Wellman, IA Area Cold Cases

Name

Douglas Shondel II

Age

21

Cause of Death

Undetermined

Info

Many things don’t add up in 21-year-old douglas james shondel ii’s mysterious march 2001 death. Jefferson county in iowa jefferson county in iowa fairfield in jefferson countyfairfield in jefferson county shondel’s pregnant girlfriend, crystal knight, told officials on sunday, march 11, 2001, that she’d found him unresponsive in the bathtub of the couple’s 100 n. 16th st. Apartment in fairfield, iowa, the water still running from the shower. Rather than ask to use the next-door neighbor’s telephone to call 911, knight walked one and one-half blocks to gather some of the couple’s friends, who returned to the 16th street apartment with her to allegedly clean everything before anyone called emts.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Frank Searway

Age

43

Cause of Death

Murder

Info

Frank searway, a 43-year-old single farmer, had just sold a horse for $850 when he was murdered and buried in his barn about six miles northwest of millersburg, iowa, on or around may 8, 1911.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Rose Burkert

Age

22

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

On friday evening, september 12, 1980, rose burkert, 22, and roger atkison, 32, arrived at the amana holiday inn along I-80 near williamsburg, iowa, hoping for a romantic weekend getaway. The on-duty attendant told them the hotel was booked solid due to an area morticians’ conference, but double-checked the register. They were in luck; there’d been a cancellation.The couple received a key to room 260 at 7:40 p.M.Shortly after noon the next day, a housekeeper arrived at room 260 — a room only accessible from inside the building — and knocked several times. She got no answer. She tried the door, but found it locked.What the housekeeper saw — blood splattered all across the bed’s headboard, the walls and the carpet — caused her to “slam the door shut and run for the manager,” wrote gazette staff writer gary peterson.The married atkison worked as a telephone installer-repairman for general telephone co. In savannah, mo., and burkert was a nurse trainee at st. Joseph hospital.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Roger Atkison

Age

32

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

On friday evening, september 12, 1980, rose burkert, 22, and roger atkison, 32, arrived at the amana holiday inn along I-80 near williamsburg, iowa, hoping for a romantic weekend getaway. The on-duty attendant told them the hotel was booked solid due to an area morticians’ conference, but double-checked the register. They were in luck; there’d been a cancellation.The couple received a key to room 260 at 7:40 p.M.Shortly after noon the next day, a housekeeper arrived at room 260 — a room only accessible from inside the building — and knocked several times. She got no answer. She tried the door, but found it locked.What the housekeeper saw — blood splattered all across the bed’s headboard, the walls and the carpet — caused her to “slam the door shut and run for the manager,” wrote gazette staff writer gary peterson.The married atkison worked as a telephone installer-repairman for general telephone co. In savannah, mo., and burkert was a nurse trainee at st. Joseph hospital.

Agency

Iowa

Name

William Rogers

Age

46

Cause of Death

Missing

Info

William francis rogers, 46, was last seen at his north english, iowa, residence, the same night his house burned down on sunday, february 25, 2001.Authorities were unable to locate any trace of him in the ruins, and he was listed as missing with the keokuk county sheriff’s office.At the time of his disappearance, rogers was described as a 5-foot-8 white male weighing 160 pounds. His eyes, reported as hazel, are brown but the left one has a green hue to it and it often appears as two different colors.Rogers was last seen wearing a tan jacket, a “comfort-inn” t-shirt, blue jeans and black tennis shoes.Rogers is balding, though he may have a moustache, beard or goatee. His nickname is bill.Mr. Rogers is also listed as missing on the texas department of public safety’s missing persons clearinghouse.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Brandy Shepherd

Age

29

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Brandy mae shepherd-margita, 29, of anamosa, iowa, was found dead in a henry county farm field west of wayland near highway 78 on friday, august 9, 2019. Wayland in henry county (wikipedia) the mother of four young children had been missing since august 2. The henry county sheriff’s office said a farmhand found her body around noon while checking on livestock and the property’s fence line.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Near Reservoir

Age

27

Cause of Death

Fire

Info

On labor day, september 1, 1975, two young motorcyclists discovered the charred bodies of two persons inside a scorched pickup truck near the coralville reservoir in johnson county, iowa. The victims were later identified as karen ann christensen, 27, of cedar rapids, ia, and her cousin, larry gordon wells, 25, of marathon, iowa.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Ronald Lipsius

Age

30

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Ronald f. Lipsius, a 30-year-old iowa city grocer, was shot to death on monday, may 16, 1966 as he chased a woman bandit who’d just scooped $35 from a cash register in his 812 south summit street store.According to published reports, a young woman entered the clover farm food market at about 8:30 a.M. And asked for some sliced ham. While lipsius began slicing the meat, the woman snatched the money from the cash register and then fled north on foot.Several people who’d witnessed the robbery-shooting described the female bandit as being in her early twenties, 5′ 09″ and weighing around 175 pounds. They said she wore jeans, a headscarf and horn-rimmed glasses. The woman and an unknown male got into a 1957 pontiac, white over black, shortly after the woman shot lipsius.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Sarah Ottens

Age

20

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Sarah ann ottens, a 20-year-old university of iowa student from morrison, illinois, was assaulted and suffocated in her rienow hall room in iowa city on tuesday, march 13, 1973.Student brenda simpson of waterloo discovered ottens’ body in room 429 just before midnight.Six months after the murder, university of iowa student and football player james wendall hall, 20, of toledo, ohio, was charged in ottens’ murder based on fingerprints and dna evidence found at the crime scene.In may 1974, he was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to 50 years in prison at fort madison.The defense began a number of appeals, though the iowa supreme court upheld hall’s conviction and the u.S. Supreme court refused to hear the case.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Steven Babka

Age

58

Cause of Death

Missing

Info

Steven babka, a 58-year-old homeless man who lived in a tent near the iowa river on the outskirts of marengo, iowa, has not been seen since may 25, 2012. He was reported missing to the iowa county sheriff’s office in marengo on june 6, 2012.He is described as a 5-foot-9 white male with brown hair turning gray, and his hair has varied between shorter to almost shoulder length with some typical male pattern baldness. He has blue eyes and weighs about 240 pounds, and has unknown tattoos on his head, right arm, and upper right arm. He also has a scar near his right eye and a scar on his right forearm, and has a crippled right hand.He typically wears a mustache and is usually not clean shaven. He seldom wore anything other than short pants and tie dye t-shirts.Though babka wears prescription glasses, they were found left behind along with his medications and all his worldly possessions. Babka had no car and usually traveled with a bicycle.

Agency

Iowa