Coon Rapids, IA Area Cold Cases

Name

Alonzo Beghtel

Age

81

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Alonzo “lon” beghtel, an 81-year-old retired farmer, was found beaten to death near his guthrie center, iowa, home on wednesday, january 18, 1950.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Chad White

Age

21

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Late friday night, may 21, 1993, chad william white, 21, was shot to death in the corning, iowa home he shared with his fiancée, dixie kinser.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Corinne Perry

Age

17

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

The creston high school senior had just earned a scholarship to college and planned to double major in psychology and acting. She belonged to the school’s mime troop, acted in several school plays, and also participated in speech contests. She was last seen sunday, april 17, 1983 at a coin-operated laundromat in creston, iowa. According to authorities, a man walked out of the laundromat right behind the teen sometime between 8:30 and 9 p.M. The night she disappeared. The following day, her car — with the clothes neatly folded and lying on the seat — was found parked at the laundromat. Her purse turned up on a highway bridge seven miles away between kent and lenox, iowa.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Doris Konecne

Age

38

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Doris “elaine” konecne, 38, the legal secretary for union county attorney robert rolfe, was found deceased on the kitchen floor of her apartment at the ken-lee apartments on north cherry street in creston, iowa, early sunday morning, october 28, 1973. Ms. Konecne’s brother, who discovered his sister’s body, immediately contacted authorities.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Emma Lewis

Age

80

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Emma lewis was found dead in her waukee, iowa home on monday, september 13, 1976. The 80-year-old lewis had died from blows suffered during a severe beating.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Floyd Alborn

Age

76

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Floyd william alborn, a 76-year-old bachelor, was found shot to death in his rural panora, iowa, home on friday evening, november 8, 1974. Alborn lived alone at his farm on the guthrie and dallas county line one-fourth mile north of highway 44. His sister and brother-in-law, freda and lawrence mills, discovered his body, the guthrian reported on monday, november 25, 1974.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Gregg Nimmo

Age

44

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Gregg andrew nimmo, 44, of adel, iowa, was found with severe head injuries on a gravel road in dexter, iowa, on sunday, aug. 28, 2011. Nimmo lay bleeding from head wounds on a gravel road just outside beaver lake campground in dallas county. Several individuals allegedly witnessed the manner in which a known female killed nimmo. Tire tracks ran up and down both ditch sides as the driver attempted to throw nimmo from the truck and then deliberately ran him over.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Jared Parks

Age

18

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Jared parks, 18, was found dead on interstate 35/80 near the beaver avenue bridge in polk county, iowa, on monday, may 11, 2009. He’d been hit by at least two semi tractor-trailers. Troopers were called to the scene at 11:46 p.M. The driver of the first big rig said the boy was lying on the roadway and looked unconscious in the moments before he was hit, and the medical examiner ruled out a fall from an overpass. Two of the tractor-trailer drivers waited for troopers and were questioned at the scene. Troopers believe a third truck may also have run over the teen. Polk county medical examiner dr. Gregory schmunk said that parks died from blunt force trauma and his injuries were consistent with being hit by a truck. Schmunk said there was nothing to indicate that parks was injured before the crash or that he might have jumped from the bridge. Investigators never found jared’s cell phone, and his wallet, earrings and tennis shoes were also missing. They have ruled the death as suspicious

Agency

Iowa

Name

Kathleen Holliday

Age

37

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Kathleen louise holliday, a rural grimes, iowa mail carrier, finished up her mail route on saturday, march 12, 1977, and then vanished without a trace. Her body was found two months later in the saylorville reservoir — just as a psychic had predicted

Agency

Iowa

Name

Myrtle Cumpston

Age

60

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Myrtle zelda cumpston, 60, was shot and killed in the display area of her rural dallas county business — c & k aqualand, incorporated — on tuesday, march 9, 1965. Cumpston co-owned the tropical fish aquarium near adel, iowa, with business partner and neighbor, mrs. Robert king.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Paul Scheel

Age

45

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

On valentine’s day 2018, paul allen scheel, 45, was found dead in his creston, iowa, apartment. Officers with the creston police department conducted a welfare check at 300 east montgomery street, apartment 3, at approximately 8:17 p.M. Wednesday night and found scheel deceased. The apartment is located in the basement of the eagles lodge #1398.The body was transported to the office of the iowa state medical examiner’s office in ankeny for an autopsy.Creston officers and agents with the dci’s major crime unit have worked to find the person or persons responsible for scheel’s death.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Roscoe Harris

Age

46

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

On july 6, 1963, 46-year-old roscoe donnel harris was shot in the left chest with a single shot .22 caliber rifle.When the iowa division of criminal investigation (dci) established a cold case unit in 2009, harris’ murder was one of approximately 150 cases listed on the cold case unit’s new website as those the dci hoped to solve using latest advancements in dna technology.Although federal grant funding for the dci cold case unit was exhausted in december 2011, the dci continues to assign agents to investigate cold cases as new leads develop or as technological advances allow for additional forensic testing of original evidence.The dci remains committed to resolving iowa’s cold cases and will continue to work diligently with local law enforcement partners to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice for the victims and their families.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Josiah Moore

Age

43

Cause of Death

Murder

Info

Sometime around midnight between sunday, june 9, and monday, june 10, 1912, a person or persons entered a modest house in villisca, iowa, and bludgeoned to death eight people sleeping there, including two adults and six children aged 5 through 12. The killings became known as the “villisca axe murders,” and are easily the most notorious murders in iowa history.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Sarah Moore

Age

39

Cause of Death

Murder

Info

Sometime around midnight between sunday, june 9, and monday, june 10, 1912, a person or persons entered a modest house in villisca, iowa, and bludgeoned to death eight people sleeping there, including two adults and six children aged 5 through 12. The killings became known as the “villisca axe murders,” and are easily the most notorious murders in iowa history.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Herman Moore

Age

11

Cause of Death

Murder

Info

Sometime around midnight between sunday, june 9, and monday, june 10, 1912, a person or persons entered a modest house in villisca, iowa, and bludgeoned to death eight people sleeping there, including two adults and six children aged 5 through 12. The killings became known as the “villisca axe murders,” and are easily the most notorious murders in iowa history.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Katherine Moore

Age

10

Cause of Death

Murder

Info

Sometime around midnight between sunday, june 9, and monday, june 10, 1912, a person or persons entered a modest house in villisca, iowa, and bludgeoned to death eight people sleeping there, including two adults and six children aged 5 through 12. The killings became known as the “villisca axe murders,” and are easily the most notorious murders in iowa history.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Boyd Moore

Age

7

Cause of Death

Murder

Info

Sometime around midnight between sunday, june 9, and monday, june 10, 1912, a person or persons entered a modest house in villisca, iowa, and bludgeoned to death eight people sleeping there, including two adults and six children aged 5 through 12. The killings became known as the “villisca axe murders,” and are easily the most notorious murders in iowa history.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Paul Moore

Age

5

Cause of Death

Murder

Info

Sometime around midnight between sunday, june 9, and monday, june 10, 1912, a person or persons entered a modest house in villisca, iowa, and bludgeoned to death eight people sleeping there, including two adults and six children aged 5 through 12. The killings became known as the “villisca axe murders,” and are easily the most notorious murders in iowa history.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Lena Stillinger

Age

12

Cause of Death

Murder

Info

Sometime around midnight between sunday, june 9, and monday, june 10, 1912, a person or persons entered a modest house in villisca, iowa, and bludgeoned to death eight people sleeping there, including two adults and six children aged 5 through 12. The killings became known as the “villisca axe murders,” and are easily the most notorious murders in iowa history.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Ina Stillinger

Age

8

Cause of Death

Murder

Info

Sometime around midnight between sunday, june 9, and monday, june 10, 1912, a person or persons entered a modest house in villisca, iowa, and bludgeoned to death eight people sleeping there, including two adults and six children aged 5 through 12. The killings became known as the “villisca axe murders,” and are easily the most notorious murders in iowa history.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Connie Ruddy

Age

21

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Connie ruddy, a 21-year-old mother of two, was reported missing from her ida grove, iowa home on monday, february 10, 1997. Her 2-year-old daughter and 3-month-old son were found alone inside the residence, unharmed. Ruddy had last been seen by her sister around 11 p.M. Saturday, february 8, in ruddy’s home. About 10:30 a.M. Monday, a friend stopped by and discovered ruddy gone and her children alone. Ruddy’s car was still at the house and she hadn’t taken her purse.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Jesse Nimajapol

Age

18

Cause of Death

Missing

Info

The denison police department is asking for the public’s help in finding 18-year-old jesse govani nimajapol, of denison, who was last seen on july 14, 2017, and reported missing to the denison police department

Agency

Iowa

Name

Frank Eckels

Age

73

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Frank johnston eckels, 73, was shot and wounded during a holdup at his motel and café in oakland, iowa, on wednesday, december 3, 1958. Eckels died three days later on saturday, december 6, at a council bluffs hospital

Agency

Iowa

Name

Angela Altman

Age

22

Cause of Death

Stabbing

Info

Four-year-old jessica marie altman found her mother’s dead body saturday afternoon, jan. 24, 1981, in the fort dodge apartment where the two lived together. Angela marie altman, 22, lay partially nude on the kitchen floor — stabbed and strangled.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Bertha Foy

Age

18

Cause of Death

Murder

Info

Bertha mae foy was killed in fort dodge, iowa, on august 9, 1987. The young mother left behind three small children, ages 3, 2, and a 9-month-old baby. Two men were questioned in foy’s murder but no one was ever charged.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Dawn Allen

Age

50

Cause of Death

Missing

Info

Dawn marlene allen, 50, was reported missing to the carroll police department in carroll, iowa, on may 4, 2011, after she failed to show up for work as a manager for a local subway. Carroll county in iowa carroll county in iowa carroll in carroll countycarroll in carroll county allen’s boss said she had worked at the carroll subway for 21 years and had never been late or missed work.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Douglas Nielsen

Age

17

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

In the early morning hours on friday, october 18, 1974, douglas a. Nielsen was shot and killed during a house party at the home of mr. And mrs. Earl garrison in humboldt, iowa. Nielsen, 17, was shot in the kidney area of the lower back with a .22-caliber firearm. Nielsen’s body was found at approximately 1 a.M. In the garrison’s basement game room, where investigators said they also seized several other weapons.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Effie Bell

Age

46

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

At the end of the day on friday, march 18, 1966, effie bell (known as “cupie” to her family) got off work from her job at mcray cosmetics factory in madrid, iowa, just as she’d done since 1958 when first hired by the cosmetics manufacturer. There was no telling what the weekend had in store for the wife and mother of three, or what her husband, frank bell, sr., 49, might have in mind. He’d just quit his job at the john deere des moines works plant the previous day.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Gregory Howell

Age

44

Cause of Death

Missing

Info

But his family says he never deserved what he got. “we used to snowmobile race. We used to go to minnesota every sunday. Race drag sleds. I mean we just had a blast,” says greg’s brother frank. Frank howell remembers the good times. But he knows his brother had a dark side, the drugs that played jekyll and hyde with his personality, and probably led to his death. “I told him, I said you need to slow down,” frank says. “you got a family. You got a good family. You need to grow up. He wanted to be a kid. He lived a fast life.”

Agency

Iowa

Name

Lisa McCuddin

Age

23

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

On october 2, 2004 — just four days before her 24th birthday — lisa ann mccuddin was shot while riding with a friend on the way to breakfast at the holiday inn in fort dodge, iowa. Webster county in iowa webster county in iowa fort dodge in webster countyfort dodge in webster county officers initially responded to a call from trinity regional medical center, also in fort dodge, where a man had gone after suffering a gunshot wound at the holiday inn. When police went to the hotel to investigate the shooting, another car pulled into the parking lot, driven by a man who said he and a female passenger had just been shot while driving to the hotel.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Lorri Alexander

Age

50

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Lorri lynn alexander, 50, of fort dodge, iowa, was found deceased in the early morning hours on thursday, dec. 29, 2016, inside an empty apartment at the cadwell building in fort dodge. Fort dodge police and medical personnel found alexander’s remains after a report of an unresponsive woman was called in to the webster county law enforcement center. Webster county in iowa webster county in iowa fort dodge in webster countyfort dodge in webster county officials determined alexander had died before their arrival.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Mamie Sime

Age

74

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Shortly after 4 a.M. On tuesday, march 31, 1981, a fire broke out in the home of mamie sime on the outskirts of rolfe, iowa. Firemen answered the alarm at 4:30 a.M., and arrived to find the house fully engulfed in flames.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Marvin Brandland

Age

69

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Marvin brandland, 69, and his wife, ethel, had spent saturday evening, oct. 30, 1982, handing out candy to trick-or-treaters when another person knocked on their fort dodge home’s door. Someone wearing a pillowcase with holes cut out for eyes stood outside.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Pamela Shadle

Age

48

Cause of Death

Suicide/Murder

Info

For two years prior to her death, pamela shadle insisted someone was trying to kill her. She told her family she “knew too much” about local political corruption, and said if she ended up dead or shot, it wouldn’t be because she’d taken her own life. Under normal circumstances, it may have seemed odd talk for the dakota city, iowa, wife and mother of two who enjoyed caring for her pets, attending garage sales and auctions, or visiting with friends and enjoying music. But in the seven years before her death – particularly the last two – pamela shadle’s life had become anything but normal.Shortly after graduating from ft. Dodge high school in 1978, pam married her “best friend,” dorman “dean” shadle, and the couple had made their home in the thor and bode areas before moving to dakota city. For many years pam was employed in the chantland’s south plant, and later worked for casey’s general store in dakota city.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Roger Brown

Age

55

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Roger alan brown, 55, was found dead inside his trailer in the 200 block of eighth street sw in dayton, iowa, on wednesday morning, september 30, 2015. A news release from the iowa department of public safety said the man appeared to have died from a gunshot wound, but did not initially classify his death as a homicide.The body was sent to the iowa office of the state medical examiner in ankeny that same day, and the iowa division of criminal investigation (dci) called in to assist in the investigation.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Sandra Vanderhoef

Age

42

Cause of Death

Missing

Info

Sandra vanderhoef was reported missing to the webster county sheriff’s office in fort dodge, iowa, on september 22, 1986.She wears glasses, has a scar on her abdomen, scars on both knees and a mole on her back.She is described as an american indian or alaskan native, 5’07” and weighing approximately 210 pounds.The iowa department of public safety classifies vanderhoef’s disappearance as “endangered / physical,” which includes a person of any age who is missing under circumstances indicating his/her physical safety is in danger.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Elna Peterson

Age

8

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

On thursday, may 6, 1971, 8-year-old valerie peterson was killed by a hit-and-run driver around 4 p.M. While riding her bicycle off the side of the road in front of the manson augustana lutheran church. One other girl — the friend with whom valerie was riding bikes — was riding up ahead of valerie and said she saw a blue-green pickup truck with two or three men inside traveling north at a high rate of speed. They appeared to have long hair, and the girl believed the truck had some sort of equipment in the flatbed.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Virgil Untied

Age

33

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Town marshal virgil untied was shot five times thursday, july 23, 1931, by three assailants in minburn, iowa, who were looting a local grocery store.The 33-year-old marshal — married and a father of three daughters — was summoned to the gootschalk grocery around 3:30 a.M. When the thieves awakened miss lena west, a telephone operator, as they tried breaking into the safe.Untied and two other men located the trio in the shaw grocery store, but the robbers opened fire as the marshal crossed the railroad tracks. While his companions returned fire, untied crawled to the station platform where he collapsed, the the daily iowan reported on friday, july 24, 1931.More than 10 shots were exchanged in the gunfire, with five slugs hitting untied and one of the bullets piercing his eye and lodging in his brain.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Wendel Clark

Age

30

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Wendel clark, 30, of fort dodge, iowa, died wednesday, oct. 7, 2015, of two gunshot wounds after being shot in the driver’s seat of his car about a block from his home.The state medical examiner’s office ruled his death a homicide.The following stories and reports detail the information about this unsolved murder.

Agency

Iowa

Name

William Freimuth

Age

71

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

William h. Freimuth, a 71-year-old fort dodge service station attendant, was shot in the back of the head around 9 p.M. On thursday, february 16, 1961, by a gunman who took $140 from the cash register.The elderly freimuth had been working alone in the fawkes standard service station — located on highway 20 about six blocks east of the fort dodge business district — while another employee was away from the station for between 10 and 15 minutes.After the second employee returned to the gas station around 9:10 p.M., he found freimuth on the floor in the station’s grease rack and notified police.

Agency

Iowa