Clinton County in Iowa
Clinton County in Iowa
 
Goose Lake in Clinton CountyGoose Lake in Clinton County

Judith I. Reed

Homicide

Judith I. Reed
38 YOA
Crime Location: Goose Lake, IA
Death Location: Charlotte, IA
Clinton County
December 27, 1974

 
Judith Reed, 38, was engaged in an altercation outside the Welcome Inn tavern in Goose Lake, Iowa, on Thursday, December 26, 1974, at which time she was struck in the head. She was found dead in a friend’s home the following morning.

Reed and another woman at the tavern had become combative the previous evening before bar owner Ismel Pacho asked them to leave. The women’s argument continued outside, and at some point Reed was hit in the head with an unknown object.

Reed had been staying in Charlotte, Iowa, four and one-half miles west of Goose Lake, with friends Norma and Robert Haines and was able to make it to their home that evening before complaining of a headache and going to bed. The Haines found Reed unresponsive the next morning just after 8 a.m. and contacted authorities.

Clinton County coroner J.J. Young pronounced Reed dead at the scene and said the head injury led to her death.

Investigators involved in Judith Reed’s death included the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Reed’s death remains unsolved.

About Judith Reed

Judith I. Reed was born in Indiana on July 26, 1936. She was the mother of two sons and two daughters, and a sibling to three brothers and three sisters.

Judith Reed gravestoneCourtesy photo Michael Kearney, findagrave.com
Judith Reed is buried at Rossiter Cemetery in Charlotte, Iowa, in Clinton County.

Memorial services were held December 30, 1974 at Charlotte Immanuel Lutheran Church, with burial following at Rossiter Cemetery in Charlotte.

Information Needed

If you have any information regarding Judith Reed’s unsolved murder, please contact the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office at (563) 242-6595 or 1-888-883-8015.

Sources:
  • U.S. Social Security Death Index
  • Judith I. Reed (1936 – 1974) Find a Grave Memorial
  • “Lack of Candor In Murder Investigation Is Disturbing,” The Clinton Herald, April 17, 1975
  • “Police probe Charlotte woman’s death,” The Waterloo Courier, December 29, 1974
  • “Charlotte Woman Dead After Fight Near Bar,” The Clinton Herald, December 28, 1974

 

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3 Responses to Judith Reed

  1. C says:
    May 16, 2017 at 11:38 am

    sounds pretty simple to me. question the person that hit her. duh

    Reply
  2. Denise says:
    December 29, 2013 at 4:56 pm

    My mom was friends of Judy. She told me what happened that night. She gave the name if the other person. Said she was told Judy was hit in the head with either a 6 or 12 pack of beer.

    Reply
    • LakeLife says:
      May 29, 2021 at 10:39 am

      Please have your mom contact the police if she knows who did it.
      This way there can be some justice done & a case closed.
      Very sad & tragic as I doubt this other women knows she killed Judith or even wanted to kill her.
      However, justice needs to be done.
      Praying!

      Reply

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