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Warren County in Iowa
Norwalk in Warren CountyJanet A. LaFratte
Homicide
Janet LaFratte, 35, was reported missing to the Warren County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, June 20, 1973. LaFratte’s husband, Frank LaFratte, placed the call at 5:30 p.m. and stated his wife was missing from their home. The couple lived about 25 miles south of Des Moines and northwest of Churchville in rural Norwalk.
Sheriff’s deputies located Mrs. LaFratte’s body in a pond behind the couple’s home at 8 p.m. that same day.
Initially, Warren County Medical Examiner S. F. Yugend ruled LaFratte’s death an “apparent drowning,” and released little information to the public. An investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and the Warren County’s Sheriff’s Office, however, cited “mysterious circumstances” surrounding LaFratte’s death, and the DCI ruled her death an unsolved homicide.
When the DCI established a Cold Case Unit in 2009, Janet LaFratte’s murder was one of approximately 150 cases listed on the Cold Case Unit’s new website as those the DCI hoped to solve using latest advancements in DNA technology.
Although federal grant funding for the DCI Cold Case Unit was exhausted in December 2011, the DCI continues to assign agents to investigate cold cases as new leads develop or as technological advances allow for additional forensic testing of original evidence.
The DCI remains committed to the resolution of Iowa’s cold cases and will continue to work diligently with local law enforcement partners to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice for the victims and their families.
About Janet LaFratte
Janet Alvilda LaFratte was born in Jewell, Iowa, on March 2, 1938, to Sylvia Lucille Bentson and Jens Christian Christensen.
Janet had three sisters — Mary Anne Martin, Carol Carstens and Marjorie Jean Teig — and one brother, Stanley James Christensen.
Courtesy photo “FLH” at findagrave.com
She graduated from Jewell High School and married Franklin D. LaFratte on September 20, 1959. The couple lived in Des Moines and operated Motel 6-69. Janet earned awards for her work from the Iowa Motel Association and in 1966 Frank was named ‘Motel Operator of the Year’ by the group.
In October 1967, the couple adopted a boy they named Pat. In 1969, the LaFrattes sold their motel, and in 1970 adopted a daughter, Chris Ann, and moved to the farm where Janet would live only a few short years.
Janet was active in the Martsensdale St. Paul Lutheran Church, where she served as ALCW President. She also belonged to the American Legion Auxiliary Hawkeye Post 550 in Jewell.
Memorial services were held Saturday, June 23, 1973, at the Martensdale St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, with burial at Calvary Cemetery in Churchill.
Information Needed
If you have any information about Janet LaFratte’s unsolved death, please contact the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation at (515) 725-6010, email dciinfo@dps.state.ia.us, or contact the Warren County Sheriff’s Office at (515) 961-1122.
Sources:
- Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, December 13, 2009
- Warren County Sheriff’s Office
- Findagrave.com
- Social Security Death Index
- “Services Held for Janet Christensen LaFratte,” The Jewell Record, June 28, 1973
- “Police Probe Iowa Drowning,” The Des Moines Register, June 22, 1973
- “Jewell man died Saturday,” The Ames Daily Tribune, August 10, 1964
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Janet was my aunt, her husband Frank was my mom’s brother. The day Janet died, she had dropped off her children at Grandma’s just up the road. She told grandma that Frank needed her to help him in the field. Later that day she was found drowned in the pond. Interesting that the next day, we were all told by Frank that it was a suicide when in fact that was never the case!!!! Jean the woman he married 6 months later also told Frank’s children that Janet died by suicide. There were facts at the scene that without a doubt ruled out suicide.
There are only 2 ways to get to the house. You have to know exactly where you are going. Back in the 70’s it was all farmers, and you could literally count on both hands the number of farmers who had land around Churchville for a few miles in any direction.
In mid June, farmers should of been out in the fields. If you drive the route from the east or the south to their property, you see the road. You would notice a strange car, and definitely recognize a vehicle owned by anyone who lived around there. It was 1973, the DCI probably didn’t exactly canvas farmers. The other thing that’s never been brough up is where were the kids, and why. Janet was not the type to ever leave her children. Her family and church were the center of her life. Someone saw something strange, and has never come forward. There is no way a person could die as horribly as she did without someone seeing something, and the person responsible having some kind of connection to the family. It was not a random act. It had to have been planned, and whoever did it knew exactly what to do and when. I’m not a conspriacy nut, I don’t need a tin foil hat, Janet didn’t deserve to have someone take her life, and those kids never deserved the life they were stuck with after her death. Fifty years later, everyone who lived around there is dead, and sadly so is this case. As with all of these cold cases, someone got away with murder.
I agree with you and as for the dozens of other cases like this someone had to see something but never spoke up and like you said they are gone and dead and got away with an awful crime
Thank you.
I’m pretty sure no one in that area even knows this ever happened,
I’m not even sure if there are any of the original family descendants in the area anymore. To see a few people have commented over the years Is nice. I used to live around there, over the years one person came to mind, but is also long deceased. It’s pure speculation.
Hopefully they are in a special section of Hell wether connected to this tragedy or not.
I am a niece of Janet’s and was in high school at the time. Janet’s husband was my mom’s brother. We all believed as a family that he was the one responsible for her death. He was disowned from the family after her murder until the day he died. I remember the next day being told that she had committed suicide which was what Uncle Frank had told us!!!!!
Interesting
The day Janet died she had taken her children up the road to grandma’s house. She told grandma that Frank needed her to help in the field. She was found dead later that day.
I wish for compassion and and the truth as to this loss of life but I don’t wish bad to happen to anyone.
The evil killer will burn.
RIP
prayers to the family, so sorry for your loss.
Very sad. Breaks my heart.