Paul Scheel
Paul Allen Scheel
Homicide
Paul Allen Scheel
45 YOA
300 East Montgomery St., Apt. 3
Creston, IA
Union County
February 14, 2018
On Valentine’s Day 2018, Paul Allen Scheel, 45, was found dead in his Creston, Iowa, apartment.
Officers with the Creston Police Department conducted a welfare check at 300 East Montgomery Street, Apartment 3, at approximately 8:17 p.m. Wednesday night and found Scheel deceased. The apartment is located in the basement of the Eagles Lodge #1398.
Union County in Iowa
Creston in Union County
The body was transported to the Office of the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s office in Ankeny for an autopsy.
Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Special Agent Mike Motsinger said on Thursday that investigators worked overnight to examine the area where the body was found.
View the video at KCCI.com
The autopsy concluded that Mr. Scheel was the victim of a homicide, though other details about Scheel’s death have not been released while the investigation continues.
Creston officers and agents with the DCI’s Major Crime Unit have worked to find the person or persons responsible for Scheel’s death.
“Nothing is insignificant.”
On October 25, 2019, law enforcement and Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa announced they were partnering to ask for the public’s assistance, with Crime Stoppers offering a reward up to $1,000 dollars for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) involved in Scheel’s murder.
“This is a reward being offered by Crime Stoppers just trying to help bring closure to this case and answers in the death of Paul Scheel,” DCI Special Agent in Charge Adam DeCamp said.
DeCamp said there is someone out there that knows exactly what happened and they hope the reward will get them to come forward and help resolve the case, and that nothing is insignificant.
“Any information that the public has can be beneficial, even if they believe law enforcement has been told by someone else,” DeCamp said in a RadioIowa.com story published Oct. 25. “Assumption can get us in a lot of trouble in our lives, and the same with criminal investigations. We just ask people to come forward and share the information they have and allow the law enforcement officials to determine whether or not the information is valid.”
About Paul Scheel (from obituary)
Paul “Boner” Scheel, 45, of Creston died Wednesday, February 14, 2018 at his home in Creston. Celebration of Life Services will be 11:00 a.m. Saturday, February 24, 2018 at Powers Funeral Home 601 New York Avenue in Creston. Pastor Tim Maxa will officiate. Burial will be at a later date at Graceland Cemetery in Creston. Open visitation will be 2 – 7 p.m. Friday, February 23, with family receiving friends from 5 – 7 p.m. Friday, at Powers Funeral Home in Creston. In lieu of flowers, memorials are to be established in Paul’s name.
Paul Scheel (Photo Courtesy Powers Funeral Home)
Paul Allen Scheel was born September 19, 1972 in Creston to Edgar Paul Scheel and Bonnie Anne (Whittlesey) Scheel. He was educated in Creston High School.
On August 14, 1994, Paul was united in marriage to LeAnne Denise Wilkinson in Lenox. After marrying he settled and worked in Creston at Pizza Hut, Trolli, Cordell Construction, and Ron Havens Construction in Greenfield. Paul and LeAnne divorced in 2002. Paul most recently worked for John Kawa Construction in Creston. He was a member of the Creston Eagle’s Lodge #1398 in Creston, Tri-County Pool League, Pine Valley Bowling League and a former active member with Pheasants Forever.
Survivors include his daughter Samantha Scheel (J.D. Jehn) of Creston; one son, Zackery Paul Scheel of Greenfield; mother Bonnie (Charlie) Westman of Creston; father Ed Scheel of Russell, IA.; 2 grandchildren, Izabella Yenzer and Rayfe Yenzer, two sisters, Kelly Baptiste of Paris,Ark.; Kathy (husband Jason) Kendrick of Creston; two step-sisters, Kris (husband Mike) Morabito of Silver Creek, NY; Jacki Kinsfather of Bossier City, La.; nieces and nephews, Claire and Kate Baptiste, Kimberly, Kassidy, Jacob and Jonathan Kendrick and Collin Morabito.
Paul was preceded in death by his grandparents, Don and Darlene Whittlesey and Rainhard “Babe” and Wilda Scheel.
Contact Information
You can contact Crime Stoppers anonymously by going to Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa’s website at crimestoppersofcentraliowa.com and giving a web tip. There, you can also download the P3 app to submit a tip or call 515-223-1400. Remember: All tipsters can remain anonymous.
Information may also be directed to the Union County Law Enforcement Center at 641-782-8402.
Sources:
- Creston Police Department
- Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation
- Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa
- “Info search in Creston homicide case renewed,” by Mike Peterson, Kmaland.com, October 26, 2019
- “Reward now offered in unsolved murder of Creston man,” by Dar Danielson, RadioIowa.com, October 25, 2019
- “Authorities and Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa Seek Public’s Assistance in Creston Homicide,” Iowa Department of Public Safety Press Release, October 25, 2019
- Find a Grave Memorial for Paul Allen Scheel
- “Creston Man’s Death Ruled a Homicide,” by Kelly Maricle, WHOTV.com, February 23, 2018
- Paul Allen Scheel obituary, tributes.com
- “Suspicious death investigation: Body found in apartment under Eagles Lodge,” by Lauren Donovan, KCCI.com, February 15, 2018
Too bad there isn’t more information out there. When was the last time he was seen alive? Was he employed at the time? Was that a normal apartment or the kind of place made available to Eagle’s Lodge members going through hard times?
DCI spoke to his employer and co-workers. But it wasn’t unusual for Boner to no come to work some days. I believe that when he was discovered that he was wearing the same clothes that he had on the last day he had went to work.