Cara Veeder

Iowa Cold Cases Writer

Cara Veeder is a freelance writer, illustrator and graphic designer living in the capital city of Des Moines, Iowa. From her earliest years, Cara has found herself utterly fascinated with mysteries, puzzles, and the idea of solving the seemingly unsolvable.

As a young child, equipped with her ever-present notepad and trusty magnifying glass, Cara would often use her boundless imagination and deep-seated curiosity about the world to invent her own cases to investigate. She would create new alphabets and symbols, writing hidden messages and ‘secret codes’ in disappearing ink. She’d also frequently hide objects around her neighborhood, which would then transform into important ‘clues’ to discover — shards of colored glass became stolen emeralds and diamonds, the bones of a Thanksgiving turkey were remnants of an ancient unknown species, and an old rusty key could unlock the heavy bolted door of a magic castle.

Cara has faithfully carried with her this same love of exploration and discovery throughout her life. She has over the years developed a uniquely unconventional way of viewing the world, honing a keen ability to understand human nature, a stubborn refusal to have her ideas bound by limited possibilities, an insatiable thirst for learning new things and seeking new answers, and a strong desire to question everything and assume nothing.

Cara’s lifelong penchant for creative endeavors and self-expression ultimately led her to pursue a dual education in visual art and writing. She attended Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 1998, where she studied Art History, Film History, Multimedia Design, Animation, and Photography, before returning in 2000 to her beloved hometown of Des Moines. In 2003, Cara graduated with a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Graphic Design from Drake University. She also has a minor in Journalism, including studies in the fields of News Writing and Communications Law and Ethics.

After working for several years as a freelance designer at a local publishing corporation, Cara made the decision to explore another of her major interests, Forensic Criminology. Since 2008, she has pursued additional education in fields such as Psychology, Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Behavioral Studies.

Cara joined the Iowa Cold Cases team in May of 2015, and continues to attend classes in Criminology and Psychology. She also enjoys indulging in her self-taught studies of true crime, criminal history, forensic sciences, philosophy, biology, human behavior, criminal investigation, creative writing and journalism.

She shares her small studio apartment/office with countless stacks of research books and articles, piles of spiral-bound case notes, and a 2-pound orange bunny named Pancake.

Contact Cara

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