Crystal Arensdorf
Age at Report: 21
DOB: February 1, 1980
Weight: 115 lbs.
Height: 5′ 06″
Eyes: Brown
Incident Type: Endangered / physical
Missing From: Dubuque, IA (Dubuque County)
Investigative Case #: 01-25185
NCIC #: M-901716452
Missing Since: July 4, 2001
Crystal Arensdorf of Dubuque, Iowa, was last seen at approximately 2:00 a.m. on July 4, 2001 at Knicker’s Saloon, 2186 Central Avenue in Dubuque. Arensdorf — a minor at the time of her visit to the bar — was there with friends and trying to get a ride to East Dubuque, Ill.
Steven and David Peacock — two former Dubuque brothers who resided in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin — were at the bar on July 4 and were questioned several times about Arensdorf’s disappearance. The brothers agreed to polygraph exams in April 2002 and authorities also seized and searched one of their vehicles. The brothers have never been charged in connection with Arensdorf’s case.
Robert F. Mootz, who was employed as a bartender at Knicker’s Saloon in 2001, pled guilty to serving alcohol to a minor in May 2002. Mootz told authorities he and Arensdorf planned to share a cab to East Dubuque after her friends departed from the bar. The plans apparently changed during the evening and Arensdorf did not leave with Mootz. He has not been charged in connection with her disappearance.
Arensdorf’s family members said it was uncharacteristic of Crystal to leave without warning, and offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to her whereabouts.
At the time of her disappearance, the 21-year-old was wearing blue-tinted soft contact lenses, a white polo shirt, tan shorts, sandals, a gold chain necklace with an opal pendant, an opal ring and a toe ring. She has a mole near her naval and her ears are double-pierced.
Authorities searched Leisure Lake in Jackson County, Iowa after a witness reported seeing a body floating in the water on July 16, 12 days after Arensdorf vanished. The sighting turned out to be a false alarm and no evidence was discovered at the scene.
Investigators also eliminated Arensdorf’s boyfriend, Tim Gerlieb, as a possible suspect in her disappearance in October 2001, three months after she was reported missing.
Dubuque police followed more than 550 leads, but have made no arrests in what they still consider a missing person case with a “high suspicion” of being criminal in nature. They do not believe she left of her own accord.
Arensdorf’s case remains unsolved.
UPDATE: The last week in June 2011, KCRG TV-9 talked exclusively with Crystal Arensdorf’s family. After hearing of the case, an anonymous business owner in Dubuque offered to put up a $10,000 dollar reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.
Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact Investigator Stan Ryan at 563-587-3813 or by email.
10 Years Later: Police and Family Continue Search for Crystal Arensdorf
KCRG-TV News Channel 9, Cedar Rapids, June 29, 2011
KCRG’s full interview with Crystal’s mom, Barb Beam
June 29, 2011
KCRG’s full interview with Crystal’s sister, Jen Puetsch
June 29, 2011
Dubuque in Dubuque County
Dubuque County in Iowa
Francis Rafferty
Homicide
Francis J. Rafferty
58 YOA
Dubuque, IA (Dubuque County)
Case # 64-00326
February 8, 1964
Shortly after midnight on Saturday, February 8, 1964, Gretta Rafferty returned home from work and found the body of her brother, Francis John Rafferty, 58, in the apartment they shared in Dubuque, Iowa. His hands, feet, and legs were bound with telephone wire ripped from the wall and his mouth and nose were covered with electrical tape. He had choked on regurgitated food and died of asphyxiation.
Homicide
Sherrie Lee Martin and
Victoria Lynne Martin
Dubuque, IA (Dubuque County)
Case # 65-00461
March 6, 1965
On March 6, 1965, Janet Martin and Donald Martin escaped from their burning house but were unable to save their two daughters, Sherrie Lee and Victoria Lynne. It was later determined that the house fire was deliberately set and deemed arson.
Kenneth Bouzard
Homicide:
Kenneth Marvin Bouzard
53 YOA
Case Number: 71-00481
Dubuque, Iowa (Dubuque County)
April 23, 1971
On Friday April 23, 1971, the badly battered and crushed body of Kenneth Bouzard was found beneath a boxcar on railroad tracks in Dubuque, Iowa. Police believed Bouzard had been assaulted and struck in the head with a piece of railroad equipment while sitting or lying near the tracks.
Jackie Shireman
Homicide:
Jackie Shireman
21 YOA
Marino’s Meal on a Bun
1296 Central Ave.
Dubuque, IA (Dubuque County)
January 4, 1975
On Saturday, Jan. 4, 1975, at approximately 7:45 p.m., a customer at Dubuque’s “Marino’s Meal on a Bun” found waitress Jackie Shireman lying in a pool of blood in the walk-in cooler. The 21-year-old newlywed and Sunday School teacher had been stabbed approximately 30 times with a pair of scissors. A trial returned no homicide conviction, and the case remains open.
Theodore Hoerstman
Missing Person:
Theodore Anthony Hoerstman
Missing From: Dubuque, IA (Dubuque County)
Age at Report: 45
Date Reported Missing: December 6, 1982
Theodore Hoerstman was reported missing to the Dubuque Police Department in Dubuque, Iowa, on December 6, 1982. Hoerstman is a disabled adult and has a 1-inch appendectomy scar and a scar on his right calf. The name “Sharon” is tattooed on his lower right arm.
Kenny Joe Johnson
Homicide:
Kenny Joe Johnson
14 YOA
Maus Park
Dubuque, IA (Dubuque County)
Home Residence: New Liberty, IA
Local Case # 87-21572
DCI Case # 87-05013
October 10, 1987
Around 9 a.m. on Oct. 10, 1987, an elderly fisherman discovered 14-year-old Kenny Joe Johnson’s body near a floodgate in Dubuque’s isolated Maus Park. He was rolled in a 5-foot-by-9-foot piece of yellow-orange nylon carpet that had been dumped at the park, and an autopsy revealed he had been strangled by hand and sexually assaulted.
Paul Knockel
Missing Person:
Paul Joseph Knockel
Age at Report: 53
Missing From: Dubuque, IA (Dubuque County)
Missing Since: November 26, 1990
Paul Knockel was last seen in Dubuque, Iowa on November 26, 1990, and has never been heard from again. When Knockel didn’t show up for Thanksgiving dinner, family members became concerned and went to check on him. They believe he may have been abducted at his home and murdered.
Crystal Arensdorf
Missing Person
Crystal Ann Arensdorf
Age at Report: 20
Missing From: Dubuque, IA (Dubuque County)
Missing Since: July 4, 2001
Crystal Arensdorf of Dubuque, Iowa, was last seen at approximately 2:00 a.m. on July 4, 2001 at Knicker’s Saloon, 2186 Central Avenue in Dubuque. Arensdorf — a minor at the time of her visit to the bar — was there with friends and trying to get a ride to East Dubuque, Illinois.
Missing Person
Amy K. Luce
Age at Report: 41
Weight: Unknown
Height: Unknown
Race: Asian or Pacific Islander
Hair: Unknown or Completely Bald
Eyes: Brown
Sex: Female
Incident Type: Endangered / Physical
Missing From: Dubuque, IA
Dubuque County
Missing Since: July 16, 2012
Amy Luce was reported missing to the Dubuque Police Department in Dubuque, Iowa, on July 16, 2012. She wears glasses. She may have been headed to Seattle, WA.
This list may not fully reflect all cases where rewards are currently being offered. If you are aware of a reward for information on a case not listed above (or a reward that has been withdrawn), please send details to jody@iowacoldcases.org.
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
BY ERA: Up through 1899 | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000 – present | Missing Persons
It’s been a busy week with the Iowa Cold Cases website, and 12 additional victims — all missing persons — now have pages up with case details.
When one mentions missing persons in Iowa, most people usually cite those with which they’re familiar: Jodi Huisentruit, Johnny Gosch, Eugene Martin. Here are some other names worth remembering. Click on the links for more information about each case.
Missing Person
Elizabeth Nicole Forshee-Syperda
Age at Report: 22
Missing From: Mount Pleasant, IA (Henry County)
Missing Since: July 17, 2000
Elizabeth Syperda was last seen by her roommate at their East Madison Street apartment in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, at 10:30 p.m. on July 17, 2000, when the roommate left to go to work. When the roommate returned at 4:00 a.m., Elizabeth was gone, though she did not have access to a car and all her personal belongings were left behind.
Missing Person
Crystal Ann Arensdorf
Age at Report: 20
Missing From: Dubuque, IA (Dubuque County)
Missing Since: July 4, 2001
Crystal Arensdorf of Dubuque, IA, was last seen at approx. 2 a.m. on July 4, 2001 at Knicker’s Saloon, 2186 Central Ave. in Dubuque. Arensdorf — a minor at the time of her visit to the bar — was there with friends and trying to get a ride to East Dubuque, Ill.
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. Few details are available in his case.
Missing Person
Clarence LeRoy Cecil
Age at Report: 81
Missing From: Davis County, IA
Missing Since: June 5, 2004
Clarence Cecil went fishing in Davis County, Iowa, on June 5, 2004, and was reported missing when he did not return. He has never been heard from again.
Missing Person:
Arthur Rascon
Age at Report: 72
Missing From: Davenport, IA (Scott County)
Missing Since: July 25, 2005
Arthur Rascon was reported missing to the Davenport Police Department on July 25, 2005. Few other details are available in his case.
Missing Person
William Francis Rogers
Age At Report: 46
Missing From: North English, IA (Iowa and Keokuk Counties)
Missing Since: February 25, 2001
William Rogers was last seen at his residence in North English, Iowa, during the evening hours of February 25, 2001. His home burned down during the night and he has never been heard from again.
Missing Person:
Peggy Ann Cottrell
Age at Report: 66
Missing From: Marshalltown, IA (Marshall County)
Missing Since: May 26, 2001
Peggy Ann Cottrell resided at the Southridge Nursing Home in Marshalltown, Iowa. A relative dropped her off at the facility at approximately 6:30 p.m. on May 26, 2001, and Cottrell was last seen running away from the home only minutes later. A fisherman discovered Cottrell’s purse along the banks of the Iowa River several weeks after she was reported missing.
Missing Person:
L.C. Matlock
Age at Report: 37
Missing From: Waterloo, IA (Black Hawk County)
Missing Since: July 5, 2004
On July 5, 2004, 37-year-old L.C. Matlock walked across the Mullen Avenue Bridge in Waterloo, Iowa, and was never seen nor heard from again.
Missing Person
Kevin Lee Griebel
Age at Report: 36
Missing From: Jackson County, IA (Maquoketa)
Missing Since: February 26, 2004
Kevin Griebel was last seen in Maquoketa, Iowa, and reported missing to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office on February 26, 2004.
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, Iowa. He has never been heard from again.
Missing Person
Beth Ann Ricketts
Age at Report: 31
Missing From: Des Moines, IA (Polk County)
Missing Since: 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.
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, Iowa.
If you have any information regarding the whereabout of any of these individuals, please contact the respective law enforcement agency.
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