Maureen Brubaker Farley
Fifty years after 17-year-old Maureen Brubaker-Farley’s body was found in a ravine on Ely Road SW, Cedar Rapids investigators have closed the case.
George Merlin Smith (obituary photo)
Through investigation and DNA technology, the Cedar Rapids Police Department Cold Case Unit identified and confirmed George M. Smith as the suspect in the homicide cold case, police said in a news release on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021.
The case will be closed with no prosecution because Smith died in 2013 at the age of 94, police said.
“No matter how much time has passed, our officers are committed to seeking out justice for all victims of violent crime as well as their families,” Police Chief Wayne Jerman said in a statement. “I am extremely proud of the generations of Cedar Rapids Officers that contributed to bringing this once cold case to a resolution.”
Jerman said the current Cold Case Unit includes investigator Matt Denlinger, retired DCI Special Agent JD Smith and retired CRPD Police Lieutenant Ken Washburn.
Read the full story at The Gazette
On Friday, September 24, 1971, two young boys out hunting discovered a woman’s body atop the trunk lid of an abandoned car in a wooded ravine off Ely Road near Cedar Rapids’ southwest edge. The victim was 17-year-old Maureen Brubaker Farley, a newly married woman not much older than the boys who found her.
The Linn County medical examiner ruled Farley had been dead no less than 48 hours and no more than 96 hours, and said death was caused by a “massive blow” to the right side of her head, causing a basal skull fracture.
Farley had last been seen alive at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, September 17.
RECENT NEWS
Feb. 20, 2019: DISAPPEARANCE/MURDERS OF FIVE CEDAR RAPIDS TEENS STILL UNSOLVED — by Bob James, KHAK.com. After the Dec. 19, 2018 arrest of Jerry Lynn Burns of Manchester for the murder of 18-year-old Michelle Martinko, Bob James explores the murders and/or disappearances of five other teenage girls from Cedar Rapids that remain unsolved… part of a lengthy list of Iowa Cold Cases in Cedar Rapids.
Sept. 14, 2018: from NBCNews.com COLD CASE SPOTLIGHT: Family of Maureen Brubaker Farley looking [for] answers on 47th anniversary of her murder — In recent years, Investigator Denlinger says police have been able to use the DNA collected at the scene to create a DNA profile of the suspect. He also told Dateline the Cold Case Unit has been collecting DNA samples from people who knew Maureen at the time. Full Story
‘We’re not giving up’ on cold cases: Retired investigators continue work on Cedar Rapids cases — The Cedar Rapids Gazette visits with retired Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation agent J.D. Smith and retired Cedar Rapids police Capt. Jeff Mellgren, who make up the Cedar Rapids Police Department’s cold case unit.
COLD CASE: IOWA’S UNSOLVED MURDERS — The Sioux City Journal visits with Maureen Brubaker Farley’s family about the teen’s unsolved 1971 murder.
Maureen’s family members have created a new Facebook page — “Remembering Maureen Brubaker Farley” — on Facebook. Please take time to visit Maureen’s FB page and share any favorite memories you might have, or take part in discussions about her unsolved murder. A special thanks to Richard Ueding-Lox for getting Maureen’s FB page up and running!
Who was this Maureen Farley, and who would have wanted such a young, beautiful woman dead?
Courtesy photo Lisa SchenzelAs the eldest of seven siblings, Maureen Brubaker would babysit for her six younger siblings whenever their parents, David and Mary Ann Brubaker of Sioux City, Iowa, decided to go out. David and Mary Ann knew what a challenge the job could be, but always told the children they’d make it worth their while if they were good for big sister Maureen.
The children knew what kind of reward each would receive in exchange for minding Maureen — 10 cents apiece — and in the late 1960s, 10 cents could go a long way. They’d be able to purchase an extra-large bag of popcorn at the dime store, or even a pack of candy cigarettes, where the powdered sugar would blow off the minty sticks just like real smoke.
The money could be put back and saved, too, to buy a Hula Hoop, paper dolls or coloring books, or even a model airplane kit.
They couldn’t help but get into a few skirmishes now and then, but their big sister always came through for them; when their parents returned home, Maureen would bestow lavish praise on all of them for having minded every word she said, and they’d all be given a dime apiece to save or spend as they liked.
In 1971 after Maureen married, her siblings cried when she told them she needed to move to Cedar Rapids for a while. Her husband, David Farley, had gotten into some trouble and been ordered to serve a brief stint in Anamosa’s correctional facility; she wanted to live somewhere close enough to visit him.
Cedar Rapids — clear across the state from Sioux City — may as well have been a continent away to Maureen’s two younger sisters and four brothers. Still, they knew she’d be back. She loved them all, and her parents, too much to stay away for very long.
Once in Cedar Rapids, Maureen rented a sleeping room at 522 Tenth St. SE and got a waitressing position at Weida’s Restaurant, located at 836 First Ave. NE.
Courtesy photo Lisa SchenzelShe sent photos back to her family, telling them how much she missed them and that she’d see them soon. Phone calls were costly, but she called whenever she could.
Early on Friday, September 17, 1971, she borrowed money for a pack of cigarettes, knowing her paycheck from Weida’s would be ready for her later that day.
She never arrived to pick up her check.
On Monday, September 20, when the usually reliable Farley still hadn’t arrived for work by 10:30 a.m., her employer reported her as missing.
In Farley’s sleeping room, officials found the partial pack of cigarettes. At the residence’s rear, they found Farley’s car – its gas tank full.
The young woman, however, was nowhere to be seen.
On Friday, September 24, Kevin Coppess, 15, of 2357 Blakely Blvd. SE, and Danny Lineweaver, 14, of 2350 Blakely Blvd. SE, gathered their rifles to go hunting. Sometime between 5 and 5:30 p.m., they’d just crossed the river on the railroad trestle and were headed up Ely road when they saw a junk car in the ravine. They hadn’t noticed it from the road due to the trees and other foliage.
Lying across the trunk, with one leg propped up and the body lying against the rear window on its back, they saw what they believed to be a woman sleeping. The lady wore clothes, but no shoes.
Thinking no more of it and not wanting to disturb the person, they continued on down the road to hunt. After eventually approaching Highway 30 — too close to the road to hunt — they turned back.
Courtesy Lisa SchenzelUpon returning to the junk car, the boys decided to take a better look. The woman was still in the same position as when they’d seen her earlier. Only when they got closer did they notice the discoloration in her body.
Frightened, they began running down the road. They briefly considered stopping at a nearby tavern to get help, but then thought better of that idea; they were carrying guns, and possibly would get into trouble.
Instead, they recrossed the railroad trestle and headed to Lineweaver’s home, where they told his mother, Violet Fowler, they had found a body.
Fowler, who apparently did not believe them at first, asked the boys to take her to the place where they said they’d found the victim. At approximately 6:40 p.m., two-tenths of a mile south of the River Road intersection on Ely Road SW, Mrs. Fowler also saw what appeared to be a woman sleeping atop a car in a ravine.
Mrs. Fowler took the boys and went to the Milo Skvor farm residence nearby, where she telephoned police.
After officials secured the scene, Maureen Farley’s body was removed and taken to a local hospital for an autopsy. Investigators initially theorized the young woman may have been thrown from a passing vehicle and crashed through heavy vegetation onto the car’s trunk, but didn’t rule out the possibility she’d been carefully placed there.
On Monday, September 27, Cedar Rapids police issued a public plea for anyone with information on Farley’s death to come forward and report what they might know.
In a Cedar Rapids Gazette article dated September 29, 1971, Assistant Cedar Rapids Police Chief Kenneth Vanous said officials believed Mrs. Farley’s death occurred at a place other than where the boys discovered her body. Vanous said investigators were particularly interested in Farley’s actions from Sept. 17 – the day she was last seen alive – through Sept. 22.
Courtesy photo Craig BrubakerVanous said the girl may have been incapacitated in some way during the time she was missing or at least out of the city. Hoping someone might have seen her somewhere and know something, he described her as five feet tall and very slim, weighing about 100 pounds, having long brown hair and a light complexion.
Had she been in town or capable, he said, she would have picked up her paycheck because she needed the money.
The assistant chief said there was no indication of “defense wounds,” which would be evident if a struggle occurred or Farley been given an opportunity to fight off her attacker or attackers. Farley’s clothing, he said, were somewhat in disarray, but not torn. The blunt trauma to the side of her head pointed to a surprise attack that caught the newly married woman off guard.
In the Gazette’s Sept. 29 article, Vanous said several items were missing from the victim’s Tenth street SE sleeping room, and that officials were “very interested” in finding them.
“Our investigation has revealed she never went anywhere without her purse, which is one of the items missing,” Vanous told Gazette reporter Gary Peterson. “It contained a driver’s license altered to show she was 21 years old, usual make-up articles, rent receipts, miscellaneous family pictures, a picture of a marine in uniform, social security card, and a green order pad which she carried to make notes.”
Courtesy photo Lisa SchenzelThe purse contained a leather wallet with red velvet lining; Farley’s husband David had made it for her at the reformatory.
Vanous described the purse as a brown vinyl bag with two straps and side pockets. It also had a red velvet lining, Vanous said.
Vanous said when the body was found, the only article of clothing missing was the victim’s shoes. Her feet — which were clean when found — indicated she hadn’t been going barefooted when she died, he said.
Vanous cited several pairs of Farley’s shoes that also were missing, though it was unknown what pair she’d been wearing when she disappeared.
“The shoes we think are missing are a pair of yellow patent leather dress shoes, white work shoes, brown sandals and brown moccasins,” Vanous told the Gazette.
The assistant police chief made it clear that if anyone found any of the missing items, they were to report to police where the items were found and when.
Farley’s autopsy showed no signs of alcohol in her blood, and officials were left wondering what had happened since the morning she’d borrowed just enough money to purchase cigarettes.
Over the years, numerous suspects were questioned, interrogated, given lie detector tests, and eventually cleared.
Courtesy photo WHO-TV, Des MoinesIn September 2010, as the 39th anniversary of Maureen Brubaker Farley’s death approached, WHO-TV Channel 13’s Aaron Brilbeck traveled to Sioux City, Iowa, to meet with Maureen’s family and talk about what happened and where they felt the investigation might be headed.
Maureen’s mother, Mary Ann Brubaker, said Maureen was their first born child, born July 4.
“Everybody said she’ll be a firecracker and be born on July 4, and she was, and she always was a firecracker,” Mrs. Brubaker said. “She was just special, and always wanted to grow up so fast.”
The family recalled getting the phone call from police, and broke into tears as they told Brilbeck the story.
“She just said ‘David, David, they found Maureen and she’s dead,'” Mrs. Brubaker said of the phone call taken by her late husband, who passed away in 2002. “And David said ‘No No No!’ and he kept walking the floor and saying ‘No No No.'”
Courtesy photo WHO-TV“That really hurt. I always looked up to my sister and wanted to be like her,” said Maureen’s sister, Angie Via.
Maureen’s then-husband David Farley, who’d returned to Sioux City following his release from Anamosa, joined the Brubaker family for the WHO-TV interview and said he remembers Maureen as always being happy.
“I don’t ever remember her arguing or getting mad,” he said.
Though answers to many questions still elude the family, there is one thing they find comforting, albeit in a quite unusual way; the killer placed Maureen’s body atop the car rather than leaving her in the dirt where she may not have been found for months.
“Maybe that was kind of their way of saying they were sorry by placing her somewhere where they figured that, out in the open, she would be found,” said Maureen’s other sister, Lisa Schenzel, who spent 13 years in law enforcement working as both a police officer and deputy sheriff.
Courtesy photo WHO-TVCraig Brubaker – one of Maureen’s four brothers – wondered what it would be like to have his sister here today.
“I think she probably would be pretty much the same way and I kind of wonder what kind of nieces and nephews ….” he said, before breaking up. And then “… it’s been a long time.”
DNA testing in 2009 produced no new clues for investigators, said Brilbeck, but officials said they planned to review the case again before year’s end.
Following Brilbeck’s story, which aired Sept. 16, 2010 on WHO-TV Channel 13, the Brubaker family offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Maureen’s killer.
More importantly, they said, is finding out what happened.
Maureen Ann Brubaker was born Sunday, July 4, 1954 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Sioux City, Iowa, to Mary Ann (Meyer) and David Roland Brubaker, weighing in at six pounds and 11 ounces.
Courtesy photo WHO-TVIn addition to her parents, Maureen was survived by her husband, David Farley; two sisters, Angela and Lisa; and four brothers, David, Craig, Robin, and Scott.
Maureen’s father passed away in January 2002 without ever learning what happened to his daughter.
Maureen’s brother David passed away in May 2009.
All three are buried in the Calvary Cemetery in Sioux City.
Maureen’s sister, Lisa Schenzel, has never given up on finding answers — including her pursuit of justice for other victims and families — and continues to work in the law enforcement career field.
If you have any information about Maureen Brubaker Farley’s unsolved murder please contact Cedar Rapids Police Department Investigator Matt Denlinger at (319) 286-5442 or email M.Denlinger@cedar-rapids.org.
WHO-TV Channel 13’s Aaron Brilbeck talks with the Brubaker family about Maureen’s murder. Sept. 16, 2010
Just came across this case. I was rightfully suspicious as to why such a paucity of pictures of this rapist and murderer. Another Killer Koon. Just how many even live in Iowa??
did anyone read that murderers obituary, should not of even been linked. dont want to give a killer any type of recognition thats anyway positive. hope he rots in hell
Maureen Brubaker Farley’s murder was solved and the suspect George M. Smith of Cedar Rapids was identified through dna but he will not be brought to justice because he died back in 2013.
they should dig him up and desecrate his body for the public to see. deserves to be disrespected even in death
CRPD announced today that they’ve closed this case. The man who murdered Maureen died in 2013 but he’d been one of their main suspects from the start. He knew her from the diner. It was solved with DNA technology.
https://www.kcrg.com/2021/10/05/cedar-rapids-police-close-homicide-cold-case-1971/
I saw this news too. Luckily the Farley family has a little bit of closure. I can’t help but wonder how George M. Smith’s family feels and if they knew he was a suspect all those years.
He knew her from the diner. I would be nice if we knew more about his background. It might provide a possible motive for her murder. He was in his early 50’s, when she was murdered.
From what I read he was a known suspect, whether or not his family and friends knew that is unknown. I’m just kind of curious if the family of George M. Smith are nodding in agreement or if they are more defensive and thinking he is innocent until proven guilty? When a police department closes a case like this is there any 3rd party review of their evidence?
https://www.broshchapel.com/obituary/5356293
According to the new this case was finally solved thanks to DNA.
Investigators linked and confirmed one suspect, George M. Smith, that had died in 2013 at the age of 94.
Smith had been identified as an acquaintance of Brubaker-Farley’s from the diner she worked at, had gone to police multiple times to inquire about the progress of the investigation, and worked at a liquor store near her apartment.
He was interviewed in 1971 and declined a polygraph test but never charged.
Sarah, your comment about him going to the police and inquiring about the investigation, reminded me of something in the book ‘Mindhunter’, by FBI Special Agent John Douglas. He was one of the leading FBI criminal profilers.
He mentioned consulting on various cases, and that the offender might be the one who interjects himself into the investigation. So, a criminal profiler might have been able to take notice of that. Mr. Smith might have have caught sooner if this had been brought up.
It also makes you wonder if Maureen’s murder was the only one he committed or were there others? He sexually assaulted her and then must’ve redressed her and washed her feet before placing her body on the car trunk. She was not wearing shoes when she was found, so did he keep the shoes as a trophy? I’d definitely be looking into other unsolved cases in the areas where he lived, see if any of them have similar M.O.’s.
Kind of makes me wonder about the Paula Jean Oberbroeckling case from a year prior to Maureen’s.
Paula Oberbroeckling was murdered at 810 5th Street S.E. on July 11, 1970. This was a prostitute’s place of residence. If you ask the question……why were Paula’s hands tied together? I would quess that Paul’s hands were tied together to prevent Paula from leaving the prostitutes’s house at 810 5th Street S.E.
Paula’s autopsy shows that her toes could have been broken. I would quess that Paula broke her toes by kicking a person who was trying to rape her. This person then killed Paula by smothering her to death with a pillow.
Was that the place they called Big Lulu’s? Wasn’t it somehow connected to the murder of US Marshal Dick McKinney in 1972?
Case solved through DNA and ancestry.com
George Smith did it. News will break soon.
Heads up. Don’t trust the mods especially Trish on Webslueths. She spends donations on herself. From former members it is referred to as “Jonestown”. Trish goes to the Casino. She also splits the money with her mod pals.
Hi there. I stumbled across this article and found myself unable to stop thinking about it. Some things in the comments stood out to me. I have a question, not necessarily about Maureen, but victims like her in general. How often do you suppose people post on these sites claiming to be someone else? I think that would be torture for the family. I’m sorry you’ve had to endure this. Also, often times a murderer will revisit the site of a crime. These websites are obviously necessary and provide valuable resources for capturing those involved. However, I wonder if culprits of a crime ever visit these sites as a means of revisiting the crime, trying to throw an investigation off track, or some other sick purpose. In which case, have those who have commented ever had their identities and/or motivations confirmed. I realize I’m making a very intense suggestion here and apologize if I’ve overstepped any line. However, I think I speak for everybody here, it’s never a waste to exhaust every Avenue.
Margaret, some killers might revisit the scene of the crime. However, at that time period stuff was not well know.
The criminal profiling we know about today, was not something known to LE. I suggest reading the book ‘Mindhunter’ by John Douglas.
I would think the crime scene today, would be handled much better then it was. Also, hopefully the clothing being in a disarray, or whether she had shoes on or not would be better defined.
I would hope that the initial officer and others who arrived at the scene, properly documented the condition of the body, clothing, that they observed. It might differ from what the two boys seem to remember.
It’s important for initial officer to document what he or she observed upon arrival. The same for the investigators, when they arrive.
I wonder if pictures were ever taken, as we would expect today.
But, again thanks for your questions. It might trigger something someone to remember that might provide a clue.
As a former detective with the Veterans Administration Police, I am frustrated that LE may have lost or misplaced stuff connected with this case. However, LE sometimes holds back some details. However, after all these years why would they not share it to possibly generate some leads.
However, from different comments, there is some confusion on what was the condition of her body when she was found. Shoes or no shoes, dress torn or not torn. So it forces us to look in the wrong direction.
A minor thought here….. did I read that in her apartment they found her partial pack of ciggerett …..As a smoker I don’t leave home alone or with someone with out grabbing my ciggerett s ….
Could she have been killed at home …
That might account for no shoes on …
I have read the cold case files of Maureen Farley, Naomi Wilson, and Paula Oberbroeckling. They all took place in the same area of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I have found some connections between these cases. The landlord renting to Maureen Farley also owned the house where Paula Oberbroeckling was raped and murdered at.
Murder Mystery Reader, thank you for your research. It looks you were using some of us learned in school, the 3R’s, history and geography.
In my research of cold cases, I look at the location on maps. I used to drive and navigate a submarine, so using maps is a regular tool in my research. So, what you hinting at a connection with the landlord in these cases.
In this day and age is easy to go online and find records, and notice a possible connection between incidents, such as location, day of the week, time frame, age of the victims, etc.
It might be just a coincidence, but something to look into. Since, it might provide the needed tidbit, to break these cases, wide open.
I have been researching a cold case of Theresa Fusco, (16), from Lynbrook, New York. It is located on Long Island. Theresa disappeared Nov. 10, 1984, and was found murdered. A Kelly Morrissey, (15), disappeared in June 1984, from the same town. They are identified as friends, however, their is no mention how they were friends. They went to separate high schools.
I was actually trying to get a list of 10 people most likely responsible for Maureen Farley death like Stan Weeber did in his article called “A Preliminary Analysis of the Paula Oberbroeckling Case”. This article came up with a list of 11 people who might be responsible for Paula Oberbroeckling’s death based on geography and their personal relationship to Paula. So geography is definitely being looked at in compiling the list of possible suspects for Maureen Farley’s murder. Some people might think the same person(s) might have killed both Maureen and Paula, so that angle is being looked at. These people think both Maureen’s and Paula’s deaths were due to rapes/murders. Both of their bodies were dumped into ravines extremely close to the Cedar River, in an extremely bad smelly area of Cedar Rapids. Both went missing on a Friday night.
So many yrs gone by – making it harder – hope there’s closure
I have corresponded with someone that knows Maureen, and knows of a possible suspect, this case will be on my FALL 2016 list to research and study, for my college PHD degree. I will be posting extensive information about the case soon, I did go to visit cedar rapids for the case study a few months ago, such a nice place with nice people! Jennifer J. Bland
If she had no shoes there are only two reasons 1) the killer removed them so she wouldn’t run away or 2) she was killed at home.
Where the body was found suggests she was thrown from a moving vehicle.
She was killed by an outlier friend. Where she was found suggests this outlier friend knew the area.
Blunt force trauma suggests he wanted to subdue her quickly, knocking her out.
The missing shoes are trophies. . .IMHO.
IMHO, there was physical evidence of her killer at her domicile, and that is what is going to break this case.
I was born in 71 my mom is the same age Maureen would have been
What a strange case. With no known enemies and her purse missing it sounds like a robbery. Even though there was nothing to take in her purse.
That’s sad. We were living in Marion then.
Shared
Thanks so much for sharing, Penny!
Is Maureen's husband alive? If so, where does he live now? Thank You.
Who did she borrow the money from?
Someone from that area.
Someone very familiar with that local area, from the work, to the apartment to the hunting area where she was found. The case hasn't been too overbearing with news or media and no one has been labeled a suspect, so he probably is there.
Someone from around that apartment area, in a man who lived in the apartmetn, owned the apartment, did work for the apartment, that she had acquainted with, perhaps someone she felt as a new or old friend-
Another theory is that Maureen's feet were tired and she had taken off her shoes, and was walking to get her paycheck. She encountered this man and he picked her up and gave her a ride. I would say that with no visable defense wounds that she did know the killer-or
Lived as kids Dana and her killer, in which he dumped her at a local similar hunting area in Bella Vista, Arkansas.
Maureen not having anyshoe s in small towns in NW Arkansas s on means she could have known the killer and was at his house/apartment (usually within about 5 miles of each other), and he became violent and hit her to knock her out (and didn't even know who he hit or why) and took the body as if it were not Maureen (and that she now was an enemy) and placed her where she was found. She could have been walking and he picked her up, and she either took her shoes off or she didn't have them on this was in September the weather could have been nice that day, is there a pond or water nearby, maybe where they went walking? *Read the Dana L. Stidham (google name) for a similar case (very consistent) with this victim, and her age. Dana's killer is known (a local classmate-area resident lived as kid
Jennifer, her feet were clean. These two cases don’t sound similar at all. Maureen died in Iowa. Do you think a guy who killed his classmate in Arkansas would travel to Iowa to kill Maureen? That makes no sense. Neither does the comment about not knowing who he hit, why he hit, and that she was the enemy. I would find pain in reading these musings if I were a family member. Remember, her family reads this.
I am going to research this case, as a criminal profiler and locate the killer, it may take me several weeks, but I'm going to attempt it and try it for Maureen Brubaker Farley. *I have some free time over the next few months with winter months arriving soon, so this will be added to my list of cold cases to "solve" and anyone who'd like to email me (jenniferjbland@yahoo.com) Remembering Dana L. Stidham "friend" "victim" 1989 Bella Vista, Arkansas (case is solved) waiting for more evidence to take to court trial.
Of all the cold case stories Aaron Brilbeck (WHOTV, Channel 13, Des Moines) did with the Cold Case Thursdays series, this one with Maureen’s family remains one of the most poignant. No matter how many times I’ve viewed it — her mother’s sense of joy about her oldest child and the deep loss she still feels today — it still gets to me every time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1&v=hur9muJ5_aI
My heart goes to this family, she knows how much you all love her, I’m sure she is smiling down on all of you. May justice come for all of you one day.
Heart breaking….pray they can solve this for the family to have peace.
I pray for justice.
There's the windup. Here's the pitch. Another birthday gone by and all we can do is think of you and the "what if's" your life hadn't been cut so short. Another year of watching mom get into a "crazy" mode the week before your birthday and she don't even realize it, but her heart misses you. Her maternal instinct kicks in. I still have hope that someday, someone will answer for what they did to you. Til then sister, I love you. I miss you. Happy birthday and I hope you have a beautiful day!! (P.S. Say hi to Dad, Davey and all the family.)
Thank you Jody for keeping up the cause!!!
ALL this talk about the trucker and the boss and the hubby and the kids and mom etc… Honestly if a man was able to get into someone elses home only a few months later OF COURSE you NEED to Question this dont you think ???>:[
Or what about this male resident of her apartment building who apparently had no trouble trespassing in the apartment of a different woman in the same building? From February 1973 (17 months after Maureen went missing):
Thompson Sentenced On Trespass Count
Richard Thompson, 45, of 522 Tenth street SE, was sentenced to 30 days in the Linn county jail Monday on a charge of criminal trespassing.
Justice of the Peace Glenn Powers, who issued the warrant
for Thompson’s arrest, suspended 23 days of the sentence.
Thompson was charged with trespassing at the residence oi
Serena Wilhelm, a resident of an apartment building at the
same address, on Sunday. He was arrested Monday night.
Thank you Jody for remembering her. We sure do. Friday when I was out for my walk, I was doing a little meditating and thanked her for being one of my guardian angels. I always feel like she watches over me. I never give up hope they catch the person(s) responsible. I know there is someone(s) out there that could solve this!!!
Hi there. I stumbled across this article and found myself unable to stop thinking about it. Some things in the comments stood out to me. I have a question, not necessarily about Maureen, but victims like her in general. How often do you suppose people post on these sites claiming to be someone else? I think that would be torture for the family. I’m sorry you’ve had to endure this. Also, often times a murderer will revisit the site of a crime. These websites are obviously necessary and provide valuable resources for capturing those involved. However, I wonder if culprits of a crime ever visit these sites as a means of revisiting the crime, trying to throw an investigation off track, or some other sick purpose. In which case, have those who have commented ever had their identities and/or motivations confirmed. I realize I’m making a very intense suggestion here and apologize if I’ve overstepped any line. However, I think I speak for everybody here, it’s never a waste to exhaust every Avenue.
Quite a few murders happened during that time period,,anything in common between them? Where was her husband?
Thank you Lisa for posting your thoughts and feelings about the terrible loss of your sister. Four long decades is a lot of time for your Mom to reflect on her daughter’s still unsolved case and I can ONLY IMAGINE that she and your family DO get very upset around the anniversary date. It took a lot for you to post this and we respectfully hope you and yours get through this difficult holiday today. You are right, Independence Day should not be celebrated with sadness. We are forever sorry for your loss.
This case stays open with law enforcement and in the minds of many, many people until it is solved!! Anyone with information may feel free to come forward, even anonymously; Jody Ewing wrote and posted this case summary about Maureen.-With Love and Hope, Kerry at Iowa Cold Cases
You know, it’s been 42 years ago and yet we STILL mourn her loss. Our mom, although she may not even recognize it herself, starts getting all worked up this same time every year and it was only about 5 years ago that I realized why. Because children shouldn’t die so young and without a choice. I’ll never forget my sister and I’ll never give up hope that someday they’ll catch the coward(s) responsible for leaving a big, fat hole in our hearts and causing just a little sadness for us EVERY 4th of July!!
OK. Is the semen still available? Then it can be tested for Y-STRs. If one looks at ysearch.org, one can learn how the last name of almost any north american caucasian perp can be ascertained by testing of the 64 STR markers on the Y chromosome. This is how I was personally able to prove that my biological first cousin was, in fact, descended from my late uncle (thanks to a male third cousin graciously donating his DNA to prove a common male ancestor).
There is no excuse whatsoever in this day and age for law enforcement to continue to ignore this tremendous asset to society.
If Iowa Cold Cases wants to contact me, I am personally willing to put up $1,000 toward testing the DNA on the victim, for Y-STR testing, provided that #1 I get to choose the laboratory, #2, I get to choose the points tested for, and #3 I am personally provided with the STR values so that I can run my own database searches since I don’t trust LE to do it properly.
I personally ran comparison values between my two cousins, so I am hardly talking out of my arse here.
Andreas,
Thank you for your comments! I appreciate your time and interest in Maureen’s case. Since I have no experience in this area I looked up a company online (KKNFA) who does have experience in that area and contacted them about your claims. This was their response to your comments. The comment is only partly true; mostly false. The testing we do is for living people, not old DNA from a crime scene. There is no chain of custody for our genetic genealogy testing, so the test results have no legal standing. The results in Ysearch are developed from genealogical driven STR’s not CODIS markers, so you can’t identify specific individuals via a Ysearch match. I could go on, but I don’t think you need to concern yourself with the testing described.
Forensic specialists (with a police department, not genealogists) need to test crime scene evidence containing DNA, if available, and the results compared against the CODIS database maintained by the FBI. No effort should be spent using genetic genealogy testing. By the way, genetic genealogy testing of STRs can be obtained for under $200 and as little as $49; no where near $1,000, but it’s of no use for a police investigation.
Here is a website on Facebook dedicated to Maureen: https://www.facebook.com/#!/RememberingMaureenBrubakerFarley
My uncle David was Maureen’s husband. Here is what I know about the case though my investigation. They hung with a shady crowd and a lot of those individuals use come from Sioux City to visit her. But there was there were also individuals in the Cedar Rapids area of concern. I heard the owner of the restaurant was infatuated with Maureen and did not corporate with the police. The police also recover semen from Maureen and there were no matches in the national data base. The police also question one of my other uncles and his wife. The also took DNA from him, which was not a match.
I also have some confusing issues with the police department in Sioux City and Cedar Rapids.
1. In Cedar Rapids there was an officer that was found guilty of planting evidence against his superior officer and this was one of the cases.
2. In the mid 80’s my uncle David received a call from the Sioux City police department saying that Maureen’s purse was turned into the police department. My uncle went down there to see it. The told him it was evidence in the case and he could not see it. They no longer have the purse or any record of it.
3. In this article it states that all the shoes that were missing. Who did they get there info from? All of her family and friends were in Sioux City. She lived in a city where she knew no one or very few people. If there was someone in Cedar Rapids that knew all the shoes missing that is a concern for me. If something happened to my wife I could not tell you every shoe that was missing.
4. Maureen wrote my uncle 3 or 4 letters a day. There came a point when the prison told her that she could only write one a day. My uncle saved all the letters. He gave them to the Cedar Rapids police department. They know nothing of them and can no longer be located.
5. This is not a problem but the lead detective on this case also told me that they have evidence that there may have been more than one person involved.
I am not sure what happened to Maureen. Personally I think it was someone who knew her, if it was her boss or one of her shady friends from Sioux City. Whoever is responsible I would like to see them pay for their crime. On a personal note my uncle David turned his life around after that. For a long time he ran a nonprofit boxing gym. He helped keep a lot of youth out of trouble and off the streets, including myself. I was only the second person in my family to graduate from college and boxed one opening matches on a PPV.
That video just breaks my heart. Cold cases always bother me the worst because there is so little chance of getting answers; these loved ones are basically in limbo, not able to move on because there is no justice for their loved one or answers to all the “Why” questions we all have. I hope they do get their answers someday and that Maureen can find some peace.
Thanks to *all* of you for your comments and your dedication to trying to help solve Maureen’s murder. She was indeed a very special young woman who left behind a great many family members and friends who loved her deeply and still await answers. Questions are always a good thing. Investigators try to explore every possible angle or scenario, and each one begins with a question.
Thank you, too (to everyone), for keeping the discussion here civil. Kim has provided some thoughtful insights, and I also appreciate Kevin’s comments as to what he remembers. Sometimes, even years later, one little detail can make a whole lot of difference. It’s all helpful to law enforcement officials who are still working to help solve this case.
I’ve updated the “Information Needed” section in Maureen’s summary and provided names (and contact info) for the two individuals who now head up the Cedar Rapids Police Dept.’s ‘Cold Case Unit.’ Jeff Mellgren retired as a Captain with the CRPD, and J.D. Smith is a former Special Agent with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. The two may have “retired” from their previous positions, but they’ve never given up on trying to solve many of these crimes. Both now work exclusively on unsolved homicides. They may be reached by calling (319) 286-2645, or you may e-mail them with anything you feel might be relevant in Maureen’s case.
Email Capt. Mellgren at: j.mellgren@cedar-rapids.org
Email SA J.D. Smith at: J.Smith2@cedar-rapids.org
They’re looking for answers to questions, too. They read every e-mail, and chances are good you’ll hear back from one of them.
Thanks again to all!
Jody
Also Kevin, if you go back and re-read through your previous statements, along with the facts mentioned in the case profile written by Jody Ewing, the ICC founder, there’s a lot of inconsistencies. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to discredit you or badger you, but this does raise questions in my mind.
For instance, Jody’s summary states that Maureen was not wearing shoes and her clothing was not torn, just disarrayed. On 2/18/2012, you state that when you found Maureen, her clothing was torn. On 3/4/2012, you state she had white work shoes or tennis shoes on when found, reiterating that statement on 2/23/2013 that she would’ve had white work shoes on, as disco didn’t come in until a year later (stating this to someone who asked what kind of shoes she had missing). On 7/10/2012, you state that it was Danny who went down into the ravine and came back up and said she had shoes on, not you, that you had stayed up at the top of the road. So who actually noticed if she was wearing shoes, you or Danny, and if you had stayed up on the roadway, how could you tell her clothing was torn? According to Jody’s summary, the abandoned car Maureen was found on wasn’t visible from the roadway due to the heavy foilage.
In reference to the red car, on 4/19/2012 is the first mention you make of it, saying it drove up, passed you, stopped a moment, then took off. You also say on 7/10/2012 that it drove past you and Danny very slowly, the driver had red hair, and it stopped about 50 feet from you boys, watched you for a moment, then took off. On 2/25/2013, you say the car was actually parked on the roadway and when you and Danny walked towards it, it took off. Then also on 2/25/2013, you state the car drove past you, stopped 100 feet away, the driver looked at you two, then when you approached, he took off. There’s a big difference between a car being parked on a road and a car driving past, there’s also a difference between 50 feet distance and 100 feet distance.
On 2/25/2013, you also state that you heard the red car had been spotted in the restaurant parking lot or out on the avenue in front of the restaurant a couple of weeks before Maureen’s death. Was this actual fact or heresay? In the newspaper articles I’ve found about the case, there’s no mention of a red car being involved/being seen in the vicinity of the restaurant and surely the cops would publicize that information in hopes that someone would recognize the car and call. On March 3 and 4 of 2012, you say that when you found her body, the police told you that she had last been seen with a trucker. I find it hard to believe that police would reveal to a teenage boy at a crime scene that the victim had been seen with a trucker, that’s usually information they’d keep close to the vest.
You keep stating you were shaken up, which I imagine you were, but usually when we’ve gone through a traumatic and frightening situation like that, our recall of the event is often a fragmented jumble. I’ve been through scary situations myself, including some when I was about the age you were when you found Maureen, and in the 30+ years since those incidents, I cannot recall with any great clarity the exact details of the situation, minute by minute, all I can recall is fragments of what I experienced. Again, I’m not in any way trying to discredit you or diminish what you went through, I’m just questioning the inconsistencies in the many statements you’ve made on the site. And I’ll hush up now, I’m sure people are getting sick of hearing me babble on.
Nope, you just wrote exactly what I was thinking. I am wondering if this is really Kevin, or just someone pretending to be him. This is the internet, folks, we don’t really know who is behind the keyboard.
So why assume that Danny or Danny’s mom told the police about the red car, why not tell them yourself, just to make sure they have the information? Plus, how did you hear about the red car supposedly being spotted in the parking lot of the restaurant or on the avenue outside the restaurant in the weeks before Maureen’s death? Was it a fact in the case that was public knowledge or was it just a rumor?
I honestly can’t help but wonder how important you really think this information about the car is to the case if you’ve backpedaled and are now saying that it’s possible they were already told about it by Danny or Danny’s mom, it seems as if you’re trying to kind of deflect or duck away from your comments for some reason. If you think it’s a major key to this case, then man up and tell the cops about it, I’ve given you the anonymous tipline. I can understand if you’re worried about retribution, but heck, you’ve already pretty much revealed everything you know about the case on this site, plus the newspaper articles surrounding this case can be found online, so you’re not exactly anonymous anymore. And besides, think of how you’d feel if this were your loved one that had been so brutally murdered and someone was sitting on information that potentially could crack the case, wouldn’t you want that person to do the right thing and tell the cops what they know? And wouldn’t you be upset if they kept repeating on a site featuring the case that they’ve never told this information to the police?
i thak danny fowler did along with his mother all i heard after that is that same same car was on 1ave about the time the girl was working as other have seen it in parking lot of resturant where she was working at 2 weeks befor
Kevin, why don’t you want to call the police to be sure?
just the way the guy acted thank he was going to wortington arces
Thanks, Josie. Normally I don’t say much on here, but after reading the claim that Gerard Schaefer was possibly Maureen’s killer, I had to speak up. I should add that in regards to Schaefer, if the original claimant reads the Wikipedia article they linked to, they’d see that Schaefer’s MO was no match to this case. He bound, raped, and tortured his victims, and the police say the only trauma to Maureen’s body was the head injury. Plus, the article states that Schaefer was actually going through the police academy in Florida at the time of this crime, so it’s doubtful he’d leave Florida, come to Iowa to commit a murder, then go back to Florida, all while training to be a police officer.
And Kevin, as far as the red car, I’m not saying it wasn’t involved, but I do think that other more likely possibilities need to be considered. I’ve lived in the CR/Marion metro area all my life and I know that area along the roller dam is a haven for illegal activities, so it’s possible that the car was a drug dealer or user waiting for a connection, or someone engaged in some other illicit activity, or it might’ve even just been a regular old car that was passing by. You say it drove past you and Danny and stopped about 100 yards down the road, then it took off when the two of you approached it, and it’s highly possible that it was someone driving through the area that saw the two of you with the rifles, stopped to see what you were doing, then when you approached, they took off because they were afraid you were going to harm them. I know if two boys carrying guns approached my car, I wouldn’t hang around to see what they wanted, I’d get the heck out of there.
Plus, if you really do think this car was somehow involved in Maureen’s case, then why haven’t you gone to the police with this information? You say you kept quiet about it when you were kids, but you’re an adult now, so shouldn’t you do the right thing and go to the police with what you know? Who knows, maybe the information you’ve been sitting on for 42 years might be the one piece of the puzzle the police need to solve this, so please, I urge you to do the right thing and contact the PD. You can do it anonymously over the Crimestoppers tipline at 1-800-272-7462.
There was only one guy in the red car that i and danny saw as he drove pased us and stop just about 100 feet from us and when we started to walk his way he took off i thank it was the guy comming back to see if he could find some thing or take some thing we never told the cops as we were kids and scared
Correction-IN a long string of ridiculous posts.
Kim, you are the voice of reason is a long string of ridiculous posts.
I don’t think Gerard Schaefer had any connection whatsoever to this crime. If you actually read the articles in the links provided both on here and on Websleuths, Schaefer’s hunting grounds were limited to Florida, where he resided at the time of Maureen Farley’s murder. He was never thought to be anywhere in Iowa at all. The ONLY link he had to anything from Cedar Rapids was that police found in his Florida residence some articles belonging to two girls who were reported missing from this area. It does not say he took those girls from this area, the intimation from the newspaper article is that the girls were in Florida (likely as runaways) and that’s where Schaefer killed them.
As to the murderer returning to Maureen’s sleeping room after killing her in order to steal her shoes, I’d think that once her body had been found and the case went from a missing persons case to a homicide, the cops would’ve gone over her room for any kind of fingerprint evidence. Not saying that he might not have worn gloves, but still, the fact that there were no other similar homicides in this area in the years prior or after her death leads me to believe it was not the work of a serial killer or any kind of fetishist, it was someone that knew her. As far as the red car being involved, it very well might’ve been, but it also very well might’ve been some kids out there necking or someone setting up a drug deal, and they took off once they saw the two boys with guns because they didn’t want to get caught. Coincidence doesn’t always indicate involvement or participation in a crime, after all.
Kevin, I’m sure you did see it.
Think about posting on the Websleuths thread, somebody there might add more clues.
I’m starting to think a guy called Gerard John Schaefer may be connected to this crime. Have a read about him here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerard_John_Schaefer
I DO REMBER seeing a red car parked just up the road from us when we and dan saw the car we walked up towards it and it took off so we rain home over the rail rd bride off of c st sw in cedar rapids as we had out hunting rifles with us
Prior to her disappearance that night, someone heard her arguing with someone in her apartment, a man. Unknown who that was but I feel it was someone who knew her. I still keep hoping, we all do, that the killer(s) comes forward someday. Justice???? Probably not, but maybe answers.
My amateur armchair detective theory on this case is actually different, I don’t think Maureen’s killer was a serial killer or a fetishist, I think it was someone who knew her, possibly a patron she’d waited on at Weida’s and who mistook her friendliness for interest in him (I say “him” because of the force of the blow inflicted on her, it’s doubtful a woman would have that kind of strength). He maybe ran into her the day she went missing and struck up a chat with her, and in finding out she was low on money, he acted as a good Samaritan and maybe offered to buy her lunch, which she innocently took him up on because she was acquainted with him. He used that opportunity to likely drive her out into the boonies and try to get her to have sex with him and when she refused, he tried to force her and she struggled. He picked something up that was in his vehicle and struck her with it, likely not with the intention of killing her, just with the intent to subdue her and get control over her, but she died instead. She was struck just once, there was no overkill or rage injuries, nor were there any defensive marks outside of her disheveled clothing, so I think he only planned to hit her to knock her out, not kill her. The cops are ambiguous as to whether she died immediately or survived for awhile after the blow was inflicted, but for the sake of my theory, I think she died right away and the killer panicked after he realized what he’d done, so he drove her to that spot and dumped her body from his car. He was someone familiar to that area of Cedar Rapids and that knew it was densely wooded and rather desolate, so he was actually probably counting on her body not being discovered for a long time. I don’t think the scene was staged in any way, I think it was just strange circumstance that her body rolled down that ravine and landed where it did and in the way it did on the trunk of the abandoned car.
As to the missing footwear, I do agree the fetish angle is interesting, but I question it. I’m not in any way trying to discredit anyone, but I’d be really cautious about relying on someone’s 42 year old memory as to whether or not she had shoes when found, then the shoes went missing in the timespan it took for the boys to notify the one kid’s mom. As traumatic as it would be to find someone’s body like that, time has a funny way of blurring one’s sharp recall of the event. And I also question the theory that the killer staked the body out and waited until it was found, then quickly rushed in and removed the shoes, as that relies on a lot of what-ifs and risks that most killers likely are not going to take. That’d mean the murderer would have to stake out the body 24/7 and wait for someone to discover it, and who knows, the killer might’ve waited for months or even years for someone to find her. He’d also have to be able to swoop in at a moment’s notice to retrieve the shoes, and if he was waiting outside, September in Iowa is still apt to be humid and hot, and given the proximity to the river and the dense foilage, the killer would’ve been eaten up by bugs if he stayed outside and waited for someone to come along and find her. And even as desolate as that area is, it’s pretty well patrolled by the cops and there’s a steady amount of passerby traffic, so definitely some unusual behavior would’ve been noticed. As far as the shoes missing from her room, there was no definite time she was last seen with those shoes, so it’s possible that she donated them to charity or let someone borrow them, or they got worn/damaged and she threw them away without telling anyone.
So I think her killer was someone she knew and that she innocently went with. He took that opportunity to try to force himself on her, she struggled, he struck her in order to subdue her and killed her instead, then panicked and dumped the body where it was found. I think the crime scene was contained to his vehicle and she wasn’t killed in a residence or other structure, nor was she held hostage in the time she was missing because there’s no mention of restraint marks on her, just that her clothing was disheveled, which it would be if she struggled for a few seconds before being struck. I don’t think she was wearing shoes when she was found, I think her shoes remained in his vehicle…maybe she’d taken them off when she got into his car or maybe they came off in the struggle, but I think they were never on her body to begin with. She was last seen on a Friday and reported missing the following Monday, so the killer had enough time to dispose of her shoes, purse, the murder weapon, plus clean out his car without anyone even knowing anything had happened. Of course, this theory is all supposition on my part and like I said, I’m just an armchair detective, but I wanted to share my take on the case.
If her other shoes were missing, presumably from her room, he had to be in her room. We would need to know the setup of the boarding house. Did she have a lock at her door? Was the house open to anyone? She was seen early in the day, but did not pick up her paycheck “late that day”. So, it happened between the time she got cigarettes and the time she would have picked up her paycheck (again, presuming she would do this promptly, as most of us would). We really need to know a lot more about the boarding house and how it operated.
The web address for the WebSleuths post is :
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/ia-maureen-brubaker-farley-17-cedar-rapids-sept-1971.199700/
I have listed Maureen on Websleuths, she should get some attention there. Somebody may reconize the foot fettish angle and offer up some similar cases.
Have a look Kevin, you might be able to add something.
I’m sure you are correct Kevin. That would mean the murderer hung about while you ran for help and he decided to remove the shoes. Shoes remind him of what he did, even the fact you were horrified, he wants to re-live the moment, shoes help him to do that.
LE need to look at local men at the time who abused women, his partner/girlfriend/wife would know about his fettish.
That was why she was on the car boot, because he wanted somebody to find her and be shocked, he did it from pleasure and not consideration to Maureen. He ‘displayed’ her and a good profiler would know that.
Look for similar crimes where the victim was put on display and it will lead you to the man.
well i know what danny and i saw i was the one who found her
Just another point, maybe when Kevin and Dan found Maureen she was wearing shoes, while they went for help the perp could have gone back and taken them. Seems he likes to collect shoes to re live the crime. It’s worth thinking about.
I would look at men with shoe fettishes that have escalated their behaviour to maybe peeping/stalking women. Maureen could have been watched prior to being duped or kidnapped into going with this man. I would be curious to know if her room could be watched from a car park or verander.
It might be worth trawling through archive news sites for reports of this type of behaviour, LE might not have tied it together if it was a few years later . These guys don’t usually stop unless they are stopped. He will have offended before and after, it’s just about joining the dots. I would also check similar crimes in the states surrounding Iowa.
I do remeber when danny and i found her that a red car drove up passed us and stop and looked then took off it some thing we never told the police as we were scared and had our rifles with us the driver in the car had red hair
Kevin, hi, I’m Lisa (Maureen’s youngest sister.) i was only 4 at the time but I remember this sooo well. I think our mother will find this all very interesting too and she is still very much alive and well. I can only say thank you and if you think of more, please keep Jody or the cold case unit in mind. You said she had both shoes on? We thought she didn’t have any on. The red car, any chance you remember if one or more people were inside? Just wondering.
I do remeber it was a red car only one person driving by us he was going slow and stoped about 50 feet from us he was he looked back at us dan i ran he took off and we were so shanken up at the time dan wanted to go to the shake tarven at the time i told him let go home so we did when dan i found the body i was on top of the road dan went in the ditch to take a better look and he said she had shoes on
After reading the article, I must question whether David Farley’s relationship with inmates incarcerated at the ISMR in 1971 may have played in the homicide. Often inmates form relationships inside the walls and share pictures and stories of their family and friends including wives and girlfriends. A cell mate, or inmate, befriended may have seen Maureen visiting at the prison, and took the opportunity to contact her as a friend of David upon release. It’s an interesting case that could use another set of eyes!
no she worked at a resturant and the police thank it was a truck driver as that who she was last seen with
It would be short sighted to focus on a truck driver. In 1971, Weida’s Restaurant on 1st Ave. is a “Mom and Pop” place to eat – not a truck stop. Maureen was found on C Ave, a narrow black top, located along the Cedar River and not a tractor/trailer route to Hwy #30.
well when danny and i found her we were told that the last person who talked to maureen farley was a truck driver and it was a regular place back then for truckers as as the parking lot across the street is where most of them happen to park but i was only 15 yrs old when i found her and was quite shaken up
no she was found over by the shack traven on ely road over by the power plant off of cst sw
Truck drivers eat in lots of places :)
The Reformatory link could be a very good one. Not only do inmates talk, but they also would know that her husband was in jail and she would be alone. If they talked enough the other inmate might know where she worked, been able to get her address from a letter she sent him and enough information to convince this young lady that he was a friend of her husbands. I wonder if people released from the Reformatory near this time were looked at?
this person was found laying on a old car on ely rd sw in cedar rapids as i was hunting that day. as tho the person was asleep on the car her face was black and her cloths were torn
David,
I’m sorry I missed your most recent comment in response to my earlier reply. Attribution just means that if you use something from someone else’s story or article in your own project (i.e. a quote, a paragraph, a photo, etc.) that you show in your work where you got the information. My “Sources” list following Maureen’s story is a good example; it lists all the publications or media sources I used to put a case summary together for Maureen’s page here on our site.
Your project is probably over by now, and I hope you earned a nice grade for your work. You are right about how difficult it is to find information online about these older cases; it is precisely why I decided to build the website and make information available to the public.
Please feel free to contact me directly at jody@iowacoldcases.org if I can still be of any help or if you have any further questions. Thank you again for writing.
All best,
Jody
I personally am the only individual in my class working on this case. However I have no attribution, I think you mean more information. All I know about the case is what I have read here on the website. It is very difficult for me to obtain any information about the case because I live far away from Cedar Falls and it is very hard to find case files online.
I am a high school student in Iowa and I am taking a CSI class. We are all doing a report on cold cases and am choosing this case. If anyone has any information that would be useful for my project please email me at-> 14dtruckse@spirit-lake.k12.ia.us
Thankyou
Thanks for writing, David. Just for clarification, will all students be writing about the same case (Maureen Farley) or did you (individually) choose this case for your report?
I will contact Maureen’s family and pass along your info, and if they’d like to speak with you then you should hear directly from them. You may also use whatever you like from Maureen’s case summary page here on ICC as long as proper attribution is given. :-)
Thank you again, and good luck with your report!
Jody
Was she missing white or black disco style boots?
John, I’m not sure if the missing shoes included white or black disco style boots. Of course, I am curious as to why you ask. Did you hear something in the area concerning those particular shoes?
Jody, I believe the police did say she was missing some shoes from her apartment, although we never knew why they thought that. That was definitely her style though. I’m with Jody John, what makes you ask?? (Maureen’s sister.)
no when i found her she had both white work shoes on they were more of a tennis shoe type i do remeber it well as i go past the place daily where she was found
I thought they found her barefooted, Kevin?
She would have had some kind of work shoes on as disco came in a yr later
Kevin,
Stop this Right now! Something is not right with you commenting over and over the same lines! I do not believe You! this is Sick! this young womans family is on here and are reading these comments!