Perry, 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

Ashley Okland

Age

27

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Ashley okland, a 27-year-old iowa realty agent, was shot twice and killed shortly before 2 p.M. On friday, april 8, 2011, while working inside a west des moines model townhouse. A rottlund homes employee heard a commotion inside the model townhouse at 558 stone creek court — part of the stone creek villas subdivision near 84th st. And e.P. True parkway in des moines developed by rottlund homes — and went to investigate. Inside, the worker discovered okland on the floor and called 911.

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

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

Margaret Feige

Age

88

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Margaret feige, 88, was found dead in the early morning hours on thursday, may 22, 2008, in the laundry room of the saylor township home she shared with at least two other adults. Feige had been beaten to death by unknown assailants. The death certificate lists the cause of death as blunt force trauma and the manner of death as homicide.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Mariana Redrovan

Age

15

Cause of Death

Stabbing

Info

On friday, january 23, 1998, ecuadorian immigrant mariana redrovan, 15, was stabbed to death in a room at the west des moines walnut creek inn where she worked as a housekeeper. A supervisor found redrovan’s body in a guest room.

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

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

Rose Grandanette

Age

33

Cause of Death

Shooting

Info

Mrs. Rose marie grandanette, a 33-year-old mother of three children, was shot in the head with a .38 caliber pistol on sunday evening, september 14, 1958, after answering the door of her windsor heights home outside des moines.Rose’s 36-year-old husband, bernard “bernie” grandanette, told police the shot was fired by one of three gunmen who accosted him as he returned home from work.The men allegedly got into the vehicle from the passenger side and demanded grandanette give them his money. When grandanette told them he had no money on him, he said the men ordered him inside the home.Grandanette said the men then panicked and fled to a vehicle where a fourth man waited.Neighbors looked after the grandanette’s children — roslynne, joseph, and victoria — while millsap drove mrs. Grandanette to methodist hospital, where she died the following night.

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