Paula Jean Oberbroeckling

Paula Jean Oberbroeckling (Courtesy photo Susan Taylor Chehak)

Paula Jean Oberbroeckling

Homicide

 

Paula Jean Oberbroeckling
18 YOA
116 10th St. N.W.
Cedar Rapids, IA
Linn County
July 11, 1970

 

Paula Jean Oberbroeckling, 18, disappeared after leaving her 116 10th St. NW Cedar Rapids residence in the early morning hours on Saturday, July 11, 1970.

Oberbroeckling — a recent Washington High School graduate who taught a class for developmentally disabled children at Younkers and shared the 10th street residence with her friend, Debbie Kellogg — had gone out on a date Friday night with boyfriend Lonnie Bell. The two returned together to the 10th St. residence, where they argued.

Linn County in Iowa
Linn County in Iowa
 
Cedar Rapids in Linn CountyCedar Rapids in Linn County

Kellogg said that after Bell left, Oberbroeckling said she needed to go out again and asked to borrow Kellogg’s vehicle, saying she’d be right back.

She never returned.

The following day, Kellogg’s car was found near the Eagle supermarket on 14th Street SE, two miles east of where Kellogg and Oberbroeckling lived.

Oberbroeckling’s grandmother, Vera Oberbroeckling, door-knocked in the neighborhood where Kellogg’s car was found, while police conducted extensive searches and involved the media in efforts to locate the teen.

Cedar Rapids police officer C. Smith spoke with Oberbroeckling’s mother, Carol Oberbroeckling, at about 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 15, 1970, in reference to the missing person report Mrs. Oberbroeckling had filed.

Mrs. Oberbroeckling told Officer Smith that Paula had been somewhat upset because she thought she was about 1-1/2 months pregnant and felt Bell was trying to ditch her.

Mrs. Oberbroeckling also stated that her daughter previously had a colored boyfriend by the name of Robert Williams, but that they’d broken up some time ago. She said a friend told her she’d seen Paula in “the loop” area shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday, and that Paula was having car trouble at the time. Paula was alone at the time, though a man was assisting her in getting the car going, Mrs. Oberbroeckling told Smith.

Lonnie Bell, who was present during the interview with Mrs. Oberbroeckling, told police Paula had been writing to a colored subject by the name of John Strayhorn, who lived at the Hawthorne Hills apartments. Officer Smith visited the Hawthorne Hills apartments that same day and was told by the manager that no one named John Strayhorn rented an apartment there. The manager said it was possible Strayhorn lived with someone else there.

Police followed up on hundreds of leads, and four months after Oberbroeckling’s disappearance, finally got a break in the case; it was not the break they’d hoped to receive.

Body Found, Foul Play Suspected

Oberbroeckling’s remains — though not immediately identified due to advanced stages of decomposition — were found on Sunday, November 29, 1970.

According to a Gazette article dated November 30, 1970, George Junttila of 724 19th St. SE and his two sons, Dale, 14, and David, 11, found the skeletal remains while walking along the railroad tracks on Otis Road across from the sewage treatment plant.

Police said the body was found draped around a steel pin in the ground, which in the past probably had been used for a power pole guy wire. Had the body not been draped around the pin, it could have washed down to the road and been discovered sooner, police said.

The teen’s remains were found almost intact, her ankles tied and her wrists found tied behind her back with two separate types of flexible material — one a plastic clothesline and another kind of cord.

Her pelvic bones remained intact with no injury, and officials found no visual evidence to indicate a traumatic injury nor any fetal remains.

Some personal items found around the body, such as clothing, and earth around the body, were sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for examination, said Cedar Rapids Police Chief Frank Matias.

Dr. Earl F. Rose conducted the autopsy at University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City, and cited “Death due to (1) soft tissue injury, (2) poisoning, (3) asphyxiation, or (4) a combination of these, cannot be excluded from the examination of the remains of the body.”

Rose also stated that if the deceased was not dead when placed in this position, death would have resulted from: respiratory embarrassment, exposure, or a combination of respiratory embarrassment developing as exposure continued and she tired.

Despite a number of theories about Oberbroeckling’s death, her case remains unsolved.

Susan Taylor Chehak, who went to high school with Paula and obtained a court order from a local judge to gather the material for “What Happened to Paula,” continues her pursuit to find truth and justice for her friend.

Defrosting Cold Cases, a website established by Alice de Sturler, also featured Oberbroeckling’s unsolved murder as the March 2014 Case of the Month.

About Paula Oberbroeckling
Paula Oberbroeckling gravestoneCourtesy photo Gail Wenhardt, findagrave.com
Paula Oberbroeckling is buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Paula Jean Oberbroeckling was born in Cedar Rapids on February 25, 1952 to James Joseph and Carol (Burks) Oberbroeckling.

She graduated from Washington High School in 1970.

Survivors included her mother, Carol Oberbroeckling, 2025 G Avenue NE; her father, James J. Oberbroeckling, Grand Junction, Colo.; a sister, Lynn Marie Greve, Cedar Rapids; three brothers, Todd, Timothy and Christopher, all at home, and her grandmothers, Vera Oberbroeckling and Mrs. Frank Zachar, both of Cedar Rapids.

Services were held at 11 a.m. Monday, December 7, 1970, at St. Matthew’s Church, with the Rev. Louis V. McDonough officiating. Burial was at Mount Calvary cemetery. There were no visitation services. Stewart Funeral Home handled arrangements.

Information Needed

If you have any information about Paula Oberbroeckling’s unsolved murder, please contact Cedar Rapids Police Department Investigator Matt Denlinger at 319-286-5442, email M.Denlinger@cedar-rapids.org, or call the Linn County Crime Stoppers Anonymous Tip Line at 1-800-CR-CRIME.

Sources:
  • Cedar Rapids Police Department
  • Linn County Crime Stoppers
  • Documentation provided by Susan Taylor Chehak
  • DISAPPEARANCE/MURDERS OF FIVE CEDAR RAPIDS TEENS STILL UNSOLVED,” by Bob James, KHAK.com, February 20, 2019
  • Case of the Month: Paula Oberbroeckling,” by Alice de Sturler, Defrosting Cold Cases, March 1, 2014
  • “OBITUARIES: Carol Jean Burks Oberbroeckling,” The Cedar Rapids Gazette, Tuesday, May 24, 2011
  • “In Remembrance: Paula Jean Oberbroeckling,” The Cedar Rapids Gazette, Sunday, July 11, 2010
  • “OBITUARIES: Christopher James Oberbroeckling,” The Cedar Rapids Gazette, Sunday, February 11, 2007
  • Find a Grave Memorial
  • “CERTIFICATE OF DEATH,” STATE OF IOWA, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, Deceased: Paula J. Oberbroeckling, Certification by Percy G. Harris, M.D., Medical Examiner, dated December 10, 1970
  • “Identify Body as C.R. Girl,” The Des Moines Register, December 7, 1970
  • “Memorial Services: Paula A. [sic] Oberbroeckling,” The Cedar Rapids Gazette, Sunday, December 6, 1970
  • “Report Nothing Found in Area of Body’s Discovery,” The Cedar Rapids Gazette, Sunday, December 6, 1970
  • “Miss Oberbroeckling Funeral Is Monday,” The Cedar Rapids Gazette, December 5, 1970
  • “Identify Body as girl from Cedar Rapids,” The Ames Daily Tribune, December 2, 1970
  • “IDENTIFY BODY AS C.R. GIRL,” by William Simbro, The Des Moines Register, December 2, 1970
  • “Body That of Girl Missing Four Months,” by Gary Peterson, The Cedar Rapids Gazette, Tuesday, December 1, 1970
  • “Body Found: ‘Foul Play’ Police Say,” The Cedar Rapids Gazette, November 30, 1970
  • Autopsy Report for Paula Oberbrockling (sic), performed by Earl F. Rose, M.D., 133 Medical Laboratories, Iowa City, Iowa, November 30, 1970
  • “Investigative Report,” by The Cedar Rapids Police Department, November 30, 1970
  • “Investigative Report,” by The Cedar Rapids Police Department, November 29, 1970
  • “Investigative Report,” by The Cedar Rapids Police Department, August 11, 1970
  • “Investigative Report,” by The Cedar Rapids Police Department, July 29, 1970
  • “Investigative Report,” by The Cedar Rapids Police Department, July 28, 1970
  • “Investigative Report,” by The Cedar Rapids Police Department, July 23, 1970
  • “Investigative Report,” by The Cedar Rapids Police Department, July 22, 1970
  • “Investigative Report,” by The Cedar Rapids Police Department, July 21, 1970
  • “Investigative Report,” by The Cedar Rapids Police Department, July 18, 1970
  • “Investigative Report,” by The Cedar Rapids Police Department, July 17, 1970
  • “Investigative Report,” by The Cedar Rapids Police Department, July 16, 1970
  • “Investigative Report,” by The Cedar Rapids Police Department, July 15, 1970
  • “By The Way,” Cedar Rapids news clip about Paula Oberbroeckling modeling assignment, by Elinor Ahern, The Cedar Rapids Gazette, December 14, 1967
  • “Father of Injured Girl Gets Judgment,” COURTHOUSE NEWS, The Cedar Rapids Gazette, Saturday, September 27, 1958
  • “OLD CHRISTENING GOWN,” photo by Carl Franks, The Cedar Rapids Gazette, Sunday, October 24, 1954

 

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53 Responses to Paula Oberbroeckling

  1. Sabrina Cohen says:

    Lonnie Bell is now residing at the Heritage Specialty Care center in Cedar Rapids 200 Clive Dr SW….was once the Heritage Nursing and Rehab Center…he is well know for his derogatory and racist comments he will call all black person whether employees or residents “N…..” and other names and continually tries to get them fired by telling lies.
    He is pure evil and hateful and very vindicative towards anyone.

  2. Moon says:

    Another name for that style of dress was sizzle dress or sizzler dress. They had a matching brief of the same color and pattern as a dress so it blended in and didn’t show your underwear to the whole United States. My sisters had some and I wore a kid’s version (without the built in bra) in the early ’70s

  3. carolkean says:

    A new book about Paula is coming in June:
    What Happened to Paula: On the Death of an American Girl
    Hardcover – June 15, 2021
    by Katherine Dykstra

    > In July 1970, eighteen-year-old Paula Oberbroeckling left her house in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and never returned. A cold case for fifty years, Paula’s story had been largely forgotten when Katherine Dykstra began looking for answers. A woman was dead. Why had no one been held responsible? How could a community give up and move on? Could there ever be justice for Paula?

    > Tracing the knowns and unknowns, Dykstra discovers a girl who was hemmed in by the culture of the late 1960s, when women’s rights had been brought to the fore but had little practical bearing on actual lives. The more she learns about Paula, the more parallels Dykstra finds in the lives of the women who knew Paula, the lives of the women in her own family, and even in her own life…What Happened to Paula is a timely, powerful look at gender, autonomy, and the cost of being a woman.

    Hardcover or ebook: https://www.amazon.com/What-Happened-Paula-Death-American-ebook/dp/B08L6YYFVN/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

  4. Patrick Kerrigan says:

    I wonder if her case was entered into the FBI’s system. Another thing is that her ankles and wrists were tied. There are other cases around the country involving the binding f wrists and ankles. It would be nice to see if the case might be connected with others around country. Also, I wonder where she got the idea, she was pregnant. Also, what was so important that she had to go back out at that time. Also, the roommate appears to have dropped of the radar screen in this case.

  5. Tracy says:

    I don’t mean for this to sound judgmental as I was no saint in high school/college but here’s my opinion on this case….

    She’s juggling too many guys, one which cant even be accounted for. In most situations women can handle this but in others…

    Her pregnancy is what set things in motion. The fact she was dating “colored” guys as well did not make the situation easier. She “thought” she was pregnant? NEVER mention pregnancy if you’re with more than one guy until you’re sure that you’re pregnant.

    Any time a woman disappears and/or is murdered after an argument with a guy, shouldn’t be too hard to connect the dots.

    • Steve Gross says:

      This was a long time ago. I knew Lonnie quite well. He came over to my place very upset. Said he couldn’t believe they were questioning him as a suspect. Lonnie told me that He would never harm Paula.
      Steve Gross

    • Wayne, I’d really like to discuss this with you more, but in a private conversation, for now. Please email me? susantaylorchehak at gmail.com

  6. Mandy says:

    Long shot, but I can’t help but wonder if Robert Hansen could have “visted” back home for a while. He was supposedly in Anchorage in 1967, but also states his killings there didn’t start until 1971. He was known to tie women to posts in the wilderness. Typically 16-19. I wonder how close of a timeline the FBI could have on him given so little was actually tracked or trackable back them. Even with Schaefer…their dates active are just what they can (for the most part prove/guess) right? Just because he killed in Florida, doesn’t mean he wasn’t inspired by previous unknown activity in Iowa.

  7. Binary Catharsis says:

    Gerard John Schaefer perhaps? He bragged and boasted about murdering women, young blondes in Cedar Rapid’s Iowa in particular, that he was never even charged with much less convicted of. He would obsessively and maticulously document the murders of young women. He hated women.

    Just tossing it out there as a possibility.

  8. Herb Hunter says:

    Found without her shoes. Dumped from a car along the side of the road. Near a holiday (see report on FBI profile in the archives) and she is the actual third victim. It started in Ames over a student break (holiday for students) and then moved to Cedar Rapids near Easter in 1968. Then shortly after the Fourth of July in 1970, Paula goes missing. Oddly enough, found near the Thanksgiving weekend; was that serendipity, or did the suspect call it in? And odd how see lives in the same neighborhood Karen Streed lives in.

    Perhaps we should call him the Holiday Killer, AKA The Shoe Bandit OR The Quarter Moon Reaper.

  9. Joao says:

    In a decade where race was fierce I do not discard some racist killing her because she was apparently dating black boys.

    • Tim Oberbroeckling says:

      She dated one black guy, not multiple.

      • Stay Strong, Fight For Justice! says:

        Wayne,

        My condolences on your family’s loss (I’m assuming you’re related to Paula given your mutual last name).

        I read the white paper you referenced; good read. I’ve also read passages from the Susan Chehak book. I always had an interest in this case as I’m also from Cedar Rapids

        Keep these updates with a few more clues coming if you don’t mind! I’m following along trying to figure out who you’re alleging committed this cowardly and tragic crime.

      • Lynn Oberbroeckling Greve says:

        Mr. Oberbroeckling, you have made some serious accusations in your comment. I’m not sure if your information is yours or from someone else’s research, but if you have proof of what you say please take it to the Cedar Rapids police department. Otherwise, have respect for the family. Speaking of rape, murder, disposing of her dead body is just hurtful.

      • L m g says:

        Where do you get these ideas? How did you get these names? Go to the police if you have proof. Otherwise, let my sister try to Rest In Peace!!!

      • Susan Taylor Chehak says:

        First of all, I never said that Paula died at 810 5th Street. That was speculation that was communicated to me via others, but there is no evidence that that was in fact the case. You are making a lot of statements here as if they are facts, which they are not. They are speculations and they are not backed up by evidence that I have ever seen anywhere. If you do have direct evidence for these statements, it would be helpful if you would share them with us here. Otherwise, we must see them as your own speculations and opinions, which have nothing to do with the truth of what might have happened to Paula. We also have no evidence of rape. And we don’t even know whether it was murder, or accidental homicide. So yes, I do disagree with you, Wayne. And I hope others will take what you are saying here with a grain of skeptical salt. It is unfortunate that innocent folks here have been called out and named in an incriminating post that is not based on objective (i.e. uncircumstantial) evidence or fact.

        • Lynn says:

          Thank you Susan. I have asked this man to back up what he says with facts or to stop commenting. And if he has proof of this to go to the police with it. I have never heard any of the things he is talking about and I don’t know why he thinks he has to put himself in our lives. I just wish he would let my sister Rest In Peace’

          • Susan Taylor Chehak says:

            Lynn, I have asked the moderators here to delete this thread.

          • Susan Taylor Chehak says:

            Again, your version is speculation. You are free to create theories for yourself, but here you’re naming names that you have connected to a scenario that you have put together from second hand information and rumor. Though you share the name, you must admit that you’re not personally acquainted with Paula’s immediate family, who are finding your speculations unnecessary and painful. I’m glad you took your theories to the police, and it will be interesting to see what they do with them. But we need to be clear that these are simply your own personal theories, not objective proven truth.

          • Lynn says:

            Would finding her with her hands tied behind her back and her feet bound together qualify “beyond a reasonable doubt” that a crime has been committed?
            Please be quiet, this happened over 50 years ago. Nothing will ever be done!

      • Lynn Oberbroeckling Greve says:

        I would like it known that this man is not a relative of my family!!

  10. Joe Greene says:

    Who ever did it is probably dead.

  11. Kris Starks says:

    There is a page here on Facebook dedicated to this story.

  12. Shane says:

    btw, when I say “disappeared from” I’m talking about Karen Streed, whose body was found in the Mill Stream near Amana, but who was last seen alive in the vicinity of 6th St and 16th Ave SW — near where she lived.

  13. Shane says:

    Forgive me if this question has already been posed, I’m not sure I’m caught up on all the comments, but does anyone else see a pattern here? Paula and Maureen Farley’s bodies were found within 13 months of one another, essentially just across the Cedar River from one another. Karen Streed, whose body was found just 1 month after Maureen’s, lived just a few blocks from Paula. I don’t know that there were striking similarities in the killer’s MO for each of the murders, but it seems to me this shouldn’t rule out the fact that three young women were disappeared from or found dead in essentially the same small quadrant of CR all within just over a year of one another. Anyone else share the same inkling? Or am I just the latest in a long string of serial killer conspiracists?

  14. amanda says:

    Did lonnie bell drive a red porsche around that time?

  15. Kelsey says:

    I know it’s probably a long shot and someone may have brought it up before…is there ANY possibility that this and the Michelle Martinko case could be related? They were both beautiful blondes, 18 years old, mentions of the mall in each case, both out alone at night and both body’s discovered in Cedar Rapids. Though the murders happened 10 years apart, both are still unsolved with little/no leads. Just my thoughts after reading through both pages. What about that security guard I read about on the ‘what happened to Paula’ website…he supposedly helped her get her car started the night she went missing and I remember reading somewhere there was question about the security guard working at Westdale the night Michelle was killed. Could it be the same guy? Though both murders happened long before I was born, it scares me to think the monster(s) who did something SO horrible could still be living among us. Praying for the families and victims-hope they get the justice they deserve!! <3

  16. dustin says:

    does anyone know where Lonnie Allen Bell live at

  17. RJ Riley says:

    I tracked him down a couple months ago–he doesn’t want to talk about it– Susan Chehak wrote him a letter-don’t know if he has responded…

  18. Bob says:

    Instant Checkmate lists several C.R. addresses for a Lonnie A. Bell, born 10/30/48. I’m
    sure the authorities are aware of them.

  19. Since we went public with the website about Paula Oberbroeckling (www.whathappenedtopaula.com), a lot of people have been asking us about Lonnie Bell. We have not been able to talk to him and have lost contact information for him. We have tracked him to a woman who seems to be (or have been) his wife. Her maiden name was Beverly Jean Fishel. We gather that she grew up in Marion and it looks like she was Miss Cedar Rapids in 1963 (she was called Jeanie Fishel then). In 1966 she married Ronald Albert Sheperd.

    Lonnie is sometimes referred to as Lonnie A. Fishel. He and Beverly were married in 1981.

    If you know Lonnie, or know how we can reach him, please let us know! We’d love to talk to him and get his version of what happened to Paula.

  20. It’s nightmarish to me to even think about my daughter disappearing. Or my husband, brother, family, friends…I’m fortunate not to have someone I love gone with only the touchable part of them in the form of paperwork inside a file folder. Rhonda, thanks for taking a look! Anyone else reading this, hit the website link and see what I’m talking about. So many of our fellow Iowans gone, disappearing into thin air. Another reason why I kiss my husband goodbye and hello when he leaves/comes home from work, and say those three little words at bedtime — and mean it every time I say it.

  21. This is haunting. Just my opinion: I knew that there were a lot of cold cases here in Iowa but I had no idea that there were so many and it hit me hard emotionally to think about the families that have no answers, no idea of where loved ones have gone. Dead or alive the families deserve answers and we owe it to them to give it to them. Supporting our local law enforcement officials is one way of doing that — and getting the word out there. There is someone somewhere that has information, even the tinyest bit of info can crack one of these cases wide open. All of the CSI television shows in the world can’t give any comfort because a majority of them are fiction and therefore cannot supply answers to give that comfort of closing one of these cases.

  22. Jan says:

    This case was so horrifying and sad. My brother was a friend of hers and we were very distraught when we found out she was dead. Though I moved away from Cedar Rapids 35 years ago, I’ve never forgotten. I assumed that all leads had been investigated, but seems I was told details that were never known. The source of the info was not always reliable but what she told me may be very relevant indeed. My best friend’s sister told me she knew the name of the murderer and the name of at least one guy who helped assault her. I never forgot those names. It seems people who were questioned, including this person, and Ms Kellogg did not reveal everything they knew. I am hoping my info may lead to some resolution. I hope so.

  23. gene says:

    Was Paula simply going out to retrieve something from the car, or would she have gone to a store in her nightgown? I think someone in the general area of the apartment complex may have kidnapped her.

    • lynn oberbroeckling greve says:

      Paula was not wearing a nightgown. That is something the police first stated and the media ran with it. She had on a powder blue “bra dress”. It was a short dress with a built in bra. They had just become fashionable. I had worn that dress myself as we always shared out clothes.

  24. Paul Marks says:

    Lynn,

    As a matter of fact there is a writer, Susan Chehak, who has been investigating this case for many years. Susan grew up in Cedar Rapids and is quite serious in her investigation. She has interviewed police officers assigned to the case, reviewed case files, interviewed neighbors and possible witnesses and has developed interesting theories. Feel free to contact me at daddyofduke@aol.com and I will get you in contact with her.

  25. lynn oberbroeckling greve says:

    Thank you for listing my sister on this website. My family has always been frustrated by the fact that every single time “cold cases” are talked about in the media my sister’s case is never mentioned. NEVER!! I did not expect it to be listed on this website. The police told us in 1970 that her case would always be considered an open case but I doubted that. I doubt the new cold case squad will look into this case but I would love to find out what happened to her. If you have any information regarding her case, I would love to hear from you.
    Thank you!

    • Larry Martin says:

      Lyn, Don’t know if you remember me (you once chewed me out for smoking my tires at washington parking lot) I went out with Paula a couple times and thought a lot of her. Never got the chance to tell you and your family how sorry I felt when her body was found so I’m taking the time to let you know now. I hope who ever did this is brought to justice or is all ready dead and rotting in hell. Best regards Larry

      • Jaeden Ray says:

        Larry, I am an eighth grader at McKinley and I am doing something called national history day. I was wondering if I could talk to you about the case. My friends and I are trying to do a project on her and we need to interview people to find out more information. Thanks.

    • Teri Williams says:

      I knew who Paula was and am still sadden that this happened to such a beautiful girl. Years ago I dreamt that Paula & her sister came to me In a dream & were trying 2 wake me up 2 tell me something. Not sure what it met. I was told many years ago that Paula died from a abortion that went bad. That dirty needles were used & that w

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