Solved

On March 11, 2015, in , by Jody Ewing

SOLVED / CLOSED / CLEARED BY EXCEPTIONAL MEANS The cases listed below represent Iowa cold cases where arrests have been made since we first began tracking the state’s unsolved cases in December 2005. It includes cases where suspects have been convicted or acquitted, cases solved by exceptional means, and cases currently making their way through […]

A Family Responds to Arrest in Mary Jayne Jones Cold Case

On November 30, 2012, in Guest Blogs, The Families, Young Women, by Jody Ewing

Courtesy photo Des Moines Register Mary Jayne Jones Late last week, I received an e-mail from Judith Cabanillas — one of two sisters of Iowa Cold Case victim Mary Jayne Jones. Judith wrote to thank us for including her sister on our site, and said she and her family “were in shock” when they learned […]

Black Friday for Families of Cold Case Victims

On November 23, 2012, in Anniversaries, The Families, Young Women, by Jody Ewing

To most people, Thanksgiving — as well as the big Black Friday shopping day that follows — is simply a welcome holiday and an opportunity to get great savings on big-ticket items or Christmas gifts. Offspring living in distant states or countries will often travel thousands of miles to celebrate the weekend-long occasion with parents […]

Mary Jayne Jones

On February 23, 2011, in , by Jody Ewing

Mary Jayne Jones Homicide — SOLVED Mary Jayne Jones 17 YOA Blakesburg, IA / Ottumwa, IA Wapello County Case Number: 74-00243 April 9, 1974   Mary Jayne Jones, 17, of Ottumwa, Iowa, was found slain in a farmhouse near Blakesburg, Iowa, on Tuesday, April 9, 1974. She had been sexually assaulted and shot once in […]

Ottumwa

On November 24, 2010, in , by Jody Ewing

Cold Cases in Ottumwa, Iowa         Homicide James Lewis Chamberlain 41 YOA Beneath Wabash Railroad Trestle Ottumwa, Iowa Wapello County May 25, 1893 On Thursday, May 25, 1893, James Chamberlain, a carpenter who lived on Ottumwa’s south side, was struck by a blow to the head and found lying in mud and […]

Blakesburg

On November 24, 2010, in , by Jody Ewing

Cold Cases in Blakesburg, Iowa         Undetermined Robert Lee Ruby 54 YOA Bidwell Coal Mine Blakesburg, IA Wapello County January 11, 1936 Robert Ruby, a 54-year-old Blakesburg miner, fell 87 feet to his death on Saturday, January 11, 1936, down the shaft of the Bidwell Fuel Co. mine on the Henry Oswalt […]

Wapello County

On November 13, 2010, in , by Jody Ewing

Cold Cases in Wapello County, Iowa *Please Note: The cases listed below are within Wapello 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 James Lewis Chamberlain 41 YOA Beneath Wabash Railroad Trestle Ottumwa, […]

Homicides – 1970s

On October 12, 2010, in , by Jody Ewing

The Cases – Homicides (1970 – 1979) BY ERA: Up through 1899 | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000 – present | Missing Persons The cases below include unsolved Iowa homicides from 1970 – 1979, and are listed in chronological […]