Yes, it was a fictitious series. Stories about cold cases. Cases being solved within a one-hour time slot every week. And though there can never truly be a “happy ending” to any murder — solved or not — these are endings to some of my favorite episodes. They make one feel “hopeful.” Strangely enough, I’d never watched a single episode until after I started my initial series of Iowa cold case articles. If you’ve seen the show, you know why I got hooked.
They are listed below in order of the Season and Episode number. My personal favorites: “Honour” (S3E08); “The Red & the Blue” (S4E11); “Frank’s Best” (S3E10); “Ghost of my Child” (S5E18); “The Promise” (S3E02); “Maternal Instincts” (S1E21); and “Discretion” (S2E10) … one of the best endings — ever — captured toward the very end in a split-second expression on a young man’s face. Watch for it. Enjoy.
Jody
“Churchgoing People” — Cold Case End — S1E04
(Madonna: Live to Tell)
“Fly Away” — Cold Case End — S1E08
(DJ Sammy, Yanou & Do: Heaven)
“Glued” — Cold Case End — S1E12
(Genesis: Follow You Follow Me)
“Resolutions” — Cold Case End — S1E18
(Jewel: Hands)
“Maternal Instincts” — Cold Case End — S1E21
(The Bangles: Etneral Flame)
“The Plan” — Cold Case End — S1E22
(Aimee Mann: Wise Up)
“Daniela” — Cold Case End — S2E03
(David Gates: Goodbye Girl)
“The Sleepover” — Cold Case End — S2E06
(Edie Brickell: Circle) — Could not find copy without captions.
“It’s Raining Men” — Cold Case End — S2E07
(Sheriff: When I’m With You)
“Discretion” — Cold Case End — S2E10
(Travis: Why Does it Always Rain on Me)
“Ravaged” — Cold Case End — S2E18
(Bruce Springsteen: Secret Garden)
“Best Friends” — Cold Case End — S2E22
Music by Michael A. Levine, Composer
“The Promise” — Cold Case End — S3E02
(Sarah McLachlan: Fallen)
“Honour” — Cold Case End — S3E08
(Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind)
“Frank’s Best” — Cold Case End — S3E10
(The Calling: Wherever You Will Go)
“One Night” — Cold Case End — S3E16
(Lifehouse: You and Me)
“Joseph” — Cold Case End — S3E23
(Howie Day: Collide)
“Saving Sammy” — Cold Case End — S4E05
(Coldplay: In My Place)
“Static” — Cold Case End — S4E06
(Alexa: Scarlet Rose)
“The Key” — Cold Case End — S4E07
(Anne Murray: Broken Hearted Me)
“Lonely Hearts” — Cold Case End — S4E09
(Heart: Alone)
“Forever Blue” — Cold Case End — S4E10
(The Byrds: My Back Pages)
“The Red & the Blue” — Cold Case End — S4E11
(Tim McGraw: I’ve Got Friends That Do)
“Blackout” — Cold Case End — S4E13
(Goo Goo Dolls: Name)
“Shuffle, Ball Change” — Cold Case End — S4E17
(Foreigner: I Want to Know What Love Is)
“A Dollar a Dream” — Cold Case End — S4E18
(Sarah McLachlan: Angel)
“The Good Death” — Cold Case End — S4E23
(Paul Westerberg: Good Day)
“Boy Crazy” — Cold Case End — S5E09
(Michael Levine; Brenda Lee: Everybody Loves Me But You)
“Ghost of my Child” — Cold Case End — S5E18
(Nickelback: Far Away)
“Shore Leave” — Cold Case End — S6E05
(The O’Neill Brothers: Taps)
Marc J. Allen
Marc James Warren Allen
Age at Report: 13
DOB: May 13, 1972
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Weight: 85 lbs.
Height: 5’00″
Case Type: Endangered Missing
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
Polk County
NCIC #: M-190867573
NCMEC #: NCMC1053047
Missing Since: March 29, 1986
On March 29, 1986 — the day before Easter — Marc James-Warren Allen became the third Des Moines, Iowa paperboy to vanish without a trace. Johnny Gosch, 12, of West Des Moines disappeared September 5, 1982. Thirteen-year-old Eugene Martin vanished from Des Moines’ south side just two years later on August 12, 1984, under very similar circumstances.
Then, not quite two years later, 13-year-old Marc Allen told his mother he planned to walk to a friend’s house down the street but never arrived at the neighbor’s home and hasn’t been seen since.
Courtesy photo WHO-TV Channel 13Nearly three decades later, all three boys’ cases remain unsolved.
Marc’s mother, Nancy Allen, admitted her son had been a handful; the teen had been shifted back and forth between her Iowa residence and his father’s Minnesota home most of his young life and he’d often get into trouble. But in a week normally filled with family get-togethers, shopping and holiday activities, Nancy took time to speak with WHO-TV Channel 13′s Aaron Brilbeck about what it has been like waiting so many years for answers and wondering about the fate of a young son who never quite seemed to fit in.
“It was hard because he had been living with dad for a while and then came back and lived with me, and [his] younger brother and older sister were real close and he wanted to be in there. In tight,” she said.
Courtesy photo WHO-TVThey never got the chance for that to happen.
The night before Easter in 1986, the teen left his southwest Emma Avenue home to hang out with friends and perhaps take in a movie just as his siblings prepared for a pizza dinner.
“He walked out the door and the kids were getting ready to have pizza and I’ll never forget it as long as I live,” Allen told Brilbeck. “The last thing he said to me as he walked out the door was ‘Save me some pizza, Mom. I’ll be hungry when I get home.’”
Nancy watched her son walk down the sidewalk, past the bushes, and then he was gone.
Courtesy photo WHO-TV“He waved when he got to the bushes and I waved at him and that was that and I never saw him again,” his mother said.
The next morning when Nancy realized Marc hadn’t come home the night before, she knew immediately something wasn’t right but hoped against hope he’d prove her wrong.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children released this age-enhanced photo of what Marc Allen might look like today.“It was Easter Sunday so I thought maybe he went to Grandma’s knowing Grandma would have an Easter basket there for each of the kids. So I asked my mom but he wasn’t there,” she said. “I had phone numbers for his friends. Called all of them. No one had seen him.”
Allen said she called police, but they told her they couldn’t do anything for 48 hours. Days turned into months.
Police checked in Minnesota where Marc’s father lived, and in Connecticut where the boy’s paternal grandmother lived. Nothing.
Allen told Brilbeck she didn’t know whether her son’s disappearance was linked to the disappearances of Johnny Gosch and Eugene Martin, but said police seemed reluctant to help her because of the other missing teens.
“I just feel like, at this time, they were just afraid of …afraid of what would happen with the Eugene Martin and Gosch thing. I got the distinct feeling that they did not want parents to be frightened to let their children sell newspapers or do different things,” she said.
The Des Moines Police Department’s Sgt. Jeff Edwards disagrees.
Courtesy photo WHO-TV, Des Moines“I know detectives followed up on leads that did not pan out,” Edwards told Brilbeck in a separate interview for the story WHO-TV aired Thanksgiving Day 2010. “They were not able to locate him. He’s still listed as a missing person.”
Marc’s mother said she doesn’t know whether her son is alive or dead, but that after 25 years she’d like to know for sure so she — and her son — can find peace.
“There are times when the news says they’ve found a body and they’re not sure yet how old it is but they’re pretty sure it’s male,” said Nancy. “And in one instant you hold your breath and bite your fingernails and hope that it’s not your child. And in other ways you wish they would come out and say that it is your child — so you can finally bury them and go to rest.”
WHO-TV Channel 13′s Aaron Brilbeck reports on the unsolved March 29, 1986 disappearance of 13-year-old Des Moines paperboy Marc James Warren Allen. November 25, 2010
Marc Allen was last seen wearing a light blue t-shirt, blue jean shorts, white socks and gray tennis shoes with velcro tabs. He has a small scar on the top of his head, and his first name might be spelled “Mark” by some agencies involving missing children and persons.
To date, there is no definitive evidence connecting Marc Allen’s case to that of Johnny Gosch or Eugene Martin.
If you have any information concerning Marc Allen’s disappearance, please contact the Des Moines Police Department at 515-283-4811 or Iowa Cold Cases via our Contact form or Anonymous Tip Form.
Iowa cold cases in the news, stories and tributes, and the WHO-TV “Iowa Cold Case” series. The Channel 13/ICC series videos are most often embedded within a victim’s case summary page. Many other videos below link to YouTube.
The story behind an arrest in Iowa cold case: Mary Jayne Jones
3:04 | November 14, 2012
From KCCI Channel 8 Des Moines
Robert Pilcher held on 1 Million Dollar Bond
Police look for mystery man in basement skeleton case: Mark Koster
2:20 | November 9, 2012
From KCCI Channel 8 Des Moines
Will new reward crack Iowa cold case?
1:55 | August 23, 2012
From KCCI Channel 8: FBI say solving Tammy Zywicki’s murder remains a priority.
Iowa Cold Case: Evelyn Miller, 7 years later
2:25 | July 1, 2012
KWWL TV Channel 7 reports on the 7-year anniversary of 5-year-old Evelyn Miller’s unsolved murder.
One Year Later: Dexter Meeks
2:58 | June 26, 2012
KCRG-TV Channel 9 reports on the one-year anniversary of Dexter Meek’s unsolved homicide.
Villisca Ax Murders, 100 Years Later
3:56 | June 10, 2012
KCRG TV-9 reports on the century-old crime that claimed 8 Iowans, including 6 children.
Villisca Ax Murder House Tour — 100th Anniversary
10:21 | June 10, 2012
KCRG TV-9 reports on the 100th anniversary of 8 Iowans slain in Villisca.
Breiton Ackerman: Father Talks About Son’s Disappearance
2:46 | May 21, 2012
Brad Ackerman talks to the Sioux City Journal about his missing son.
Iowa Cold Cases Land in Spotlight
2:46 | May 10, 2012
KWWL Channel 7 Waterloo reports on the number of Iowa cold cases landing in the spotlight after one man’s confession.
Man Confesses to 31-year-old Double Homicide
1:25 | May 10, 2012
From KCRG TV-9: Jack Pursel confesses to 1981 Waterloo double slaying of Robert and Goldie Huntbach.
Ashley Okland Murder Investigation
2:53 | April 2012
ABC5News reports on the one-year anniversary of West Des Moines real estate agent Ashley Okland’s murder.
Human Remains Found West of Mount Pleasant, IA
1:53 | March 19, 2012
KCRG TV-9 Cedar Rapids reports on the human remains found west of Mount Pleasant in March 2012.
Iowa Family Wants Closure In Son’s Murder Case
2:29 | January 27, 2012
KETV Channel 7 reports on the unsolved March 2007 murder of Bob Hatcher.
UNSOLVED MURDER: Family offers $25,000 reward for 2003 cold case
2:28 | November 3, 2011
From WHO-TV Channel 13 Des Moines
10 Years Later: Police and Family Continue Search for Crystal Arensdorf
3:26 | June 29, 2011
From KCRG-TV News Channel 9 in Cedar Rapids.
A Mother Talks About Her Daughter
9:57 | June 29, 2011
KCRG-TV’s full interview with Crystal Arensdorf’s mom, Barb Beam.
A Sister Talks About Her Sister
16:11 | June 29, 2011
KCRG-TV’s full interview with Crystal Arensdorf’s sister, Jen Puetsch.
Dexter Lashun Meeks Shot and Killed
2:21 | June 27, 2011
KCRG TV-9 Cedar Rapids report on the shooting death of Dexter “Big Ham” Meeks.
Aubrey Young Unsolved Murder — Three Years Cold
0:55 | June 15, 2011
KCRG-TV Channel 9 in Cedar Rapids reports on the third anniversary of Aubrey Young’s unsolved homicide.
Cold Case Arrest in Angela Hennes Murder Case
2:03 | June 8, 2011
Authorities announced they have charged Chad Michael Lee Welsh, 33, with Angela Hennes’ murder.
Parents Want Answers in 2-Year-Old Murder Case
2:30 | May 11, 2011
KCCI’s Angie Hunt reports on the two-year anniversary of Jared Parks’ unsolved murder.
Melisa Gregory and Steven Fisher
4:51 | May 6, 2011
Channel 13′s Aaron Brilbeck reports on the unsolved Copper Dollar Ranch double homicide.
America’s Missing: Johnny Gosch, 12
March 2, 2011
CNN’s Nancy Grace: America’s Missing features the case of missing Des Moines paperboy Johnny Gosch.
Jodi Huisentruit: Nancy Grace – America’s Missing
February 22, 2011
CNN’s Nancy Grace features the case of missing Mason City anchorwoman Jodi Huisentruit.
WHOtv Iowa Cold Case: Cecil Gaddy
4:29 | February 4, 2011
Channel 13′s Aaron Brilbeck reports on the mystery – and the questions – that surround Cecil Gaddy’s death.
WHOtv Iowa Cold Case: Bobbi Crawford
4:19 | January 27, 2011
Roberta “Bobbi” Crawford was a fireball. The single mom raised her son, loved racquetball, skydiving, being a grandmother.
WHOtv Iowa Cold Case: Kimberly Ratliff
3:01 | January 6, 2011
Parents have no answers after their daughter was killed 12 years ago.
WHOtv Iowa Cold Case: Unidentified White Male
2:28 | December 9, 2010
An unidentified body found in 2005 in the Des Moines River leaves police baffled.
WHOtv Iowa Cold Case: Thaddeus Mitchell
4:06 | December 2, 2010
Aaron Brilbeck reports on the Roaring 20s and the unsolved December 7, 1922 murder of Thaddeus Mitchell.
WHOtv Iowa Cold Case: Marc James Warren Allen
3:44 | November 25, 2010
Aaron Brilbeck reports on the third Des Moines paperboy to go missing.
WHOtv Iowa Cold Case: Hazel Reimann
3:27 | November 18, 2010
Eighty-seven-year-old Hazel Reimann broke six fingers trying to fight off her attacker.
WHOtv Iowa Cold Case: Johnny Gosch
The Des Moines Paperboy’s 41st Birthday
6:30 | November 11, 2010
Aaron Brilbeck talks with Noreen Gosch about her son.
WHOtv Iowa Cold Case: Unidentified White Male
3:16 | November 4, 2010
Officials hope to identify a man by his many tattoos. Aaron Brilbeck reports.
WHOtv Iowa Cold Case: Marvin Brandland
4:19 | October 29, 2010
Cold Case: 28 Years After Trick or Treat Murder, Killer is Still Free
WHOtv Iowa Cold Case: Paul Knockel
3:53 | October 7, 2010
A man — and his car — vanish along Highway 151. More than two decades later, both are still missing.
WHOtv Iowa Cold Case: John Wayne Jeffery
3:25 | September 23, 2010
A Des Moines man is gunned down while sitting in his car in a parking lot of an east side bar. His family wants answers.
WHOtv Iowa Cold Case: Maureen Brubaker Farley
4:30 | September 16, 2010
It’s been four decades since a young bride moved from Sioux City to Cedar Rapids and was later found in a wooded ravine.
KCRG-TV Ch. 9: Rodricus Echols Jones
2:10 | September 13, 2010
A fatal shooting in Waterloo is prompting people to speak out about what they call dangerous establishments.
WHOtv Iowa Cold Case: Martha “Marty” Erickson
3:34 | September 9, 2010
She was a protected baby sister and one whom recovering drug addicts leaned on for help. Aaron Brilbeck reports.
WHOtv Iowa Cold Case: Greg Howell
4:30 | September 2, 2010
No arrests and no suspects in the 2005 disappearance and suspected death of a Fort Dodge man.
WHOtv Iowa Cold Case: Phil Terrell
3:53 | August 26, 2010
A family’s pain has lasted for years as the murder of their father remains unsolved.
WHOtv Iowa Cold Case: Julie Bell Davis
3:03 | August 19, 2010
A 33-year-old wife and mother of two brutally slain inside the office building where she worked.
WHOtv Iowa Cold Case: “Big Earl” Hamilton
3:20 | August 5, 2010
14 years worth of unanswered questions in the death of a popular nightclub owner.
WHOtv Iowa Cold Case: Earl Thelander
5:00 | July 29, 2010
Copper thieves claimed a good man’s life over less than $20 worth of metal stolen to sell for scrap.
WHOtv Iowa Cold Case: Frank Goff
3:25 | July 22, 2010
A father of two is killed after walking through the door of his parents’ home. Was his own brother responsible?
WHOtv Iowa Cold Case: Lisa McCuddin
4:41 | July 15, 2010
A young mother of two is shot while riding in a vehicle headed toward a Fort Dodge motel.
WHOtv Iowa Cold Case: Eugene Martin
5:26 | July 8, 2010
Two years after Johnny Gosch disappears, a second Des Moines paperboy disappears without a trace.
WHOtv Iowa Cold Case: Evelyn Miller
3:37 | July 1, 2010
The five-year anniversary of 5-year-old Evelyn Miller’s murder passes without an arrest.
Cold Cases: Gone But Not Forgotten, Part II
DNA Helps Uncover Cold Cases
4:08 | March 3, 2010
KCRG-TV 9, Cedar Rapids
Cold Cases: Gone But Not Forgotten, Part I
4:06 | March 2, 2010
A Visit with Iowa Cold Cases’ Ms. Bowers
KCRG-TV 9, Cedar Rapids
30 Years Later: Michelle Martinko Murder Still Unsolved
0:20 | December 20, 2009
KCRG-TV 9, Cedar Rapids
A report on the 30th anniversary of Michelle’s murder.
In Search of Kenny’s Killer
Kenny Joe Johnson
3:00 | September 15, 2009
Dubuque Telegraph Herald
Cedar Falls Police Taking Second Look at Cold Case
The Dennis Clougherty Unsolved Murder
0:30 | August 12, 2009
KCRG-TV Channel 9
Cold Case: Evelyn Miller
4:31 | July 22, 2009
Nancy Grace Producer Alexis Weed updates us on the 2005 murder case of 5-year-old Evelyn Miller
The Unsolved Evelyn Miller Murder Investigation:
4 Years Later
3:28 | July 1, 2009
KCRG-TV Channel 9, Cedar Rapids
Shooting Investigation: Dominique Mosby
2:02 | June 26, 2009
KCRG TV-9 Cedar Rapids reports on the shooting of 22-year-old Dominique Mosby.
Texas Slaying Victim From 1983 is Iowa Teen
0:28 | March 29, 2009
KCRG-TV Channel 9
Report on Bambi Lynn Dick
Benjamin Roseland – Missing from Clinton, IA
3:56 | October 24, 2008
A Plea from Ben’s Family
Courtesy YouTube
Channel 4 reports on the Iowa Cold Cases website
2:29 | June 9, 2008
KTIV-TV Channel 4, Sioux City
Founder adds own stepfather.
Remembering Earl Thelander
2:25 | May 10, 2008
KTIV-TV Channel 4 News, Sioux City
Family remembers father, grandfather.
Earl Thelander Family Offers Reward in Copper Theft Killing
2:50 | January 6, 2008
KTIV-TV News Channel 4, Sioux City
Case remains unsolved.
Copper Theft Explosion Claims Iowa Man
1:47 | October 12, 2007
KETV Channel 7, Omaha
A son speaks out.
Copper Thieves Steal Lives — Before & After
Video Sent to Iowa Legislature in Support of HSB 660
3:32 | 2007
Compiled by Jody Ewing
Jodi Huisentruit
Unsolved Mysteries, Part I
2:41
Courtesy YouTube
Jodi Huisentruit
Unsolved Mysteries, Part II
2:41
Courtesy YouTube
Cold Case Victim’s Mom Has Renewed Hope
The Steven Fisher/Melisa Gregory Double Homicide
1:48 | January 20, 2007
KCCI-TV, Des Moines
“Villisca” on “Catherine Crier Live” on CourtTV
6:01 | November 21, 2006
Catherine Crier interviews “Villisca” director Kelly Rundle and historian Dr. Edgar Epperly.
Evelyn Miller — A Life too Short
A slideshow tribute by Evelyn’s paternal grandparents
5:03
Courtesy YouTube
Casey Frederiksen Speaks Out
The Evelyn Miller Murder Investigation
3:18 | September 15, 2005
KCRG-TV Channel 9, Cedar Rapids
MSNBC/CNN/CBS News/Mixed Media Clips
Is Jeff Gannon connected to missing paperboy Johnny Gosch?
13:25 | From 2005
View in QuickTime | View in Windows Media
Evelyn’s Birthday
Searching for a 5-year-old’s Killer
2:13 | August 22, 2005
KCRG-TV Channel 9, Cedar Rapids
The Search for Evelyn
A Floyd, IA, Girl is Missing
1:27 | July 3, 2005
KCRG-TV Channel 9, Cedar Rapids
The Story of Evelyn Miller
4:05
Courtesy YouTube
A tragic death.
Noreen Gosch Interview – Part 1 of 12
Noreen talks about her missing son, paperboy Johnny Gosch.
9:59 | Courtesy YouTube
More Noreen Gosch Interview videos here
Double Homicide: Robert & Goldie Huntbach, Waterloo, IA
1:06 | January 12, 1981
Original newscast by KCRG TV-9 reporting the Jan. 12, 1981 double murder of Robert Huntbach, 85, and his wife Goldie, 77.
Five-year-old Evelyn Miller was reported missing in the early morning hours of July 1, 2005, from a Floyd, Iowa, apartment where she lived with her mother, Noel Miller, two brothers, and her mother’s fiancé, Casey Frederiksen. Five days after she went missing, a recreational kayaker found Evelyn’s body in the Cedar River about 2 miles from her home.
KWWL TV reports on the 7-year anniversary of 5-year-old Evelyn Miller’s unsolved murder in Floyd, Iowa. Air Date: July 1, 2012.
Six Years Later, Investigators Say Floyd County Girl’s Death Still Active
July 3, 2011 | KCRG TV
The Unsolved Evelyn Miller Murder Investigation:
4 Years Later – KCRG-TV Channel 9: July 1, 2009
Frederiksen Speaks Out
KCRG-TV Channel 9: Sept. 15, 2005
Evelyn’s Birthday
KCRG-TV Channel 9: August 22, 2005
The Search for Evelyn
KCRG-TV Channel 9: July 3, 2005
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3U51n9Aq3w&feature=player_embedded
The Story of Evelyn Miller (Please note: the June 1, 2005 date
referenced in video is incorrect. Correct date is July 1, 2005.)
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFZskne5CtQ&feature=player_embedded
Evelyn Miller — A Life too Short
A slideshow tribute by Evelyn’s paternal grandparents
News reports and interviews regarding the unsolved disappearance of Des Moines paperboy Johnny Gosch.
Also See: The Johnny Gosch page on Iowa Cold Cases and Johnny Gosch Photos.
Noreen Gosch on 30th Anniversary of Johnny Gosch’s Disappearance — Des Moines Register, September 4, 2012
CNN Nancy Grace America’s Missing special on Johnny Gosch kidnapping
broadcast on March 2, 2011, Part 1 of 3
CNN Nancy Grace America’s Missing special on Johnny Gosch kidnapping
broadcast on March 2, 2011, Part 2 of 3
httpv://youtu.be/h5qspZ8fOa4
CNN Nancy Grace America’s Missing special on Johnny Gosch kidnapping
broadcast on March 2, 2011, Part 3 of 3
Johnny Gosch’s 41st Birthday. Channel 13′s Aaron Brilbeck talks with Noreen Gosch
about what she believes happened to her son. November 11, 2010
MSNBC/CNN/CBS News/Mixed Media Clips with
reports on Jeff Gannon (aka James Guckert) and his
possible connection to Johnny Gosch. From 2005
View in QuickTime | View in Windows Media
New Evidence in Johnny Gosch Case
Three mysterious photos appeared at the front door of Noreen Gosch
on August 27, 2006.
MSNBC: Is Jeff Gannon Johnny Gosch? (Part I)
Johnny’s mother Noreen Gosch and online investigator Andy
Stephenson discuss the similarities.
MSNBC: Is Jeff Gannon Johnny Gosch? (Part II) Jeff Gannon Speaks
Out: “I am not Johnny Gosch and am willing to take a DNA test.”
(Gannon never did take the test.) April 22, 2005
Johnny Gosch on Geraldo at Large — September 2006
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