West Branch, IA Area Cold Cases

Name

Amber Hayes

Age

712

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Amber marie hayes, 7-1/2 months old, was reported missing by her mother, mary hayes, at 1:30 a.M. On thursday, june 9, 1988. Four days later, parts of the infant’s body, her pink diaper bag and a blanket were discovered in a remote area near lake odessa by two boys riding all-terrain vehicles.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Charles Netherland

Age

25

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Charles william “binx” netherland, 25, was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head at 801 mulberry ave. In muscatine, iowa, on saturday, august 18, 2012.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Eugenio Garcia

Age

36

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

The body of eugenio garcia, 36, was found near the dougherty bridge on county road f-70 about seven miles northwest of muscatine, iowa at 7 a.M. On father’s day, june 21, 1992. Sgt. Greg orr of the muscatine county sheriff’s department reported garcia had been strangled.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Felicitas Terrill

Age

73

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Seventy-three-year-old felicitas terrill was found dead in her muscatine, iowa home monday morning, april 14, 1986, with four gunshot wounds to the head. Felicitas terrill article courtesy the cedar rapids gazette, tuesday, april 15, 1986 sharon renfro — the victim’s daughter — said when she tried to contact her mother and couldn’t reach her, she called police and asked them to do a welfare check.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Isidro Gomez Jr

Age

27

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Isidro gomez, jr., of muscatine, iowa, was reported missing to the muscatine police department on december 17, 2007, by jessica ridinger of muscatine, gomez’s girlfriend of eight years. Muscatine county in iowa muscatine county in iowa muscatine in muscatine countymuscatine in muscatine county ridinger said gomez left their muscatine home early that morning and promised to be back before breakfast. When he didn’t come home, ridinger said she knew something was wrong and alerted authorities.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Jacob Neibert

Age

53

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Muscatine police officer jacob neibert was shot on saturday, june 13, 1896, after arresting two hobos for vagrancy. The two men overpowered and shot him. Neibert was able to give other officers a description of the two men before succumbing to his wounds. Jacob neupert gravestone courtesy photo marcia fiedler, findagrave.Com jacob neupert is buried at the greenwood cemetery in muscatine two suspects were arrested but later released when officials determined they had nothing to do with the murder.

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

Robert Kellar

Age

20

Cause of Death

Missing

Info

Robert lee kellar, 20, was last seen on feb. 12, 1990 in muscatine, iowa, right before he left on a cross-country trip. His family assumed he would be back, but they never saw him again.At the time he went missing, robert was described as a 6-foot-1 white male with brown hair, brown eyes, and weighing about 135 pounds. He sometimes went by the name of rob heuton.Family members said he wasn’t acting like himself in the months prior to his disappearance and believe he may have been using drugs. They always assumed he’d be back, and didn’t report him missing until two years after he left on his last cross-country trip.The investigation concluded he left the area voluntarily because there was no indication of foul play in his disappearance when he left. Foul play is now considered a possibility because family members don’t believe kellar would have gone more than 25 years without contacting any family members.Robert has two small scars on his left cheek, a small scar below his right eye and a small scar on his right wrist.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Roger Hill

Age

44

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Vietnam veteran roger dean hill, a 44-year-old father of three, disappeared from davenport, iowa, in mid-1997. His remains, found wrapped in a plastic tarp, were discovered tuesday, oct. 12, 1999, outside davenport’s city limits.According to hill’s obituary, he died in muscatine in muscatine county.Hill had recently been released from the veteran’s hospital in knoxville, iowa, visited a daughter in maquoketa, and allegedly had been hitchhiking back to davenport when he went missing.

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

Scott Tompkins

Age

23

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Scott m. Tompkins, 23, was shot by an assailant(s) on november 29, 1995, while stopped to fix his windshield wipers at the intersection of park avenue and harrison street in muscatine, iowa.Tompkins, 23, was found wounded at 9:43 p.M. Only blocks from the hardee’s restaurant where he worked as the assistant manager. He was transported to muscatine general hospital, where he was able to make a statement to police before dying.Park said tompkins had worked at the restaurant for six years but did not work the day of his murder. He said tompkins had a real good future with the restaurant and “would do anything for anybody.”tompkins lived on the city’s south side. His car was found on grand avenue a block away from his body, and reports indicated a trail of blood led from the vehicle to where his body was found.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Anthony Posley

Age

22

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Anthony “fat boy” posley, 22, of 333 pioneer ave. Se in cedar rapids, iowa, was shot in the 1600 block of sixth avenue se about 2:27 a.M. On sunday, july 23, 2006. He was taken by ambulance to mercy medical center and pronounced dead a short time later. According to cedar rapids police lt. Kenneth washburn, who investigated the case, those who spoke to the police indicated that posley was shot in self-defense.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Aubrey Young

Age

35

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Aubrey young, 35, was shot to death near redmond park in cedar rapids at 2 a.M. On sunday, june 15, 2008. Investigators found his body, lying face down on the ground, between two parked cars in the 200 block of 16th street se. Young had been shot once in the head.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Barbara Elms

Age

50

Cause of Death

Missing

Info

Barbara lee elms was reported missing to the cedar rapids police department on august 25, 1993. She was last seen heading toward first avenue east, wearing white shorts, a multicolored blouse, black hose, hi-top sneakers, and a walkman with earphones.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Charles Gearhart

Age

89

Cause of Death

Stabbing

Info

Charles rufus gearhart, an 89-year-old rock island railroad retiree, was stabbed to death in his cedar rapids apartment on wednesday, may 13, 1970, the victim of an apparent robbery. Gearhart, the landlord of an apartment building located at 422 first street sw, was discovered the following day by tenants charles frondle and willie harvey, who’d come to gearhart’s apartment to complain they had no water or heat; the apartment building’s basement had flooded, extinguishing the furnace’s pilot light. According to a cedar rapids gazette article dated may 15, 1970, frondle and harvey said they’d gone to gearhart’s apartment at approximately 6:35 p.M. Gearhart was found between the kitchen and bedroom lying in a hallway. Cedar rapids police told the gazette the suspect had broken the apartment’s rear door in order to gain entrance. A search of gearhart’s apartment failed to turn up the murder weapon. Tenants told police the elderly gearhart often flashed large sums of cash, though police were unable to locate any money in gearhart’s apartment or in his clothing.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Danny Baker

Age

28

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Danny baker, a 28-year-old father of four, was shot in the back monday night, nov. 28, 1983, in the driveway of his brother-in-law’s southwest cedar rapids home after an argument with another guest over a boxing match they’d been watching on television. Police said baker and willie b. Barney, 40, were inside paul galbreath’s 617 18th ave. Sw residence with several others — including baker’s 9-year-old son donyeal — prior to the shooting. The men had been drinking while watching the boxing match, and when baker and barney began arguing, baker went out the front door sometime before 8 p.M. And barney followed.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Denise Fraley

Age

30

Cause of Death

Missing

Info

Denise fraley was last seen alive in cedar rapids, iowa, in the early morning hours on sunday, september 12, 1982. Denise and her husband, david fraley, had played in a band saturday night at a private cedar rapids party. Once the couple left the event, denise was never seen alive again and foul play is suspected in her disappearance. David fraley never reported his wife as missing. And, for more than a month, he deterred his wife’s family from filing any missing persons report.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Dennis Chaffee

Age

33

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Dennis chaffee of cedar rapids, iowa, spent the weekend of july 16 – 17, 1983, at home with his 1-1/2-year-old twins — son adam and daughter maria — and on monday, july 18, was to return them to their mother, mary hernandez, who resided in marion, iowa. When monday arrived, chaffee didn’t answer his phone when hernandez called, nor did he show up for work at wilson foods in cedar rapids where he’d been employed for the past 15 years. Concerned, hernandez called chaffee’s parents, harlon and betty chaffee, also of cedar rapids.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Dennis Stastny

Age

30

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

On tuesday, august 9, 1977, mary white of cedar rapids, iowa, filed a missing persons report with the cedar rapids police department regarding the disappearance of her son, dennis stastny, 30. Two days later, stastny’s body was pulled from the cedar river near downtown cedar rapids after two young fishermen, steve halsor, 16, and john braumann, 15, discovered the body in the west spillway near the f avenue bridge about 11 a.M. According to an autopsy report by linn county medical examiner dr. Percy harris, stastny — a navy veteran who worked part-time as a shoe salesman — died from a “stab wound to the heart.”

Agency

Iowa

Name

Dominique Mosby

Age

22

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Twenty-two-year-old dominique mosby was shot in the head on friday, june 26, 2009 as he sat outside on an apartment deck playing dice for money with a group of men. According to witnesses, mosby and several other men were playing dice on the patio of cedarwood hills apartment number 105 in cedar rapids at 2030 glass rd. Ne when an unknown assailant walked up to mosby and shot him several times. The shooter then walked away. Police responded to shots fired at the complex at approximately 6:35 p.M., where they found mosby lying on the ground outside the ground floor apartment. Emergency medical technicians performed cpr on mosby before taking him to st. Luke’s hospital, where the victim died.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Dorothy Rose

Age

43

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Dorothy j. Rose, 43, was found dead in her 206 12th st. Se cedar rapids, iowa apartment on tuesday night, november 28, 2006. The building’s landlord — who’d gone to check on rose — discovered her body and called police.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Erin Pospisil

Age

15

Cause of Death

Missing

Info

Erin pospisil was reported missing to the cedar rapids police department on june 3, 2001. The [then] 15-year-old was last seen leaving her home with curtis padgett and hasn’t been seen since. According to padgett — a friend of erin’s older brother — he was leaving the pospisil home at the same time as erin and agreed to give her a ride to her friend brit’s home, where erin and brit planned to watch movies or go to the movie theater. Padgett later told officials that when they arrived at brit’s home in the 1500 block of second avenue se late sunday, june 3, 2001, that erin went up to the door and knocked but no one answered.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Frederick Coste

Age

47

Cause of Death

Stabbing

Info

Frederick “fred” leonard coste, the 47-year-old manager of the family finance corporation in cedar rapids, iowa, was stabbed to death inside his loan interview cubicle on thursday morning, oct. 15, 1959. Two customers found coste — lying on his back in a pool of blood — shortly before noon at the 312-1/2 second ave. Se cedar rapids business.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Jamar Magett

Age

19

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Jamar magett, 19, of chicago, ill., was shot in the forehead and chest while standing in the 1400 block of fifth avenue se in cedar rapids, iowa, on may 10, 1999. Paul gilbert, 18, of cedar rapids — the younger brother of cold case victim tyrone gilbert — was arrested and charged in magett’s murder. Des moines defense attorneys matthew boles and robert montgomery said no physical evidence linked gilbert to the crime. Cedar rapids pathologist dr. Peter stephens testified wednesday, sept. 22, 1999, that magett suffered two bullet wounds, each of which could have been fatal.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Jay Grahlman

Age

38

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Jay grahlman, 38, and his 6-year-old daughter, jaymie, died from injuries suffered in a late-night fire set at their cedar rapids home on saturday, april 5, 2003. Jaymie — whose autopsy report included a number of pathologic diagnoses — died sunday, april 6, after being removed from life support. Jay died the following wednesday, april 9, from complications due to burns he sustained in the fire.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Jaymie Grahlman

Age

6

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Jay grahlman, 38, and his 6-year-old daughter, jaymie, died from injuries suffered in a late-night fire set at their cedar rapids home on saturday, april 5, 2003. Jaymie — whose autopsy report included a number of pathologic diagnoses — died sunday, april 6, after being removed from life support. Jay died the following wednesday, april 9, from complications due to burns he sustained in the fire.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Joshua Wellman

Age

35

Cause of Death

Missing

Info

Joshua r. Wellman, a 35-year-old vinton native, was reported missing to the cedar rapids police department on monday, november 16, 2015. His mother, teresa walton, and sister, shawna hunziker, last saw him around 11 a.M. Thursday, november 12, 2015, when they dropped him off at the cedar rapids area substance abuse center

Agency

Iowa

Name

Louis Chambers Jr

Age

32

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Louis h. Chambers jr., a 32-year-old waterloo man, was shot in the stomach in the 1400 block of 5th ave se in cedar rapids in the pre-dawn hours on monday, feb. 7, 1994. He died that afternoon at a local hospital of the single shot to his belly.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Lynn Schuller

Age

25

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

When keith schuller reported his wife lynn schuller missing in august 1972, police suspected murder from the very beginning. Linn county in iowa linn county in iowa cedar rapids in linn countycedar rapids in linn county more than four decades later, they still believe schuller is responsible for her death, but don’t ever expect to find her body. Why? The suspicions surrounding her disappearance sounded so much like that of local folklore that even police were reluctant to acknowledge keith schuller could have committed such an abhorrent act.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Marlene Padfield

Age

17

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

On wednesday evening, february 18, 1959, marlene padfield, 17, went to the kozy inn restaurant in cedar rapids with arthur scott jr., an 18-year-old part-time coe college student involved in community theater.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Matthew Pusateri

Age

26

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Cab driver matt pusateri, 26, was shot in the head about 3 a.M. Saturday, nov. 12, 1988, while sitting in a cedar rapids parking lot. Pusateri, who worked for the “yellow cab” company, sat parked in the 800 block of sixth street sw when two men approached the cab. Linn county in iowa linn county in iowa cedar rapids in linn countycedar rapids in linn county police speculate the two assailants tried to rob pusateri, and then shot him after he refused to hand over any money.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Matthew Owen

Age

90

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Matthew john owen, who went by the name m. John owen, was found dead on the kitchen floor of his 107 gas light ct. Sw home in cedar rapids on friday morning, january 18, 2013. Linn county in iowa linn county in iowa cedar rapids in linn countycedar rapids in linn county police discovered the 90-year-old’s body after a neighbor called to report owen’s front door open. According to chief state medical examiner dr. Julia goodin, owen died of multiple blunt-force injuries. Police chief wayne jerman said authorities believe owen knew the person who killed him. “our investigators firmly believe that this was not a random act,” jerman said in news release issued the wednesday after owen’s death.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Michael Reed

Age

19

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Michael william reed, 19, of 43 20th ave. Sw in cedar rapids, iowa, died at st. Luke’s hospital in cedar rapids on friday, april 17, 1998. Reed’s mother, deb (peal) evans, told iowa cold cases that police believed her son’s death was a suicide, but that it is well known around [cedar rapids] What really happened to her son. Those involved, evans said, never have been brought to justice.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Naomi Wilson

Age

32

Cause of Death

Missing

Info

Naomi wilson was reported missing to the cedar rapids police department in cedar rapids on sunday, april 12, 1981.She was last seen by her boyfriend — colbert “billy” beets — at her cedar rapids home located at 1618 13th ave. Se, about 4 p.M. The couple had been dating for about three years. Raised in birmingham, ala., wilson had moved to chicago after high school, where she married bennie wilson, colbert beets’ nephew. The couple had moved to cedar rapids in the late ’70s and divorced three years earlier, at which time wilson began dating colbert beets and got to know the rest of the beets family.According to colbert beets, wilson did not attend church that day as she usually did but otherwise behaved normally. Beets told police he went to wilson’s residence after attending the church’s noon services, and that he and wilson left her residence within minutes of each other.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Nathaniel Carnagey

Age

36

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

He moved to marion late in 1846. In early 1847, he was murdered. Nathaniel carnagy will forever be known as linn county’s first murder victim. The murder may have been the best thing that ever happened to carnagy – from a purely historical perspective, of course. Otherwise, there would be little, if anything, about his life in the local history books. One cannot tell what he might have accomplished later in life had he survived, but there are no indications that he was anything but a farmer or laborer. Probably hardworking. Quite possibly a good father. But about the only thing we know for sure about him was that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nathaniel carnagy is one of the mysteries in marion history.As with anything else of passing interest that occurred at that time, some guesses have to be made about the circumstances of carnagy’s death.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Paula Oberbroeckling

Age

18

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Paula jean oberbroeckling, 18, disappeared after leaving her 116 10th st. Nw cedar rapids residence in the early morning hours on saturday, july 11, 1970. Oberbroeckling — a recent washington high school graduate who taught a class for developmentally disabled children at younkers and shared the 10th street residence with her friend, debbie kellogg — had gone out on a date friday night with boyfriend lonnie bell. The two returned together to the 10th st. Residence, where they argued.She never returned.Mrs. Oberbroeckling told officer smith that paula had been somewhat upset because she thought she was about 1-1/2 months pregnant and felt bell was trying to ditch her.Police followed up on hundreds of leads, and four months after oberbroeckling’s disappearance, finally got a break in the case; it was not the break they’d hoped to receive.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Rylee Gray

Age

2

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Two-year-old rylee m. Gray was taken to st. Lukes hospital in cedar rapids, iowa, at 8:48 a.M. On dec. 23, 1994, suffering from injuries to her head, buttocks, and extremities.The comatose little girl was brought in by her mother, elise gray, and gray’s boyfriend, matthew lewis. Lewis carried the child into the hospital.Doctors discovered the toddler had a subdural hematoma and brain swelling, and despite last-ditch medical surgery that removed 10 percent of her brain, died on christmas day.According to dr. Keith krewer, the pathologist who performed rylee’s autopsy, the 35-pound, 35-inch child’s head injuries were likely caused by both violent shaking and by having her head struck, smashed into something or injured when she was thrown down.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Traci Evenson

Age

22

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Traci ann evenson, 22, was beaten and suffocated in her cedar rapids, iowa, apartment on saturday night, june 21, 1997. Evenson’s sister, jodi lynn jackson, discovered the body in evenson’s 438-1/2 ninth ave. Sw second-floor apartment the following morning at about 9 a.M. In a cedar rapids gazette article dated june 23, 1997, cedar rapids police lt. Ken washburn of the investigative unit said evenson died in the 36 hours before the discovery of her body, placing her death sometime after 9:30 saturday night.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Tyrone Gilbert

Age

28

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

On thursday, june 21, 2001, tyrone gilbert, 28, of cedar rapids, iowa, was shot to death after rapping on a neighborhood porch window to seek safety. Inside the 412 15th st. Se home, an 18-year-old girl was babysitting her 11-year-old brother and his 11-year-old friend. The teen had been instructed not to open the door for any reason, and when someone frantically rapped at 1:35 a.M., she feared for both her safety and that of the two young boys entrusted to her care.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Willie Brocks

Age

49

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

About 7:15 a.M. On saturday, november 27, 1999, 49-year-old willie junior brocks was found in front of a home in the 400 block of 15th st. Se in cedar rapids. He had been shot in the head.Brocks resided at 702-1/2 l st. Sw in cedar rapids, and according to brenna griffith, the mother of six of his children, brocks had friends and relatives in southeast cedar rapids and it wouldn’t have been unusual for him to be there.Neighborhood residents described brocks, who used to live in the area, as a happy-go-lucky person popular for the unique bicycles he created and rode around the neighborhood.

Agency

Iowa