Baring, MO Area Cold Cases

Name

Arthur Ransford

Age

36

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Arthur leon ransford, a 36-year-old vietnam veteran, went missing from his keokuk, iowa home in lee county on tuesday, november 22, 1983. His wife reported him missing thanksgiving day. Montrose in lee county montrose in lee county on sunday, may 13, 1984, ransford’s body was found about two miles south of montrose, enclosed in a large yellow bag and buried under cement blocks in a wooded area overlooking the mississippi river. The father of two had been shot in the head before being bagged and buried on the river bluff.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Cecil Paris

Age

31

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Police believed cecil was shot when he ordered someone off the premises. His own .32 caliber revolver was missing and believed stolen. Money had also been removed but a cheap watch was untouched. Three charcoal tablets had been wrapped in a paper that they think the murderer mistook for a bill and were found on the ground along with the paper.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Dolores Hornung

Age

48

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Dolores a. “toni” (martinez) hornung, 48, was shot to death in her keokuk, iowa home with a 30-30 rifle early sunday morning on valentine’s day, 1999. Lee county in iowa lee county in iowa keokuk in lee countykeokuk in lee county hornung’s daughter called emergency officials about 5:25 p.M. Saying she could not wake her mother, police said in a statement released monday, february 15, 1999. Investigators determined hornung hadn’t died of natural causes and scheduled an autopsy for the following day.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Eric Redinbo

Age

18

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Eric scott redinbo, 18, died friday night, february 12, 1999, from a single blast to the head from a 12-gauge shotgun at a keokuk, iowa home. Officers said they were called to susan anderson’s house on keokuk’s west side around 8:40 p.M. Friday, where they found redinbo’s body. Police said the 12 gauge had accidentally gone off inside the home, hitting redinbo once in the head.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Jackie Douthart

Age

24

Cause of Death

Murder

Info

Jackie leigh douthart, the mother of a small child, was reported missing to the mount pleasant police department on may 22, 2011, when she didn’t return home after a night out with friends. When last seen, jackie was wearing a zebra-striped shirt, a black vest, blue jeans and flip flops. Douthart’s disappearance, along with that of elizabeth syperda — a 22-year-old mount pleasant woman who went missing july 17, 2000 — frustrated both investigators and residents of mount pleasant, a city of about 8,700 people in southeastern iowa

Agency

Iowa

Name

Willard Woodring

Age

42

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Willard c. Woodring, the 42-year-old owner of the former hawkeye hotel in keokuk, iowa, and richard g. Buchanan, 42, of colona, illinois, were taken into the hotel’s kitchen on sunday, october 9, 1960, where they were bound, gagged, and then shot in the back of the head when they tried to flee.Keokuk police discovered the bodies that evening after someone phoned authorities to report a shooting at the well-known house of prostitution.Police chief george jones said police immediately launched a 3-state search for a youthful-looking man and woman.Witnesses described the man as about 25 years old with black hair and clad in a black leather jacket. The woman, about 22-23 years old, was described as having short red hair and wearing a lavender dress.According to the gazette, authorities said they thought the pair were armed with an automatic pistol and driving a car with illinois license plates.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Richard Buchanan

Age

49

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Willard c. Woodring, the 42-year-old owner of the former hawkeye hotel in keokuk, iowa, and richard g. Buchanan, 42, of colona, illinois, were taken into the hotel’s kitchen on sunday, october 9, 1960, where they were bound, gagged, and then shot in the back of the head when they tried to flee.Keokuk police discovered the bodies that evening after someone phoned authorities to report a shooting at the well-known house of prostitution.Police chief george jones said police immediately launched a 3-state search for a youthful-looking man and woman.Witnesses described the man as about 25 years old with black hair and clad in a black leather jacket. The woman, about 22-23 years old, was described as having short red hair and wearing a lavender dress.According to the gazette, authorities said they thought the pair were armed with an automatic pistol and driving a car with illinois license plates.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Billy Clark

Age

43

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Sometime on friday, august 1, 1975, billy lee clark of ottumwa, iowa, was shot in the back in a rural wapello county pasture. The 43-year-old’s body, found lying next to his pick-up truck, was discovered the following day at approximately 2:23 p.M. On a farm owned by martin bergland, about seven miles west of ottumwa on route 4.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Chuck Deatsch Jr

Age

52

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

On april 28, 2008 at approximately 9:50 p.M., chuck deatsch, 52, was shot and killed at his residence in rural mystic, iowa. Authorities said the bullet that hit and killed deatsch came from a single shot outside his home that came in through the home’s front window.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Dennison Stookesberry

Age

56

Cause of Death

Missing

Info

Dennison stookesberry, a 56-year-old disabled man from rural blakesburg, iowa, in wapello county, was last seen alive on monday evening, feb. 8, 1999, when a fishing buddy said he’d dropped his friend off at home after a night at a bar. Stookesberry was reported missing to the wapello county sheriff’s office in ottumwa, iowa, one week later on monday, feb 15, 1999, after officials discovered the diabetic appeared to have left his home in the middle of cooking dinner and hadn’t taken any of his diabetes or heart medication with him. Butter had been left on the kitchen table and a deer steak left in the microwave oven.

Agency

Iowa

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

Francis Jordon Sr

Age

42

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

In the early morning hours on wednesday, july 12, 1978, francis frederick jordon sr. Was killed after two men knocked on his door saying they had car trouble and asking him for help.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Harry Milligan

Age

21

Cause of Death

Missing

Info

Light the night charity event and fun ride” is set for saturday, july 9 on the albia square. The day will begin with the harry milligan charity bike ride organized by alex weldon. A car show organized by john carter begins at 2 p.M. With live music from nashville artist jake mcvey to follow. There will also be a live auction and vendors will be set up on the square’s west side.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Helen Morrow

Age

55

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Mrs. Helen morrow was found lying on a bed in a first floor room of her fire-ravaged two-story home in eldon, ia, on august 12, 1980. An autopsy report showed she died of smoke inhalation. Herman pierce, 48, also of eldon, was charged tuesday, aug. 26, 1980, with first-degree murder in morrow’s death, but a grand jury refused to return any indictments against him.

Agency

Iowa

Name

James Chamberlain

Age

41

Cause of Death

Blunt Force Trauma

Info

James chamberlain, a carpenter who lived on ottumwa’s south side, was found lying in mud and water in the des moines river beneath the wabash railroad trestle in the city’s old richmond section on thursday, may 25, 1893. Chamberlain, 41, suffered blunt force trauma injuries to his head after having been hit with a heavy object. Though still conscious when discovered by authorities, chamberlain died from the skull fracture four days later on may 29, 1893

Agency

Iowa

Name

John Hill

Age

51

Cause of Death

Stabbing

Info

On monday, november 22, 1976, at approximately 5:06 a.M., two young men found john robert hill, 51, lying face down in a small room at the ottumwa launderette that hill owned and operated on east main street in ottumwa

Agency

Iowa

Name

Melvin Adams

Age

55

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Melvin royale adams, a 55-year-old royal canadian air force veteran, was found dead in a small cabin south of agency, iowa, just off cemetery road near the cliffland bridge on february 13, 1983. The cabin was located on property owned by the coghlan family. Adams, who had celebrated his 55th birthday just five days earlier, had been partially decapitated.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Robert Ruby

Age

54

Cause of Death

Undetermined

Info

Robert ruby, a 54-year-old blakesburg miner, fell 87 feet to his death on saturday, january 11, 1936, down the shaft of the bidwell fuel co. Mine on the henry oswalt farm, one mile south of christiansburg.An ottumwa courier article dated july 13, 1936, said most of the bones in ruby’s body were broken in the mishap, which occurred, coroner john drake said, when ruby wheeled an empty coal car into the open shaft. Both ruby and the coal car fell to the bottom of the mine shaft.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Timothy Earney

Age

29

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Timothy c. Earney, 29, was found dead in his 322 n. Eighth st. Albia home on thursday, feb. 2, 1984, by his live-in girlfriend, dorothy lee kempf, 45. According to kempf, earney drove her to work at kendall school at 7 a.M. And was supposed to pick her up at 1 p.M. When he didn’t show up, kempf said she walked home and found earney lying on the living room floor

Agency

Iowa

Name

Timothy Earney

Age

29

Cause of Death

Gun/Firearm

Info

Agency

Monroe County Sheriff's Office