Approx. Gone Cold:Michelle Martinko of Cedar Rapids, killed in 1979. [2][5] Her hands bore defensive wounds, which police said to indicate that she had fought back against her killer. Date of Crime: Sept. 20, 1997 Mitchell refused to take antipsychotic medications prescribed by prison doctors. Went Missing From: Mount Pleasant, Iowa, on July 16, 2000 On Oct. 23, 2013, Story County jurors acquitted Mitchell on both the murder and robbery charges. Wounds on the teens hands showed she fought her killer, but the medical examiners office said Martinko was found fully clothed and had not been sexually molested. The Disappearance of Sherri Miller and Pam Jackson, 1971 : Solved by a fisherman. 610 N. 5th Street From a native Iowan born and raised it's time to give victims their voices back and a Weve really put our best effort into reaching a conclusion and helping the family get some answers, and this is as close as we are able to come.. On Tuesday, February 14, 2017, Wapello County jurors found Christopher Yenger guilty of first-degree murder in the deaths of Messer and Anderson. Date of Death: April 29, 2011 Council Bluffs, IA Date of Crime: March 3, 1983 The results were entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), the national DNA database, but no matches were found. [9] The killer left no fingerprints, which led police to believe they had worn gloves. Lade, like the others, had died from blows to the head. #4 Est. She was partially clothed with no shoes. Almost a decade later, Mykel Roberts, 29, of Modesto, Calif., confessed to killing Meeks. On June 8, 2011, Scott County authorities announced they had charged Chad Michael Lee Welsh, 33, with Angelas murder. Date of Crime: March 5, 2006 He could not offer a "plausible explanation" forwhy his DNA was found at the crime scene, authorities said. Alford Plea Entered: June 23, 2016 for Voluntary Manslaughter. Drakesville, IA (Davis County) Des Moines, IA One man was in his 50s and the other was maybe in his 30s, and investigators believe the two men worked together to kill Brian and rob the store, the Gazette reported. 40-45 YOA The murder of Michelle Martinko occurred in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on December 19, 1979. Webster County A sample of Freemans daughters DNA was subsequently analyzed by the Iowa DCI Lab, which confirmed that there was a parent/child relationship between the DNA found at the scene of Rotatoris murder and Freemans daughter. Two weeks after the verdict, a judge found Turney in contempt of court over her handling of the Michael Cisneros murder trial. His pickup was found parked about 70 yards away. At 4a.m., police found the Martinko family's tan and green 1972 Buick Electra in the northeast corner of the mall parking lot by a JCPenney. On June 19, 1980, police released a composite sketch, developed based on descriptions provided by two witnesses, of the man they believed stabbed Martinko. Rumors began to circulate about the crime. December 26, 2016 Case Number: 03-004354 [26] He was not able to provide an explanation for why his DNA would have been present at the crime scene. Bonnie Jean Callahan, 73, of 111 S. Second St., Apt. On Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, jurors found Cahill guilty of second-degree murder in Wienekes death. 10, Mississippi Terrace in Keokuk, was last seen alive at 10:30 p.m. Monday, June 14, 2004. His trial was originally scheduled for October 14, 2019, but in September the defense requested a delay in order to gather more evidence and interview witnesses. On March 25, 2014, officials with the Sac City Police Department and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation arrested 54-year-old John David Green in Orange Park, Florida, and charged him with first-degree murder in Kosters death. An examination showed she was stabbed at least eight times. In jesus name i pray Amen. Copper Dollar Ranch Des Moines, IA Matthew Barrett Robbins, 46, William Leo Yancey, 43, and Danielle Lynn Busch, 29, were charged with robbery affecting interstate commerce, conspiracy to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce, and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in murder. Former John Doe 2005 Note: While cases are cross-referenced by city and county for geographical purposes, some . Michael Syperda Found Guilty: June 25, 2018 Published: Oct. 7, 2021 at 6:49 AM PDT CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG/Gray News) - The Cedar Rapids Police Department announced on Tuesday it successfully identified the suspect in the homicide cold. Martinko then went to the mall alone, carrying $180 and intending to finalize the purchase of a new winter coat that was on layaway. Throughout the investigation it was determined that DeWoody was dating the wife of Burtch. Police arrested Jerry Lynn Burns, 64, on Wednesday morning, Dec. 19, 2018, in the decades-old fatal stabbing. At approximately 6:33 a.m. on March 5, 2006, a neighbor observed smoke and flames coming from the residence of 11612 140th Street. Thomas O. Freeman, who authorities allege killed Rotatori, was found buried in a shallow grave four months after Rotatoris murder. 54 YOA CLA8RC@AOL.COM. Investigators believe that Burtch killed DeWoody during this time. Arrest Made: July 27, 2015 Jasper County Sheriff John Halferty said that while the case is now considered closed, his office would leave the door open to entertain new leads if they become available. An alert fisherman may have helped solve this cold case, which has been unresolved since 1971. If theres any photos of that man available. Thats where they say they were able to get a complete and detailed confession from Roberts about the murder of Dexter Meeks. 2492 Highway 59 Ely Road SW Newton, IA Wapello County Rural Fire and Rescue and the Hedrick Fire Department were called and responded to the scene. In 2018, the company entered the DNA data from the case into the public genealogy website GEDmatch, where it found a familial DNA match. [18], For some time, a prime suspect in Martinko's murder was a man who had, the month before, broken into a Cedar Rapids home, raped a woman at knifepoint, and threatened to kill her children. This helps me find some peace of mind. Also, to the effect that you want to know why, the answer is probably that the perp is just another criminally versatile person. He began to search for her, as did the police. Johnson allegedly drove Preston around on gravel roads in rural Webster County before shooting and killing him. In a press conference during which the new image was shared, a former classmate of Martinko exclaimed that the face looked like another one of their classmates, but that classmate had been investigated and was cleared based on a DNA swab several years before. On Feb. 20, 2015, Black Hawk County jurors acquitted Supino in both counts of first-degree murder. He was never charged with the Martinko murder, he denied the accusations, and DNA evidence, found later, did not match his DNA. On Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016, Omaha police announced theyd arrested 41-year-old Shanna Goylar at her home in Persia, Iowa, and charged her with first-degree murder in Cari Farvers death. The driver of the vehicle fled the scene and, after multiple life-saving attempts, Estling was pronounced dead at the scene. A judge finally ordered him to take the medications to remain competent. He had worked for John Deere and co-owned a truck stop. Your comments should be respectful. [11], In the mid-1980s, Martinko's father filed a lawsuit against the owners of the Westdale Mall and claimed negligence in not providing "reasonable security" on the night of the murder. (KELO) 23-year-old Wilma Nissen's life was as troubling as her death. [35] On May 29, 2020, Burns' attorneys filed a motion asking for a new trial, claiming his constitutional and state rights were violated and that the court made a mistake in overruling the request for evidence to be suppressed. On Feb. 13, 2019, a Jackson County jury found Mangler, 24, guilty of second-degree murder in Remakels death. In December 2016, Preston was found shot to death in a field near Johnson Avenue and 225th Street. Tama, Iowa He lay face up on the floor of an open-air park shelter, dressed in blue jeans, a blue jacket and tennis shoes. Linn County He is currently being housed in the Jackson County Jail. A Gazette story published Sept. 16, 2019, said the trial for Burns will likely be postponed because the defense may need additional technical information and expert witnesses to prepare for the trial. John David Gosch (November 12, 1969 - disappeared September 5, 1982) was a paperboy in West Des Moines, Iowa, who disappeared between 6 and 7 a.m. on September 5, 1982.He is presumed to have been kidnapped. The victim was 17-year-old Maureen Brubaker Farley, a newly married woman not much older than the boys who found her. On Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014, Robert Gene Pilcher, 68, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Mary Jaynes death. Deshaun Lamonte Phillips, 34, was arrested in Shakopee, Minn., on Friday, August 16, 2013, and charged with First-Degree Murder in Weeks death. Kim & Go Convenience Store Henry County [2] This is my personal email . During the original investigation, detectives compiled a list of more than 80 potential suspects. Officials found Farvers vehicle in Omaha on Jan. 10, 2013. Trial Began: May 10, 2017 Sentenced: On Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, U.S. District Judge Leonard Strand found Mitchell premeditated and intentionally killed Stickley, and robbed her to buy crack cocaine April 29, 2011. He faces up to 10 years in prison and will be sentenced Aug. 23, 2016. In 2001, authorities submitted evidence collected at the scene of Lee Rotatori's murder to a state crime lab for further analysis. [16] Based on cash found in Martinko's purse, police concluded that she had not been robbed. Declared Legally Dead: Oct. 10, 2011 Case # 83-1119 Both the suspected killers were living in Cedar Rapids at the time Brian was slain while working at a Kum & Go on Mount Vernon Road SE, Denlinger said. And yet i can find no records of his case file or court records of the trial for the man the was caught for his murder. In October 2018, DNA was covertly collected from an Iowa man, Jerry Lynn Burns, and was found to match the sample discovered on Martinko's clothing. Cedar Rapids, Iowa Crime Date: December 19, 1979 Susan Kersten, a 38-year-old gifted artist and divorced mother of four including 1-year-old twin daughters was killed in Iowa City on Sunday, Sept. 24, 1995, sometime after returning home from a family reunion. Arrest Made: June 26, 2020. Tests eliminated the other two brothers as suspects, but the DNA from Burns' straw matched the blood found on Martinko's clothing. Suspect Acquitted: July 14, 2014. Nearly 30 years to the date, Cedar Rapids police announced they were closing the case. In that year, Sherri Miller and Pam Jackson, both 17, disappeared while driving on rural roads to a party at a gravel pit in a 1960 Studebaker Lark. Case Number: 14011355 Friday, June 10, 2016. By Gina Tron DNA Solves 46-Year-Old Murder Of 5-Year-Old Siobhan McGuinness The indictment alleges that, on or around May 31, 2014, the three persons named conspired to, and then did, rob Booher of methamphetamine that he posessed and the proceeds from the sale of meth. Judith Kay Weeks, a 44-year-old mother of two, was last seen alive on Sunday morning, April 4, 1999. The story did not end there. In 2017, a company specializing in DNA phenotyping was hired to produce a new approximation of the killer's appearance based solely off the DNA sample. SE Four. Cedar Rapids, IA She was convicted on the testimony of a girl who was 9 when she claims to have overheard this confession. The woman communicated her information to the daughter of the secretary of the Public Safety Commissioner and believed that it would be passed on to police if it was important. During the initial investigation, the affidavit indicates Ridnour gave inconsistent accounts about his location at the time Callahan went missing, and about his relationship with her granddaughter. A 911 phone call placed at 4:08 p.m. led Des Moines police officers to the Principal Park area near Vine and Southwest First streets, where they located a body beneath the railroad bridge near a bike trail on the Des Moines Rivers west bank. Sac City, IA In 2012, while serving a life sentence for an unrelated attack, the man died in prison from colon cancer. Case Breakers calls for police to conduct a DNA test to verify their findings; Fox News' Eric Shawn has the details. Charges against Thomas Sanchez were dismissed June 24, 2014. At first, detectives werent sure if Golinsky was killed or whether he had perhaps died by suicide or accident, Law & Crime reported Oct. 26. Burns had previously been married to Patricia Burns, who died in 2008 from suicide. Turney was fined, though Cisneros cannot be tried again due to double jeopardy. The Cascade County Sheriff's Office announced on Tuesday that it has closed the. Date of Crime: July 1, 2005 Authorities then launched an intensive search for Hooks fiance, 19-year-old Tina Marie Lade of Ottumwa, to whom hed recently become engaged. He grew up in Manchester, Iowa, and graduated from West Delaware High School in 1972. Mr. Syperda waived his right to a jury trial, and his bench trial began May 1, 2018, with closing arguments held May 7, 2018 and a ruling expected June 25, 2018. "I am thrilled for her sister, Janelle, and wish her parents were alive to see this," Laymon said. Killed September 8, 1989 No kidding, wow, hard to follow to say the least. Cedar Rapids police have identified Maureen Brubaker Farley's killer as George M. Smith. On or around January 11, 2007, Angela Hennes, 41, was strangled to death, her body set on fire and then dumped in a farm field off Seven Sisters Road in rural Scott County. On Thursday, May 31, 2018, Annette Dee Cahill, 55, of Tipton, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in Wienekes killing. Iowa Cold Cases has put together case summaries, articles, and updates regarding the many unsolved murders and missing persons all throughout Iowa. According to Project: Cold Case, there were roughly 2,870 murders in Iowa between 1980 and 2019. GEDmatch returned one person who shared DNA markers with the suspect in Martinko's murder, and it determined her to be likely the killer's second cousin once removed. Have u heard the saying if u cant say anything dont say anything at all. Although there are a handful of cases from the hawkeye state that gripped the nation many have gone years without notice. 58 YOA In 2006, a cold case investigator discovered unidentified blood, presumably belonging to the killer, while he was reviewing case files. [18][19], Controversy arose five months after the murder, after a woman who was driving by the mall parking lot in the early hours of December 20 came forward with information. The murder was closely followed within her community, and the police received more than 200 tips in the weeks following her killing. Market data provided by Factset. 1781 Quarry Road, Apt. Black Hawk County Date of Crime: September 24, 1995 The three robbers fled the scene, and evaded capture for five years as the Sioux City Police Department, Woodbury County Attorneys Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation worked together to build a solid case against all three men. On Sunday, May 8, 2011 Mothers Day Brandyn Preston of Fort Dodge was shot in the neck while attending a bonfire party in the back yard at 1101 10th Ave. SW in Fort Dodge. Farleys mother, Mary Brubaker, long suspected Smith was responsible, having written to police six months after her daughters death. Killed Near: Fayette, Iowa 22 YOA Two teenage boys found Farleys body in a wooded ravine in what is now Tait Cummins Park, on Sept. 24, 1971. Although the tip did not lead to any suspects, the investigator discovered what he believed to be the killer's blood while he was reviewing the case files. Arrest Made: March 4, 2014 Route 1 (Courtesy Council Bluffs Police Department). Arrest Made: Feb. 3, 2023 Lee Rotatoris graduation photo. [2], Martinko had been stabbed 29 times in her face, neck, and chest. Arrest Made: March 3, 2014 Golyar went on trial before Douglas County (NE) District Judge Timothy Burns on May 10, 2017. A Des Moines Register story published Oct. 14, 2019, said a jury wont gather to determine Burns fate until Feb. 10, 2020, if not later. Charged: Nathanial Leo Ridnour, 34. The charges were filed in federal court for the Northern District of Iowa and unsealed on Wednesday. 41 YOA Both parents have been gone for decades: Martinko'sfather died in 1995, and her mother died in 1998. It happened about 2-1/2 miles south of Fayette. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Now, her suspected killer is set to go on trial", "Search warrant shows how relative's DNA led police to Manchester man in Michelle Martinko's death", "40 years later: What we know about Michelle Martinko and the arrest that re-opened the cold case", "Jerry Burns found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Michelle Martinko", "BREAKING: Jerry Burns, convicted of killing Michelle Martinko, officially sentenced to life in prison", "30 years ago: Murder of teen haunts those who knew her", "Distant relative learns her DNA led to arrest in Michelle Martinko slaying", "Friends of man arrested in Martinko murder shocked", "Iowa community tries to reconcile a cold case arrest and its long history with a neighbor", "One-time suspect in unsolved Cedar Rapids homicide dies in prison", "Police collected DNA from dozens while investigating 1979 killing of Michelle Martinko", "UPDATE: Tips coming into CRPD since Martinko press conference", "39 years later, man charged in cold-case killing of high school student Michelle Martinko", "Jury Finds Burns Guilty Of First Degree Murder In Killing Of Martinko", "Trial for Jerry Burns, charged in the 1979 killing of 18-year-old Michelle Martinko, moved out of Linn County", "No delay in trial for man accused of killing Michelle Martinko", "Burns' Second Hearing Focuses on Pornography", "From the crime to conviction, a timeline of events in the murder of Michelle Martinko", "Witnesses describe murder scene in trial of man accused of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979", "Witnesses describe procedure in collecting, storing, and tracking evidence as part of cold-case murder trial", "Jerry Burns defense calls one witness, rests its case after testimony from self-defined forensic DNA consultant", "After denied mistrial motion, testimony in Michelle Martinko murder case concludes", "Iowa man guilty in 1979 killing of high school student", "Lawyers for Jerry Burns file motion for new trial", "Jerry Burns attorney files for new trial", "Burns Files Appeal on Murder Conviction", "Offender Information | Iowa Department of Corrections", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Michelle_Martinko&oldid=1140457418, This page was last edited on 20 February 2023, at 04:20. She claimed to have seen two cars in the lot, one of which was Martinko's, and a man standing next to the open driver's side door of Martinko's car. Police believe the slaying took place Nov. 13 or 14, 2012, in west Omaha, according to a police report. When Diane Lynn Dahn missed her shift at the San Diego Transit Corporation on May 2, 1988, a coworker went to her apartment to check on her. Police interviewed Smith in 1971 but did not have enough evidence to charge him or any other suspect. The cremains were presented to McMahons ex-wife Nancy and family Nov. 12, 2014, and Dr. Schmunck credited both WHO-TV and Iowa Cold Cases for helping to solve the case. April 9, 1974 Best Western Frontier Motor Lodge The sheriffs office arrested and charged Kelli Jo Michael, 26, of Des Moines on Friday, June 26, 2020, in the death of Kaiden Estling. Cedar Rapids, IA Victims for whom there was no justice, no resolution or answers. He is currently being held in the Linn County Jail on a $3M bond. Dexter Lashun Meeks, 22, known to his friends as Big Ham, was shot in the early morning hours on Sunday, June 26, 2011, near the front door of his apartment building at 211 15th St. A juvenile found carrying a knife was interviewed and ruled out in her murder, as was a shopping center employee who had told police that he enjoyed following women and ogling store mannequins. PROVIDE CASE INFORMATION; Iowa Cold Cases by City. A woman thought she recognized the picture of the victim shown on TV as her ex-husband and called Des Moines police, but was incorrectly told the body was that of a Hispanic male. The case eventually went cold and remained unsolved for 40 years. From: Maynard, Iowa Date of Crime: July 18, 2009 On July 1, 2014, jurors found Harris guilty of first-degree murder. Woodbury County SOLVED; NEWS. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The case was appealed and was eventually decided by the Iowa Supreme Court in favor of the mall owners. Keokuk, IA 37 YOA The prosecution emphasized the unlikelihood of the DNA evidence matching someone other than the person who left it at the scene. The police chief at the time, Ray Baker, said the fatal stabbing "outraged the whole community.". Twenty-month-old John Joseph Snyder Jr., the son of John Snyder Sr. and Lisa Sellman, was reported as missing from his fathers 10 S. Adams Avenue Mason City apartment on Wednesday morning, July 20, 1994. Webster County Case # 07-01804 Elizabeth Laymon, who was high school friends with Martinko, said she vividly remembers the day classmates sobbed after they learned of the stabbing. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. In February 2021, researchers from Parabon and ES Genealogy, who examined familial relationships, concluded that Thomas O. Freeman, of West Frankfort, Illinois, was the source of the suspect DNA. Laymon said she and Martinko were in a self-defense class together, but added that "no amount of self-defense could have saved her from that.". Steven Fisher and girlfriend Melisa Gregory were found bludgeoned to death at the Copper Dollar Ranch northwest of Newton, Iowa, in Jasper County on March 3, 1983. Conviction Date: March 10, 2015. Jasper County Attorney Steve Johnson acknowledged there was some known drug activity in the area, but said he personally believed the murders were up close and personal.. Estling, 14, of Maynard was driving a moped south along Highway 150 on June 28, 2018 when he was hit by a vehicle. "Weve had some time to get used to the (case being solved). [8][9] She attended Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School, where she was an above average student and well regarded by school officials. [2] Once there, she perused the stores and spoke with friends and other people she knew who worked there. VIDEOS; DONATE; CONTACT. In March of 2015, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) reopened Okonskis case. Linn County The case was closed without prosecution because Smith died in 2013 at the age of 94, police said. Frances Bloomfield was reported missing on September 22, 1997, by her husband, John, who had returned from a business conference in France. Case Closed: September 6, 2019. The only apparent injury was a wound to Weeks forehead caused by a bladed object, according to a police affidavit filed with an application to search her apartment at 1002 Fifth St. Along that path were murdered victims most identified, some anonymous. Story County jury acquits Mitchell of all charges: Oct. 23, 2013 But not always. Iowa police have solved the 50-year-old cold case murder of a 17-year-old girl through DNA evidence. Cerro Gordo County Date of Crime: April 4, 1999 On April 17, 2012, a Scott County District Court jury found Welsh guilty of first-degree murder. During an interview with the Des Moines Register, Laymon called the arrest "amazing" news and said she was relieved. John Bloomfield dies while awaiting trial: Nov. 6, 2014. Fayette County Officials were unable to locate his mother, 41-year-old Sarah Lee Link, to inform her of her sons death, but discovered her body the following Monday, April 16, in a hilly wooded area north of Eldon. A First Degree Murder conviction carries a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole. To date, there are more than 600 unsolved homicides and disappearances in the state of Iowa. On Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018 the 39th anniversary of Michelle Martinkos brutal murder Cedar Rapids police announced theyd made an arrest in her unsolved homicide. Golyar will be sentenced to life in prison in August 2017. [2] Police determined from the lack of blood outside the car that Martinko had been killed while in the car, and the medical examiner later estimated she had died between 8 and 10p.m.[17] The murder weapon was "sharp-pointed" but not definitively a knife, and the medical examiner could not determine its size. You may, however, want to keep up with the Iowa Board of Parole and let them know how you feel. Wienekes fiance, Jody Hotz, also of West Liberty, last saw him alive around 8:15 a.m. that morning and discovered his beaten body in his bedroom at 6 p.m. Tuesday evening. [2] A police spokesman said that "everyone's instinct is to say it was a guy", but they were not sure of the sex of the killer. 18 YOA Hed been killed by blows to the head. One month before Syperda vanished, her estranged husband, Michael Lee Syperda, had been arrested for assaulting both his wife and her roommate. Conviction: Feb. 16, 2015. [1][5] Iowan law mandates a life sentence without the possibility of parole for first degree murder. Polk County DNA technology unavailable at the time of Farley's killing allowed police to confirm that Smith was Farleys killer. The murder of Michelle Martinko occurred in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on December 19, 1979. Council Bluffs Police officers were sent to investigate the death of a female at the Best Western Frontier Motor Lodge motel at 2216 27th Avenue in Council Bluffs, Iowa, at 12:27 p.m. Friday, June 25, 1982, after a motel employee found a body.
