The Cases – Homicides (1950 – 1959)

BY ERA: Up through 1899 | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000 – present | Missing Persons

The cases below include unsolved Iowa homicides from 1950 – 1959 and are listed chronologically. If you know of a case not listed here or have information you’d like included with an existing page, please contact us with relevant details and we’ll respond to your inquiry as soon as possible.

Click on any image or link to view a victim’s case summary page and to access additional information and feature stories related to that case.
 

Alonzo Beghtel
81 YOA
West of Hwy 25
Guthrie Center, IA
Guthrie County
January 18, 1950

Crystal Schneckloth
53 YOA
Summary Coming Soon
Persia, IA
Harrison County
August 11, 1950
george-massouris-cb-nonpareil-165px George J. Massouris
30 YOA
Orchard Road
Councils Bluffs, IA
Pottawattamie County
November 18, 1950
Lyman Elledge Lyman S. Elledge
65 YOA
Barney Wiskus lawn
Colesburg, IA
Delaware County
September 28, 1951
Leon Groves Leon Groves
40 YOA
SE 18th & Scott
Des Moines, IA
Case # 1951-9296
December 22, 1951
offer-reward-for-killer-of-baby-165px Unknown Baby Boy
2-3 hours old
Highway 30
Tama, IA
Tama County
June 11, 1952
Baby Feet
Baby John Doe Newborn Infant
Des Moines River
Polk County, IA
Case # 10-77-1397
December 12, 1953
Charles Sanders Charles Sanders
67 YOA
Court Ave. Bridge
Des Moines, IA
Case # 1954-33401
April 15, 1954
Jimmy Bremmers Jimmy Bremmers
8 YOA
2701 Cottage Ave.
Sioux City, IA
Woodbury County
August 31, 1954
Donna Sue Davis Donna Sue Davis
21 months of age
715 Isabella Street
Sioux City, IA
Woodbury County
July 10, 1955
lucille-bacher-165px Lucile Bacher
43 YOA
Lincoln Ave. Pharmacy
Davenport, IA
Scott County
November 29, 1955
Rose Grandanette Rose Grandanette
33 YOA
Sunrise Blvd. & 73rd St.
Windsor Heights, IA
Polk County
September 14, 1958
frank-eckels-article-165px Frank J. Eckels
73 YOA
Oakland Motel & Café
Oakland, IA
Pottawattamie County
December 3, 1958
hilda-fletcher-mcgg-165px Hilda Fletcher
53 YOA
Beaten in home
Sioux City, IA
Woodbury County
December 15, 1958
Melvin Gallagher
22 YOA
Clark Super Station
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
January 3, 1959
marlene-padfield-165px Marlene Padfield
17 YOA
Hometown: Lisbon
Cedar Rapids, IA
Linn County
February 19, 1959
Frederick L. Coste
47 YOA
312 Second Ave. SE
Cedar Rapids, IA
Linn County
October 15, 1959

BY ERA: Up through 1899 | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000 – present | Missing Persons

 

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5 Responses to Homicides – 1950s

  1. Timothy L. Springer says:

    Would like to add my Grandpa to the list. Dwane Roy Dreher… Missing from Mason City, Iowa… Nov.8th, 1955

  2. Jim W says:

    My neighbor got the dates confused. The Laubenthal and Henkins murders were in 1976 not 1957 like they thought. The cold case is still listed in 1976. .

  3. Jim W says:

    Why is the double homicide in Palo Alto County in 1957 not listed with the victims Debbie Rose Laubenthal
    Raymond Morris Henkins?

    To my knowledge it has never been solved and is still a cold case. .

  4. Sandra Gray says:

    I don’t find Earl McMurray in your cold cases from 1954. Earl owned the gas station where North High School is located now in Des Moines, IA. He was found in the bathroom of the station and had been stabbed multiple times. Also the station had been robbed. Earl was no relation to me but we called him our uncle. I was 8 yrs. old when this happened. My grandmother lived in a trailer behind the station. When she came home from work she could not find Earl. She called my dad and told him and we went right to the station. When we got there the police were there. I remember watching them take Earl out of the station and putting him in an ambulance. I also remember my dad was taken to the Police Station and questioned for two days. My mother was pregnant at the time and due to the stress she miscarried. I am now 70 yrs of age and still don’t know what happened to this case. A few years ago Earl’s picture was in the Des Moines Register as one of Des Moines unsolved murders. Can you help me as to where this case is now????

  5. Tiffany says:

    This is great. I’m glad this website is taking the time out to care enough for the unsolved murders that society has forgot about. Their is no race issue, it’s just people helping people

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