The Cases – Homicides (1980 – 1989)
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 1980 – 1989, and are listed in chronological order. 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/or feature stories related to that case.
Jane Doe
19-25 YOA
River Area SE
Des Moines, IA
Case # 1980-20704
May 26, 1980
Helen Morrow
55 YOA
Eldon, IA
Wapello County
August 12, 1980
Donald Hebert
43 YOA
3115 SW McKinley
Des Moines, IA
Case # 1980-38313
September 8, 1980
Double Homicide
Rose Burkert, 22
Amana Holiday Inn
Iowa County
Case # 80-06274
September 12, 1980
Double Homicide
Roger Atkison, 32
Amana Holiday Inn
Iowa County
Case # 80-06274
September 12, 1980
Sandra Jo Pittman, 17
Solved
Hwy 30 Rest Area
Clarence, IA
Cedar County
September 17, 1980
Pamela Hinrichs, 19
Amvets Post 28
1317 S. 17th St.
Clinton, IA
Case # 81-00259
January 13, 1981
Angela M. Altman
22 YOA
215 S. 7th Street
Fort Dodge, IA
Case # 81-00528
January 24, 1981
Mamie Sime
74 YOA
Rolfe, IA
Pocahontas County
Case # 81-01956
March 31, 1981
Amos Jellison
74 YOA
306 Prospect St. NE
Blairstown, IA
Benton County
August 2, 1981
George R. Keller, 61
Rural Route 34
Woodburn, IA
Clarke County
Case # 81-05701
September 28, 1981
George Leonard, 53
Inn Tavern
902 S. 14th Street
Clinton, IA
Case # 81-06936
November 28, 1981
Linda Mayfield
21 YOA
3320 West Broadway
Council Bluffs, IA
Case # D82-0713
April 9, 1982
Lee Rotatori
32 YOA
2216 27th Ave.
Council Bluffs, IA
Case # F82-2558
June 25, 1982
John P. Adams, Jr.
23 YOA
2400 blk W. Broadway
Council Bluffs, IA
Case # G82-1088
July 11, 1982
Lisa Vander Esch
19 YOA
Rural Route
Ireton, IA
Sioux County
September 14, 1982
Robert M. Clary
48 YOA
419 1/2 14th Avenue S.
Clinton, IA
Case # 82-05190
September 29, 1982
Lloyd J. Patrick, 85
Rural Route
Oskaloosa, IA
Mahaska County
Case # 82-05758
October 27, 1982
Marvin Brandland
69 YOA
Fort Dodge, IA
Webster County
Case # 82-05814
October 30, 1982
Melvin R. Adams
55 YOA
Cemetery Road
Near Cliffland Bridge
Wapello County
February 13, 1983
Double Homicide
Steven Fisher, 20
Copper Dollar Ranch
Newton, IA
Case # 83-01119
March 3, 1983
Double Homicide
Melisa Gregory, 17
Copper Dollar Ranch
Newton, IA
Case # 83-01119
March 3, 1983
Newborn Infant
Left on rural road
Outside Ames, IA
Story County
Case # 83-01277
March 13, 1983
Corinne Elaine Perry
17 YOA
Creston, IA
Union County
Case # 83-02161
April 17, 1983
Dennis Chaffee
33 YOA
914 28th St. SE
Cedar Rapids, IA
Linn County
July 17, 1983
Pennye Watson
18 YOA
1054 21st
Des Moines, IA
Case # 1983-32787
September 10, 1983
Terri McCauley
18 YOA
33rd & Pavonia St.
Sioux City, IA
Woodbury County
September 27, 1983
Bambi Lynn Dick
17 YOA
Davenport, IA
Scott County
September 29, 1983
Joyce Jefferson
23 YOA
Black Hawk Rd.
Waterloo, IA
Body Found: 10/8/83
DOD: Sept. 29, 1983
Jeffrey Deaver
25 YOA
1132 5th
Des Moines, IA
Case # 1983-37472
October 15, 1983
Arthur Ransford
36 YOA
Lee County
Case # 84-02367
Body found 5/13/1984
DOD: Nov. 22, 1983
Danny Baker
28 YOA
617 18th Ave. SW
Cedar Rapids, IA
Linn County
November 28, 1983
Ronald Lee Novak
24 YOA
Rolling Acres Road
Center Point, IA
Linn County
December 23, 1983
Timothy C. Earney
29 YOA
Albia, IA
Monroe County
Case # 84-00561
February 2, 1984
John Clifton Downey
39 YOA
Brush on dirt trail
Des Moines, IA
Case # 84-0162
February 28, 1984
Arnold Sansgaard
58 YOA
Rural Route
Boone County
Case # 84-03531
July 15, 1984
Donald Murphy
39 YOA
Knoxville, IA
Marion County
July 20, 1984
Charles Jaeger, 37
914 Second Ave. SE
Dyersville, IA
Dubuque County
Case # 84-04212
August 29, 1984
Warren Swanson
53 YOA
709 25th
Des Moines, IA
Case # 1984-37964
October 1, 1984
Double Homicide
John R. Green, 3 yrs
1512 Belle Avenue
Davenport, IA
Case # 1984-10311
November 24, 1984
Double Homicide
Mark E. Green, 18 mos
1512 Belle Avenue
Davenport, IA
Case # 1984-10311
November 24, 1984
Henry Juchems
81 YOA
Steamboat Rock, IA
Hardin County
Case # 85-03433
July 3, 1985
Lance DeWoody, 22
Oakdale Campus
Coralville, IA
Case # 85-04249
August 12, 1985
Thomas Adkins
29 YOA
Van Buren Wildlife Area
Douds, IA
Van Buren County
September 14, 1985
John Shuey
26 YOA
1427 23rd Street
Des Moines, IA
Case # 1986-12024
March 22, 1986
UnIDd White Male
40-50 YOA
S. Lewis Blvd.
Sioux City, IA
Woodbury County
March 25, 1986
UnIDd White Male
33-36 YOA
Winneshiek County
Est DOD: April 1985
Body found:
March 31, 1986
Felicitas Terrill
74 YOA
Muscatine, IA
Muscatine County
Case # 86-01868
April 14, 1986
Kristine Mitchell
27 YOA
100 Forest
Des Moines, IA
Case # 1986-17433
April 27, 1986
Ronette Peterson
22 YOA
Disappeared from Madrid, IA
Found in Lakeland, FL
May 7, 1986
Bryan Pence
21 YOA
3725 Hubbell
Des Moines, IA
Case # 1986-22875
May 29, 1986
Rick Lynne Davis
36 YOA
Oskaloosa, IA
Mahaska County
July 20, 1986
Morris Wright
52 YOA
1426 10th
Des Moines, IA
Case # 1986-41137
September 15, 1986
Kimberly “Kim” Loose
16 YOA
From: Blue Grass, IA
Died in: Walcott, IA
Scott County
September 26, 1986
Craig A. Petersen
20 YOA
Mississippi River
Montpelier, IA
Muscatine County
September 28, 1986
Denease Latham
24 YOA
Creek bed
Rose Hill, IA
Mahaska County
October 5, 1986
Bertha Mae Foy
18 YOA
Fort Dodge, IA
Webster County
August 9, 1987
Jamedia Hines
22 YOA
1700 Oakland Ave.
Des Moines, IA
Case # 1987-37149
September 5, 1987
Mary Ann Green, 59
Spring Creek Mobile Park
Oskaloosa, IA
Mahaska County
September 27, 1987
Kenny Joe Johnson
14 YOA
Maus Park
Dubuque, IA
DCI Case # 87-05013
October 10, 1987
Michael Anderson
29 YOA
200 block of Warren
Davenport, IA
Scott County
November 30, 1987
Alfred W. Allen
73 YOA
200 blk of Warren
Scott County
Davenport, IA
February 8, 1988
Tamara Lynn Lass
10 days old
Norwalk, IA
Warren County
March 1, 1988
Amber Marie Hayes
7-1/2 months old
603 Clay St.
Muscatine, IA
Case # 88-02703
June 9, 1988
UnIDd White Male
33-53 YOA
Correctionville, IA
Woodbury County
Est DOD: 1971-73
Found: August 30, 1988
Matthew Pusateri
26 YOA
800 Blk 6th St. SW
Cedar Rapids, IA
Linn County
November 12, 1988
Jeffery “Jo Jo” Zolliecoffer
23 YOA
Cedar River
Waterloo, IA
September 7, 1989
BY ERA: Up through 1899 | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000 – present | Missing Persons
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I HEARD THAT MY UNCLE MAY HAVE BEEN A SUSPECT IN KENNY JOE JOHNSON CASE. IT WOULD NOT SURPRISE ME.
Hey Keith, would you be able to give anymore details? I am interested in this case. Thanks.
HI JOY. MY NUMBER IS 563-451-4806. IF I DONT ANSWER PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE. THANK YOU
1981 a man with 1972 impala tried to kill me me he had black hair with a pitted face and also drove a small white car he was never caught ,he beat me with a metal baseball bat and was a public official he often drove 19th street and 1st ave . He ran me over when I dug my fingers in his eyes ,I will never forget his face
For Brian Schappert-I didn’t find a write up about him. Sept. 8, 1989. I do appreciate all
of the work you do for doing this. Thank you!
Laura, the write-up about Brian Schappert is located here: https://iowacoldcases.org/case-summaries/brian-schappert/
What about Danny Germain? Muscatine county.
was Penny Sternquist murder ever solved? this happen in Boone Iowa 1984 or 1983
she was my best friend
Barbara, I’m so sorry for the loss of your best friend. Penny was killed Nov. 30, 1984. In May 1997, Ronald Merrill Gruber pled guilty to second degree murder in her death. DCI Special Agent Mike Motsinger verified this on Feb. 4, 2014.
What happened to Ron’s mom Marie Shipman? I used to work with her in Jesup IA and be close with her during some of this ordeal then she moved down south after surgery we never heard from her again.