Taylor County in Iowa
Homicide
Pansy May Turnbull
17 YOA
Street Fair
Clearfield, Iowa
Ringgold and Taylor counties
August 26, 1926
On Thursday afternoon, August 26, 1926, Pansy May Turnbull, the 17-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. Turnbull of Diagonal, Iowa, was found drugged and beaten after attending a Street Fair in Clearfield, Iowa. She died a short time later at her Diagonal, Iowa home. While five young men were arrested and charged with her murder, none were ever convicted and the murder remains unsolved.
Denise Eberly, center, and her baby sister Dixie, far right, died in the house fire at their rural New Market home on Oct. 15, 1964.
Double Homicide
Denise Diane Eberly, 3 years
Dixie Lynne Eberly, 13 mos.
New Market, IA
Taylor County
October 15, 1964
On Thursday morning, October 15, 1964, Dixie Lynne Eberly, 13 months old, and her 3-year-old sister, Denise Diane Eberly, died after an arson fire in the family’s rural New Market, Iowa home. The baby, Dixie, was burned alive in her crib. Denise died the same day at the Municipal Hospital of smoke inhalation.
Colleen Simpson
Missing Person
Colleen Simpson
Age at Report: 14
Date of Birth: December 5, 1960
Missing From: Bedford, IA (Taylor County)
Date Reported Missing: October 5, 1975
Colleen Simpson was reported missing to the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office in Bedford on October 5, 1975. She was last seen at home where she disappeared during the night.
Boyd Novinger
Homicide
Boyd George Novinger
77 YOA
Bedford, IA
Taylor County
Case # 97-13903
December 27, 1997
Boyd George Novinger, a 77-year-old Bedford, Iowa resident who’d worked in a family-operated funeral home business for 50 years, was shot and killed in his home sometime on Saturday, Dec. 27, 1997. Novinger’s son-in-law and business partner, H. Keith Taylor, was first on scene and told officials he found his father-in-law’s body Sunday afternoon.
I remember when the fire that killed the Eberly children happened. I was 10 years old and went to school at New Market Comm. School. My little sister was in kindergarten and the oldest Eberly child, Larry, was in her grade. It was such a tragic fire and affected the whole community. So very awful and sad…
this site is awesome . i love reading through the different counties, cold cases. i’m in montgomery county and some of these are very interesting keep up the good work!!
Wow! Thanks so much for the wonderful compliment! It is indeed both a passion and a labor of love for me. I never stop looking in the rear-view mirror, always hoping a new set of eyes on the case or an investigator’s new theory or even justice itself might not be far behind.
Your words meant a lot to me. Thank you again!
I have lived in Bedford my whole life. I've never heard of Colleen Simpson. But Boyd Novinger was an awesome human being. He would give you the shirt off of his back if he thought it would help you in any way. Everybody knows everybody here and I can't imagine anyone from here doing anything like this. Please help catch whoever did this terrible thing to a wonderful man.