Ames in Story County

Story County in Iowa

Cold Cases in Ames, Iowa

 
Note: Some of these cases may fall under the jurisdiction of the Story County Sheriff’s Office. They are listed here for cross-reference purposes. Please see the individual case summary pages for more information on how to contact the appropriate law enforcement agencies for each case.

Henry Chavis

Homicide
Henry William Chavis
55 YOA
Highway 69
Ames, IA
Story County (jurisdiction)
November 8, 1948

On Nov. 8, 1948, Henry Chavis, the owner and operator of Ames Canning Company, was shot to death near the rear door steps of his rural Ames farm home.

Sheila Collins

Homicide:
Sheila Jean Collins
18 YOA
Case # 68-00287
ISU Student
Last seen in Ames, IA
Body found near Colo, IA
Story County (jurisdiction)
January 26, 1968

On Sunday, January 28, 1968, Sheila Jean Collins, 18, of Evanston, Ill., was found lying face-down in a ditch off a gravel road four miles east of Nevada, Iowa, about 20 miles east of Ames. Miss Collins — an Iowa State University coed who was headed home for the weekend — had been strangled with a nylon cord knotted around her neck. A father and son out fox hunting near the town of Colo in Story County found Collins’ body after the son spotted a foot in the shallow ditch.

Ronald Westwick

Missing Person
Ronald E. Westwick
34 YOA
DOB: Oct. 26, 1944
Height: 6’02”
Eyes: Brown
Missing from Ames, IA
Story County
Incident Type: Mental/physical disability
March 12, 1979

Ronald Eugene Westwick, 34, was reported missing to the Ames Police Department in Ames, Iowa, on March 12, 1979.

Homicide
James “Jimmy” Morris
a.k.a. “Jimmy Morise”
58 YOA
203 E. Lincoln Way
Ames, IA
Story County
October 27, 1991

Four days before Halloween in 1991, James “Jimmy” Morris was found beaten to death in his bedroom at 203 E. Lincoln Way in Ames.

Aaron Marr

Homicide
Aaron Marr
37 YOA
210 S. Second St.
Ames, IA
Story County
September 22, 2007

At 9:53 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, 2007, the Ames Police Department took a call for an ambulance assist at 210 S. Second St., about a man who had a neck laceration. When officers got there, they found Aaron Marr suffering from several stab wounds to his neck and back. He had enough time to tell the first responders that he knew who had attacked him, but he wasn’t going to tell. He was transported to Mary Greeley Medical Center but died on the way, his chance to name his murderer gone forever.