Valerie Peterson

Valerie Peterson (Courtesy Eileen Peterson Meier)

Elna Maria “Valerie” Peterson

Homicide

Elna Maria “Valerie” Peterson
8 YOA
Manson, IA
Calhoun County
May 6, 1971

 

Case Summary by Jody Ewing

 
On Thursday, May 6, 1971, 8-year-old Valerie Peterson was killed by a hit-and-run driver around 4 p.m. while riding her bicycle off the side of the road in front of the Manson Augustana Lutheran Church.

One other girl — the friend with whom Valerie was riding bikes — was riding up ahead of Valerie and said she saw a blue-green pickup truck with two or three men inside traveling north at a high rate of speed. They appeared to have long hair, and the girl believed the truck had some sort of equipment in the flatbed.

Tire tracks in the dirt showed the truck had actually swerved off to the side of the road before hitting Valerie, but the driver did not stop. The girl riding with Valerie said she’d heard a vehicle coming and had specifically told Valerie they needed to get over to the side of the road, and that she’d seen Valerie do so.

Autopsy reports show that Valerie appeared to have flown up into the air after being struck and then hit the truck again on the front or side before striking the ground. The report indicated she most likely died instantly.

A Pickup Sold, A Son Shipped Off, A Crime Scene Altered

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Criminal Bureau of Investigation (CBI) suspected one family in particular — those owning the blue-green truck — and went to the family’s home within one hour following the fatal hit-and-run. The well-to-do family was quite well-known in Manson, and one of the sons was home on leave from the military at the time.

Calhoun County in Iowa
Calhoun County in Iowa
 
Manson in Calhoun CountyManson in Calhoun County

The suspect’s neighbors told officials the pickup truck had arrived home within the past hour and had been driven into the garage at a high speed. Within that same hour, a member of the suspect’s family had thoroughly washed the pickup truck.

Later that same day, the suspect’s family drove their son to Fort Dodge, where they put him on a plane to return him to the U.S. Army.

Also that same day, after investigators had left the crime scene, someone returned and made black tread marks on the road in efforts to make it appear someone had tried to stop before hitting Valerie; the marks had not been present during the crime scene investigation.

A few days after the homicide, the suspect’s family sold the truck to Rost Motors in Manson. Valerie’s father notified the BCI, who then collected paint scrapings from beneath the truck.

The paint scrapings and initial evidence taken from the scene was sent to Washington, D.C., for testing, but was destroyed by the infancy of testing methods used at that time.

Statute of Limitations on ‘Hit-and-Run’ Homicides Different than other Homicides

In the years following Valerie’s unsolved murder, her sister, Eileen, and brother, Cal, along with their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Roland E. Peterson, spent endless hours pressing officials for updates in the case. On two separate occasions, the family also offered rewards for information they felt might help lead to an arrest; both rewards went unclaimed.

Calhoun County Sheriff Bill DavisCourtesy photo Fort Dodge Messenger
Calhoun County Sheriff Bill Davis looks through a file of cases the department is working on in his Rockwell City office.

Calhoun County Sheriff Bill Davis, who was the same age as Valerie when she was killed, told the Des Moines Register he remembered hearing his parents talk about the crime while growing up.

Davis went on to become sheriff in 1989, and revisited the case at the Peterson family’s urging. In the Register article dated March 8, 2010, Davis said the evidence all seemed to point to one man who had been living in the same community as the victim’s family since the incident.

When Davis tried to track down the physical evidence — Valerie’s bicycle, her clothing, backpack, books and other items — he made a shocking discovery; some time during the ’80s, all the evidence had been thrown out because the statute of limitations for a hit-and-run crime had run out.

“I really, really feel for the family, because I have a daughter, too,” he told the Register. “I know I would want to know, even after all these years.”

Peterson’s family had never been notified the evidence was going to be destroyed, and didn’t find out everything was gone until Davis began the renewed investigation. Officials said it had been so long and nothing had happened, so they’d discarded the evidence.

In the years since, Davis has handed the Peterson file over to an FBI agent, and even explored asking the suspect to take a polygraph test. State investigators said they would not administer such a test unless Davis planned on filing criminal charges.

“No One Knows Anything”

Manson, Iowa, located in the western half of north-central Iowa, is not unlike many other small, close-knit rural communities where residents know one another on a first-name basis and frequent local businesses. Quietly, in whispers over kitchen tables and in grocery store aisles, everyone knows everything. Publicly, no one knows anything; it’s better to “not get involved” and play it safe, particularly when prestigious community members are allegedly involved.

In 1971, just over 1,900 people resided in Manson, a town best known for having been built on the site of the Manson Impact Structure, the largest known meteorite crater in the continental United States. And in June 1979, there was the destructive F4 tornado that killed three people and destroyed 110 homes and the middle school Valerie Peterson should have been attending the following fall.

Several years later, an individual froze to death in a snow storm after leaving his stalled vehicle. It was only after his death the Peterson family learned he had been one of the persons in the truck that hit and killed Valerie. People knew — had known all along — but none had ever wanted to dredge up what they called the “unfortunate accident” that just happened to claim an innocent young girl’s life.

Eileen MeierCourtesy photo
Eileen Peterson Meier said her sister’s death helped propel her into a career as an international human rights attorney.

Valerie’s sister Eileen Peterson Meier — now a prominent international human rights attorney — has never stopped fighting for justice for her sister and other victims.

Meier told the Register her sister’s death probably helped propel her into the human rights career. Meier has spent much of her career investigating human rights violations in Bosnia and Nepal. She said a common thread runs through the families of crime victims worldwide.

“I think the thing that almost hurts the most for victims and in cold cases is the silence, along with a feeling of powerlessness,” Eileen Meier told the Register in March 2010.

She and her brother hoped to change that.

All Quiet on the Western Iowa Front

The month before the Register interview, Eileen and her brother Cal had just established the “Valerie Peterson Memorial Justice Scholarship” at the Manson Northwest Webster Junior/Senior High School for a Manson high school student who planned to study and make a career in law enforcement, criminal forensics or law.

And then there was silence. The Petersons waited, let time pass, waited some more. No applications arrived.

Parents in a town where everyone knew everything but no one knew anything didn’t want to make waves or have their own children dredging up a community’s unfortunate past.

Later, amidst the recurrent silence, the Petersons quietly withdrew the spurned scholarship.

On May 6, 2010, Eileen posted a poignant guest blog on this website, “Breaking Through Walls of Silence and Shame.” She recalled the silence of store clerks when her brother took her to shop for a black dress … of going back to school for the final week, and no one saying anything, almost as if she’d been out with a cold. She remembers being told by a law officer that the only thing that could be done against the person who killer her sister was issuance of a traffic ticket.

“That is wrong,” Eileen wrote. “My sister was not powerful or influential but a human being who deserves justice and whose life was worth more than a traffic ticket.” Read Eileen’s full post.

A Public Plea: “Don’t Let Iowa’s Cold Case Unit Fade from Existence”

In a Des Moines Register editorial published October 18, 2011, Eileen Meier wrote:

The funding for the Iowa Cold Case Unit, established with a $500,000 National Institute of Justice grant and $194,000 federal Community Oriented Policing Service grant, is due to expire in November, and with it my hopes that the unit would be given a substantial chance to make a difference for Iowa families waiting for justice as mine has waited 40 years in my sister Valerie’s case.

I remember countless silent hours over the years looking at the linoleum floor of the Division of Criminal Investigation building in Des Moines meeting with agents who had no definitive answers. If the unit ends after such a short existence, I and others will hear the deafening silence for cold-case victims’ cases creep again through the DCI hallways, leaving only empty echoes of what could have been realized in time.

Evidence examination techniques have advanced exponentially in the last 20 years and hold keys to new information to assist in solving cases. Examination of case file information can be linked with technology not available in the past.

The financial continuation of an Iowa Cold Case Unit with investigators who focus solely on cold cases and use forensic advancements could make an immense difference for victims and their families. Iowa’s elected officials, law enforcement and victims’ groups could take pivotal steps to develop model best-practice standards for evidence procedures and storage, examination of cases and superior outreach to cold-case victims’ families for exemplary support similar to Denver and Arizona.

Iowa’s elected officials must find ways to fund the Iowa Cold Case Unit, and begin the work to create model best practices for cold cases. Iowa has the ability to give the evidence and information from cold cases a voice silenced over years to be loudly and skillfully articulated through the work of Iowa’s Cold Case Unit.

— Eileen Meier, Manson

She and her brother continue to actively pursue answers in Valerie’s unsolved hit-and-run homicide and their advocacy work on behalf of other victims.

About Valerie Peterson
Valerie Peterson gravestoneCourtesy photo SAS, findagrave.com
Valerie Peterson is buried at Union Cemetery in Pomeroy in Calhoun County, Iowa.

Elna Maria “Valerie” Peterson was born in 1962, the third child of Roland E. and Edna H. (Meyers) Peterson. She died May 6, 1971.

In addition to her parents, Valerie was survived by her brother, Cal, and sister, Eileen.

Valerie was laid to rest in the Union Cemetery in Pomeroy, Iowa, in Calhoun County.

Valerie’s mother died Feb. 29, 2016, without ever seeing justice served in her youngest daughter’s unsolved homicide.

Information Needed

If you have any information about Valerie Peterson’s unsolved murder, please contact the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation at (515) 725-6010, email dciinfo@dps.state.ia.us, or contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation at (402) 493-8688, or email Omaha@ic.fbi.gov.

Sources:
Copyright © 2024 Iowa Cold Cases, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

 

53 Responses to Valerie Peterson

  1. Christina m cribbs says:

    Never understood how people could live in the same town With people that murdered your family without some kind of Vigilanti justice smh

  2. Pengus Khan says:

    My family isn’t from this town originally but I grew up there. My mom knows the story to a degree and from what she’s heard from locals she knows who probably did it. He’s still alive and still lives in town. I won’t name is name because if I’m wrong it’s a terrible thing to accuse them of. But I think she’s right.

  3. anonymous says:

    this one really gets to me

  4. Pam Littleton says:

    And I’m sure every last one of those people within the Wall of Silence go to church every Sunday.

    No wonder Jesus couldn’t stand The Pharisees. I cannot abide hypocrisy myself.

    I will never understand anyone who could look away from a child murder when they have information that could lead to the killer.

    My prayers are with the family, and I hope some day that the killer will be brought to justice.

  5. Lucky says:

    What a terrible tragedy. To me it seems that maybe someone needs to see their victims face to remind them what they did, perhaps put up posters around the town?

  6. Mike Byrne says:

    There were three men in the truck that hit Valerie.One can only hope that one or both of the men that were NOT driving the truck that hit this child wil have a guilty conciense after holding in the truth for all of these years and come forward with the name of the driver so this case can finally be closed.I don’t know how anyone could live with themself with that kind of weight haunting them.

  7. Eaglesforlife says:

    I’m 35, grew up and lived in Manson for the first 24 years. I don’t remember anyone ever talking about this except for saying a little girl got hit and killed by a truck back in the day. Didn’t even know it was right down the street from my house. I know we don’t rat on people in Manson but didn’t think people took it this far. Kind of disappointing. Guess next time I go home I’ll have to ask people who the suspect was. Get enough booze in the old timers they tend to talk.

  8. This is just unbelieveable !!! no matter who you are you should be convicted.

  9. Amen, justice needs to be served.

  10. Ruth Webb says:

    Horrible someone got away with murder because they were high profile.

  11. Pat Mcnamara says:

    I’m sure the people in the truck have had a miserable life. Drunk, dead and just maybe brain dead. They have to be in 65-70s. Their parents are gone. The same ones that covered it up. Someone knows someone wants to talk.

  12. Were these “high profile” people sued in civil court? That requires much less evidence and it sounds like there is plenty of incriminating information.

  13. This is so sad, and angering at the same time. That poor child lost her life, and she’ll never get to be a mother, or grandmother. Where is her justice?

  14. Diana Wilson says:

    So very sad. I hate that certain people can get away with murder. How can they live with themselves. And why did they go over to the side of the road and hit her. This isn’t even a cold case if they know who did it. They all ought to have to pay…..everyone that helped hide the crime. Shame on them.

  15. If everyone knows the name if this person why can it not be mentioned? It’s long passed any hope of prosecution and the man should have to live the shame and stigma of what he (they) did. And the parents and law enforcement are no better for letting them get away with it.

    • If they put a name out there they had better be able to prove it, and if they could prove it the person would be charged. There is no statute of limitations on murder, and if this person swerved to hit this child that sounds like murder to me.

      • LakeLife says:

        Yes, them saying there was a statue of limitations is a LIE!
        Just another cover up.
        Vehicular homicide doesn’t have a statue of limitations.
        They need to look closely at who would have had access to the items that were thrown out & internal affairs needs to get involved.
        Also who would have known or had connections to that police department at that time.
        God will judge all of those who did this as well as those who knew & did nothing!

    • I guess I’m just confused because suspects names are often thrown around in news articles but none on this one. I’m not from there so knowing the name for myself really doesn’t matter but I bet it does to this little girl’s family. Based on the story it sounds like there might have been more than one family involved unless the guys were brothers. This is one of the most shameful cases of cover up I’ve ever known when surely there are multitudes that know some or all the truth.

    • They may still be afraid of these people.

    • They must be some pretty powerful people and that is scary that a few families can grip an entire community.

  16. This case is so sad and makes me so angry.

  17. Sad, would like to see some justice for this little girl.

  18. terribly sad that our lovely state has many people who have blood on their hands but time hasn’t revealed who they are.

  19. This story is really sad…..

  20. It was a “well to do” family in a small town. Heard he was on military leave and they shipped him back out early the next day. That’s the “story” anyway.

    • Justice says:

      Angela and Jody – you probably can’t get any closer in revealing this person without actually mentioning his name – which I suspect you and the community seems to know, but after nearly 45 years no one will mention. The suspect walked away from vehicle homicide right under the purview of law “lack of enforcement” who share a greater responsibility to the family & community than the unscrupulous and “Prominent” family. May God bless their souls!

    • Melanie Wood says:

      My question is then. It was reported they had long Hair. If they were in the Service they wouldn’t have long Hair. So disgusting 2 or 3 men in the truck and NOT one did the right thing afterwards and decided to be cowards. They will get their punishment.

  21. if they sold the vehicle to the dealership why wasn’t there a paper trail?

  22. Redpill Neo says:

    what was the reason she was struck, accident or intentional? did her killers have a personal grudge against her?

    • Tanya says:

      She was a child, how could 3 grown men possibly have a grudge against her? Evidence indicates that yes, they did hit her on purpose. It’s disgusting that the people who know what happened and know who did it never had the guts to come forward. In my opinion, remaining silent and allowing a murderer to go free is the same thing as doing the deed themselves. Cowards.

      • Redpill Neo says:

        thanks for clarifying. maybe a grudge against her family, perhaps she was rich and that pisses them off? or blonde, maybe the 3 men were black?

        so did they struck her as a fun thing?

        • Jody Ewing says:

          It’s hard to say what the motive was, but the individuals had no reason to have a grudge against the Peterson family. The men in the truck had been drinking at a local bar, and not only was their reputation at stake, but possibly the (military) son’s future. The fact that they made so many blatant efforts to cover up their involvement (immediately washing and then selling the truck, putting the son on the plane, going back to the scene after investigators left and trying to add “brake” tread marks on the road) clearly indicates they felt no remorse.

      • Peggy says:

        I highly doubt if they did it on purpose. They were probably drinking or telling a story and the driver looked over to one of the other guys and swerved by accident. Yes an accident but to leave the little girl lying there is the work of a low life mf.

    • April says:

      Or were they intoxicated?

  23. cindychevalier says:

    I am so sorry to hear about this case. I wish all the cold cases were solved. I’m still waiting to her about Officer John Stephens” Case.

  24. Kathy Self says:

    I agree with Anita, sounds like a 20/20 Story to me !!!! How 3 men in a truck and the families of those men can live with themselves or look at themselves in the mirror , is a true mystery !!!!! They have NO conscience and are worthless . And the original Officers at the time must have been on the take !!! If there was tire tread that showed the truck swerved off the road —–NO Accident !!

  25. Anita Schuttler says:

    Maybe this should be a case for 20/20! Bet they get the answers

    • Amber Steinberg Moeller says:

      Hi Anita. We are both from Iowa… It’s interesting because I was a year younger than Valerie. …I remember my parents knowing what family it was but not saying it. That’s how it was in town everyone knew which family they were talking about. But it’s been so many years and my dad is sadly gone now. This is haunted me for so many years and I Haven’t lived there since college. I love my little hometown but it’s absolutely crazy that no one was ever charged

  26. Laura Jepsen says:

    How can people ignore this…..who were the original investigating officers ththey don’t have any information?

  27. Helen Hoefing says:

    Over the years I have thought of this horror many times. I feel so very sorry for the family of this precious child and wish I COULD help in some way to solve this case. One correction I feel needs to be made—- I do not believe any one connected to the case, froze to death. I wish the people who were involved in this horrible travesty would come forward.. You will have to answer to our Lord and so will you who have protected the guilty all this time…….some day.

  28. Mike says:

    I only have one thing to add to pkdavis’ comment…capital letters. COWARD!

  29. pkdavis1495 says:

    Coward.

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