11
Missing From: Cedar Rapids, IA
February 3, 1973

Jane Ellen Wakefield
Age at Report: 26
Iowa City
Missing Since:
September 5, 1975

Colleen Simpson
Age at Report: 14
Bedford, IA
Missing Since:
October 5, 1975

Alice Van Alstine
28 YOA
Assumed Deceased
Des Moines, IA
March 26, 1976

Steven Kirchhoff
Age at Report: 22
Waterloo
Missing Since:
February 5, 1978

Mattie Lou Zabel
Age at Report: 45
Cedar Falls
Missing Since:
March 21, 1978

Delores D. Sumpter
Age at Report: 27
Missing From:
Spirit Lake, IA
April 1, 1978

Norma M. Maynard
Age at Report: 61
Boone, IA
Missing Since:
February 3, 1979

Ronald E. Westwick
Age at Report: 34
Ames, IA
Missing Since:
March 8, 1979

Willie Ann Rucker
Age at Report: 27
Waterloo, IA
Missing since:
April 8, 1979

Richard Neil Forsyth
Age at Report: 27
Waterloo
Missing Since:
October 18, 1979

Charles Elmquist
Age at Report: 34
Iowa City
Missing Since:
November 16, 1979

Naomi Wilson
Age at Report: 32
1618 13th Ave. SE
Cedar Rapids, IA
Missing Since:
April 12, 1981

Dale Strassburger
Age at Report: 37
Missing from Le Claire
Missing Since:
August 6, 1982

Kimberly S. Doss
Age at Report: 16
Missing from Davenport
Missing Since:
September 1, 1982

Johnny Gosch
Age at Report: 12
West Des Moines, IA
Case # 8204613
September 5, 1982

Denise Fraley
30 YOA
Cedar Rapids
Missing Since:
September 12, 1982

Theodore Hoerstman
Age at Report: 45
Dubuque
Missing Since:
December 6, 1982

Maurice Kneifl
58 YOA
Sioux City
Missing Since:
February 14, 1983

Grace Esquivel
Age at Report: 25
Mason City
Missing Since:
June 10, 1983

Viola Findley
Age at Report: 29
Waterloo
NamUS MP # 2914
September 1, 1983

James H. Pretlow
Age at Report: 60
Missing From:
Waterloo, IA
March 29, 1984

Harry D. Milligan
Age at Report: 21
Albia, IA
Missing Since:
July 1, 1984

Eugene W. Martin
Age at Report: 13
Des Moines
Case # 8403891
August 12, 1984

Ronald Leroy Zellmer
31 YOA
Sioux City
Missing Since:
April 6, 1985

Marc Warren Allen
Age at Report: 13
Des Moines
Missing Since:
March 29, 1986

Sandra Vanderhoef
Age at Report: 42
Missing from Webster County, IA
September 22, 1986

Rodney J. Olsen
Age at Report: 32
Mason City
Missing Since:
October 18, 1986

James Jamison
Age at Report: 75
Burlington
Missing Since:
October 5, 1987

Johnny Joe Shields
Age at Report: 32
Carter Lake, IA
Case # 8900081
December 16, 1988

Barbara L. Lenz, 31
Woodbine, IA
Harrison County
Case # 8903215
May 6, 1989

Ricardo J. Pimentel
Age at Report: 39
Missing From Davenport
December 19, 1989

Sidney E. Johnston
Age at Report: 47
Davenport
Presumed Deceased
January 22, 1990

Robert Lee Kellar
Age at Report: 20
Muscatine
Missing Since:
February 12, 1990

Mervin Leo Walvatne
Age at Report: 53
Spencer, IA
Missing Since:
July 18, 1990

Paul Joseph Knockel
Age at Report: 53
Dubuque
Missing Since:
November 26, 1990

Matthew John Ferris
Age at Report: 20
Des Moines
Missing Since:
March 7, 1991

Daniel J. Andersen
Age at Report: 4
Black Hawk County, IA
Missing Since:
January 25, 1992

Aaron M. Pate
Age at Report: 18
Sigourney
Keokuk County, IA
April 30, 1993

Barbara L. Elms
Age at Report: 50
Cedar Rapids
Missing Since:
August 25, 1993

Audrey E. Dill
Age at Report: 47
Burlington, IA
Des Moines County
January 13, 1994

Jodi Huisentruit
27 YOA
Mason City, IA
Case # 9508176
June 27, 1995

Kenneth Harker
34 YOA
Sioux City, IA
Presumed Deceased
October 3, 1996

John Johnson
Age at Report: 71
Des Moines
Missing Since:
December 11, 1996

Robert Bresson, 57
Why, AZ,
and Independence, IA
Missing Since:
January 14, 1997

Harold O. Doerring
Age at Report: 66
Decorah, IA
Winneshiek County
February 16, 1997

John S. Conaway
Age at Report: 36
Council Bluffs, IA
Case # 98-008374
Missing Since:
February 9, 1998

Crystal Sue Hunt
Age at Report: 21
Corydon, IA
Wayne County
Case # 9803225
February 24, 1998

Dennison
Stookesberry
56 YOA
Blakesburg, IA
Presumed Deceased
February 15, 1999

Greg Stover
44 YOA
Missing from:
Sioux City, IA
Woodbury County
March 8, 1999

Dennis Addlesberger
Age at Report: 46
Missing from Council Bluffs
Missing Since:
March 16, 1999

Cora Ann Okonski
Age at Report: 23
Missing From Tama
Tama County
Missing Since:
April 16, 2000 

Elizabeth Syperda
Age at Report: 22
East Madison St.
Mount Pleasant, IA
July 17, 2000

William Rogers
Age at Report: 46
North English, IA
Missing Since:
February 25, 2001

Bryan A. Howser
Age at Report: 33
Des Moines, IA
April 4, 2001

Crystal L. Steward
Age at Report: 11
Missing From: Burlington
Des Moines County
May 8, 2001

Riccardo R. Bowers
Age at Report: 44
Missing From:
Des Moines, IA
May 15, 2001

Peggy Ann Cottrell
Age at Report: 66
Marshalltown
Missing Since:
May 26, 2001

Erin Kay Pospisil
Age at Report: 15
Cedar Rapids
Missing Since:
June 3, 2001

Crystal Arensdorf
Age at Report: 20
Dubuque
Missing Since:
July 4, 2001

Melissa Dawn Hasley
Age at Report: 31
Des Moines
Missing Since:
October 18, 2002

Adrian Reuwsaat
69 YOA
Missing: Sioux City
Missing since:
November 3, 2002

Fabian E. Liendo
Age at Report: 26
Wapello, IA
Louisa County
May 20, 2003

Christopher Stewart
Age at Report: 36
Des Moines
Missing Since:
August 17, 2003

William Douglas, Sr.
Age at Report: 63
Missing from Clarke County
Case #: 0401918
February 4, 2004

Kevin Lee Griebel
Age at Report: 36
Maquoketa
Missing Since:
February 26, 2004

Clarence Cecil
Age at Report: 81
Davis County, IA
Missing Since:
June 5, 2004

L.C. Matlock
Age at Report: 37
Waterloo, IA
Missing Since:
July 5, 2004

Gregory J. Howell
Age at Report: 44
Fort Dodge
Missing Since:
January 1, 2005

Helen J. Kelly
83 YOA
Sioux City
Missing Since:
May 18, 2005

Breiton Ackerman
4 YOA
Orange City
Sioux County
May 22, 2005

Arthur Rascon
Age at Report: 72
Davenport
Missing Since:
July 25, 2005

Kyanja K. Vanwey
Age at Report: 18
Des Moines, IA
Missing Since:
September 14, 2005

Mohama Baba
Age at Report: 22
Case # 05055443
Council Bluffs, IA
December 3, 2005

Jeannie Hernandez
Age at Report: 20

Missing From:
Des Moines, IA
December 31, 2005

Linn A. Snyder
Age at Report: 44
Pottawattamie County
September 9, 2006

Joy L. McRoberts
Age at Report: 61
Atlantic, IA
Cass County, IA
December 1, 2006

Satanya Y. Wilson
Age at Report: 1
Davenport, IA
Scott County
August 12, 2007

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

Virgil L. Wilcox
Age at Report: 66
Hamilton County, IA
November 1, 2007

Benjamin Roseland
Age at Report: 19
Clinton, IA
February 9, 2008

Lee Allan Rolfe
Age at Report: 48
Garber, IA
Clayton County
April 13, 2008

Mary S. Keller
Age at Report: 54
Des Moines, IA
June 1, 2008

Michael J. Delaney
Age at Report: 49
Davenport, IA
Missing Since:
July 3, 2008

Shelli L. Rice
Age at Report: 42
Des Moines
December 10, 2008

Truong Ngoc
Age at Report: 69
Missing From Davenport
July 2, 2009

Mark E. Koster
Age at Report: 58
Missing From Sac City
Since July 4, 2009
Declared legally dead
October 10, 2011 

Larry Murillo
Age at Report: 25
Case # 09039818
Council Bluffs
November 28, 2009

Joshua Lyons
Age at Report: 16
Sioux City, IA
Woodbury County
December 5, 2009

Jeffrey Garnett
Age at Report: 16
Council Bluffs, IA
Case # 09-041480
December 15, 2009

Larry O. Martin
Age at Report: 44
Des Moines, IA
December 15, 2009

Emma R. Dowell
Age at Report: 9
Indianola, IA
January 1, 2010

Josie N. Dowell
Age at Report: 6
Indianola, IA
January 1, 2010

Sara M. Dowell
Age at Report: 2
Indianola, IA
January 1, 2010

Cecilio Garcia
Age at Report: 17
Missing From:
Council Bluffs, IA
Missing Since:
April 7, 2011

Dawn Allen
Age at Report: 50
Missing From:
Carroll, IA
Case # 11-4024
May 4, 2011

Jackie Douthart
Age at Report: 24
Missing From:
Mount Pleasant, IA
Henry County
May 22, 2011

Kaidena “Kay” Wood
72 YOA
2698 Hwy R-63
Norwalk, IA
Warren County
July 30, 2011

Tears J. Hiawia
Age at Report: 5
Missing From:
Cedar Rapids, IA
September 8, 2011

Eric R. Martinez
Age at Report: 7
Case # 11-041468
Council Bluffs, IA
September 27, 2011

Joel T. Martinez
Age at Report: 7
Case # 11-041486
Council Bluffs, IA
September 27, 2011

Niko J. Lilly
Age at Report: 15
Children’s Square USA
Council Bluffs, IA
November 4, 2011

Sherrie J. Floyd
Age at Report: 16
Lamoni, IA
Decatur County
November 21, 2011

Francisco Briceno-Rios
Age at Report: 14
Council Bluffs, IA
Case # 12-009311
March 12, 2012