40-45 YOA Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 52 YOA 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. Legal Statement. Cold Cases 'It's A Big Deal': DNA Solves 46-Year-Old Murder Of 5-Year-Old Girl Decades after Siobhan McGuinness was sexually assaulted, stabbed to death, and left in a drain culvert, investigators point to Richard William Davis as her killer. In January 2016, the case was reopened after information came to light that two individuals started the fire after a physical altercation at the residence shortly before the fire was discovered. But in recent years, there has been a glimmer of hope. [2], Martinko's father, Albert, died in 1995. [24], In 2018, the DNA phenotyping company took the data they had collected the year before and entered it into GEDmatch, a public genealogy website that has been used by law enforcement to solve other cold cases, most famously that of the Golden State Killer. His first-degree murder trial was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Oct. 14, 2019, at the Linn County Courthouse. Sac City, IA The sketch indicated a white man in his late teens or early 20s, weighing between 165 and 175 pounds, and standing about 6 feet tall. Georgia Department of Corrections. Upon review of the report, the Iowa Attorney Generals Office and the Tama County Attorneys office convened a grand jury to review evidence and testimony. And Im quite happy to say that 30 years after the fact, we did not give up and we did not settle on suspects that were frankly not the right guys., 51 YOA In September 1986, the Iowa Supreme Court rejected claims made byMartinko's father that the shopping center was negligent because it did not provide "reasonable security" for his daughter, the Register reported at the time. On July 14, 2014 just six days before the cases 20th anniversary Cerro Gordo County jurors acquitted Cisneros, despite the DNA evidence, after public defender Letitia Turney based her entire defense not on her clients innocence but by defaming the boys father to make him appear responsible for the crime. Went Missing From: Mount Pleasant, Iowa, on July 16, 2000 The victim, believed to be somewhere between 40 and 45 years old, had brown hair with a goatee, was shirtless, wore size 36 tan shorts beneath size 38 blue trousers and wore a yellow and white Relic brand watch. Elizabeth Syperda was last seen by her roommate at their East Madison Street apartment in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, about 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 16, 2000, when the roommate left to go to work. The bullet lodged in Prestons spinal cord and left the basketball enthusiast paralyzed from the neck down and dependent on a ventilator to breathe. More coverage from the Des Moines Register. . 2492 Highway 59 [1][5] Iowan law mandates a life sentence without the possibility of parole for first degree murder. A triple homicide committed 50 years ago has been solved after the Watauga County Sheriff's Office in North Carolina received information revealed by . You may, however, want to keep up with the Iowa Board of Parole and let them know how you feel. Case Number: 14011355 Body Found: Oct. 25, 2005 Im gonna pray for you my you find peace within yourself and not judge as there is only one true judge our God in heaven. On Feb. 20, 2015, Black Hawk County jurors acquitted Supino in both counts of first-degree murder. [38] Burns is currently imprisoned in the Anamosa State Penitentiary.[39]. [21] Psychics were also consulted early on in the investigation. U.S. Magistrate Kelly Mahoney, presiding by video conference closed the hearing and then reopened it to announce the trial would be set for sometime in 2018. My father was murdered in a hotel at pocahontas Ia in 1977. Guilty Verdict: May 24, 2017. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. On Aug. 20, 2014, Fourth District Judge Greg Steensland sentenced Harris to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Police searched surrounding areas and that same day found the toddlers blue pajama bottoms and his diaper by Willow Creek about two blocks south of the Snyder home. Authorities then launched an intensive search for Hooks fiance, 19-year-old Tina Marie Lade of Ottumwa, to whom hed recently become engaged. (Courtesy Council Bluffs Police via Greg Gunsalus). Relatives of Maureen Brubaker Farley, whose body was found by two. Jasper County Thursday morning around 10 a.m., searchers using dogs discovered the young boys body snagged on a tree stump near Willow Creeks north bank, about one-half mile downstream from where the tots clothing had been found. 311 W. 10th St. He began to search for her, as did the police. Robert Huntbach, 85, and his wife Goldie, 77, were bound, gagged and tortured in their modest Waterloo home before someone shot each of them twice in the head sometime late Sunday night, Jan. 12, 1981. Through investigation and DNA technology, the Cedar Rapids Police Department Cold Case Unit identified and confirmed on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, George M. Smith as the suspect in the homicide case. Police solve 50-year-old Iowa cold case killing. 211 15th St. Have u heard the saying if u cant say anything dont say anything at all. Zachary Dye and Christopher Yenger (Courtesy KCCI.com). Linn County Golyar chose a bench trial over a jury trial. Case Closed/Solved: On Oct. 5, 2021, police announced DNA had helped identify her killer, George M. Smith, who died in 2013. Johnson County Crime Date: May 8, 2011 Conviction Date: June 7, 2012. University of Iowa Prosecutors said they did so through means of actual and threatened force. Through Iowa history, a dark path of evil has wound through woods, along rivers and streams, across farm fields, near barns, beside highways and railroads, into small settlements, and up to the doors of homes. Or maybe chat. The victim was 17-year-old Maureen Brubaker Farley, a newly married woman not much older than the boys who found her. [15], On the evening of December 19, 1979, Martinko attended a banquet for the Kennedy Concert Choir at the Sheraton Inn in Cedar Rapids. Went Missing From: Pottawattamie County Killed Near: Fayette, Iowa Date of Crime: July 1, 2005 On April 17, 2012, a Scott County District Court jury found Welsh guilty of first-degree murder. Police on Friday announced that DNA evidence confirmed Thomas O. Freeman as the man who fatally stabbed Lee Rotatori inside of her hotel room in the summer of 1982. The company also produced approximations of how the man would have aged in the years since the crime. [9][2], Police had few leads and appealed to the public for tips. More than 30 years later, Fisher's estranged . 22 YOA Golyar went on trial before Douglas County (NE) District Judge Timothy Burns on May 10, 2017. Brian Davis was arrested Oct. 29, 2014 and charged with first-degree murder in Hollys death. An examination showed she was stabbed at least eight times. DNA evidence leads police to charge Iowa man with murder in 1979 killing of Michelle Martinko. Linn County Nissen was the "Jane Doe," found murdered in a ditch in Northwest. Four. 38 Wakefield Ct. 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. 33 YOA Michael is being held in the Fayette County Jail on a $50,000.00 cash only bond. Route 1 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. More than 17 years after Liz Syperda went missing, her estranged husband, Michael Lee Syperda, 52, was arrested Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017, in Rifle, Colorado, near Glenwood Springs, and charged with first-degree murder in his wifes death, despite his wifes body never being found. 27 YOA "One of the areas that continues to tug at my heart," Cedar Rapids' police chief said Wednesday during a press conference, "was (Janelle) expressed how sad their parents passed away without knowing who killed their daughter, Michelle. It was a cold case until 2018, when familial DNA identified a suspect 39 years after the crime who was charged, tried and convicted of her murder.[2]. William Rulli (Courtesy Des Moines Police). 13th St. in Council Bluffs, Iowa. 59 YOA 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.. [9] She was last seen almost 9p.m. outside of a jewelry store in the mall. Police found the victim in Room 106 clad in pajamas and lying on her back in a pool of blood on the beds right side and identified her as Lee Rotatori, 32, of Nunica, Michigan. Corey Wieneke, 22, was found bludgeoned to death in his rural West Liberty home on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 1992. Police suspected Rulli was the killer early in the investigation but didnt have enough to move forward with an arrest. On Friday, Feb. 17, 2017, Klein entered an Alford plea on charges of second-degree arson, willful injury causing serious injury and suborning perjury in the death. Burns, who was 25 when Martinko died, made his first court appearance Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018, in Linn County. Thomas J. Sanchez was arrested Jan. 23, 2014 after DNA evidence linked him to Alvarez-Hernandezs murder, and on March 4, 2014, authorities also arrested 36-year-old James Cain Harris of Council Bluffs on suspicion of first-degree murder in the case. Case #: 04SME155 On Tuesday, March 10, 2015, a Hamilton County jury found Frederiksen, 35, guilty on both charges. Here is a link to the perps appeal (which the perp lost). Tests eliminated the other two brothers as suspects, but the DNA from Burns' straw matched the blood found on Martinko's clothing. In a statement announcing the arrest, police said Burns was questioned at his job Wednesday, Dec. 19, in Manchester and that he denied killing Martinko. In March of 2015, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) reopened Okonskis case. [25] He refused to voluntarily provide a sample of DNA, but was compelled to do so with a search warrant. Yancey pleaded guilty in May to the same charges. 38 YOA Judith Kay Weeks, a 44-year-old mother of two, was last seen alive on Sunday morning, April 4, 1999. [12], In 2017, a company specializing in DNA phenotyping was hired to create additional images of the killer based solely on DNA clues about facial appearance and ancestry. Case Number: 92-08179 A grand jury returned a True Bill indictment on Tait Otis Purk, 50, for the crime of Murder in the First Degree in violation of Section 707.2(1) of the Code of Iowa. Through interviews and additional discoveries, the case was classified as a homicide investigation. Detectives considered charging the Commissioner with failure to pass along the information to police, but no charges were pursued. Investigatorssaid the man who stabbedMartinko cut his hand and left blood behind. 23 YOA More:Read stories and watch videos about Iowa's unsolved murders, at DesMoinesRegister.com/GoneCold. 1613 S. 13th St., Apt. 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. 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. Date of Death: April 29, 2011 Wapello County The Kennedy High School senior droveto the mall after a school choir banquet to shop for a new winter coat. Updated: Jun 8, 2021 / 10:10 PM CDT SIOUX FALLS, S.D. 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. Estling, 14, of Maynard was driving a moped south along Highway 150 on June 28, 2018 when he was hit by a vehicle. This helps me find some peace of mind. The case went cold, but in February 2016, Pottawattamie County detectives asked the Omaha police cold case unit to assist in the investigation. For Michelle Martinko murder suspect Jerry Burns, Timeline: What we know about Michelle Marie Martinko's death and investigation, Friend 'happy Michelle finally gets justice' after police make arrest in Martinko killing, Michelle Martinko of Cedar Rapids, killed in 1979, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. [32] Prosecutors also played a video of a police interview of Burns, in which he denied being at the crime scene on the night of Martinko's murder, and could not explain how his DNA had been found at the scene. On Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016, Hibbler was sentenced to serve 35 years in prison; Beaver was sentenced to serve 20 years in prison. Police interviewed Smith in 1971 but did not have enough evidence to charge him or any other suspect. Date of Conviction: July 1, 2014. Agents traveled extensively throughout the country conducting multiple interviews of key witnesses relevant to the investigation. Alford Plea Entered: June 23, 2016 for Voluntary Manslaughter. The murder of Michelle Martinko occurred in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on December 19, 1979. Federal prosecutors charge and indict Mitchell April 26, 2016, in U.S. District Court for violently robbing Stickley on April 29, 2011. Mary Jayne Jones, 17, of Ottumwa, Iowa, was found slain in a farmhouse near Blakesburg, Iowa, on Tuesday, April 9, 1974. The trial began Feb. 10, 2020, and on Feb. 24, the Scott County jury of seven women and five men returned a guilty verdict after deliberating just shy of three hours. Mistrial Declared: March 12, 2019 Cedar Rapids, Iowa Killed: June 26, 2011 56 YOA The perp has been seeking clemency. On Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014, a Webster County jury found McElroy guilty as charged. He may be out of prison in as little as five years. In April 2019, Council Bluffs investigators submitted the unknown male DNA profile to Parabon Nanolabs to begin a genetic genealogy case. One month before Syperda vanished, her estranged husband, Michael Lee Syperda, had been arrested for assaulting both his wife and her roommate. Fourteen years later, Ewing's nonprofit Iowa Cold Cases averages around 100,000 unique web visitors per month. 111 S. Second St., Apt. Davis told authorities Holly had committed suicide. Crime Date: December 19, 1979 Linn County Home Residence: Macedonia, Iowa All Rights Reserved, Home Fayette County Her mother, Janet, died in 1998. Arrest Made: Dec. 22, 2016 Hundreds of people were interviewed and countless leads were followed, police said a year after the slaying. Case # 92-08083 Case # 85-06117 Rotatori had lived at the motel for about a week while in training for her new job as food service director at Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs. Farleys sister, Lisa Schenzel, told Fox News the family is relieved to have some closure but is still angry her killer died before justice could be served. [2][3][4] Burns was arrested and, on February 24, 2020, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Martinko. Evelyns body was found in the Cedar River five days after she went missing. Annette Cahill never mentioned the bat before public knowledge. The investigation revealed Ridnour was pursuing a relationship with Callahans 15-year-old granddaughter, which Callahan didnt agree with. On Thursday, August 31, 2017, a federal judge ruled Mitchell finally competent to stand trial, although Christopher Nathan, Mitchells lawyer, asked that the court be closed for discussion about setting a new trial date because it involves trial strategy that he didnt want to make public at this time. 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. On Thursday, May 31, 2018, Annette Dee Cahill, 55, of Tipton, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in Wienekes killing. In September 2021, two of the three suspects were sentenced to decades in prison. Cold Case Murder Solved. At approximately 6:33 a.m. on March 5, 2006, a neighbor observed smoke and flames coming from the residence of 11612 140th Street. John Bloomfield was arrested in November 2013 and charged with first-degree murder in his wifes death. (Courtesy Council Bluffs Police Department). Late on Tuesday, May 8, 2012, Jack Wendell Pursel, a 66-year-old former Waterloo resident whod been living in South Gate, Calif., walked into the Waterloo Police Department and confessed to the double homicide. Conviction Date: March 10, 2015. The defense brought only one witness, a self-described forensic DNA consultant, who testified on the possibility that police could have mishandled the evidence. Had you not done your work, and Iowa Cold Cases not put it out there, he would have been never identified., 29 YOA He was sentenced to 15 years in prison. "[2] When asked if he had killed someone that night in 1979, Burns repeatedly told investigators, "Test the DNA". Date of Crime: Sept. 20, 1997 She was unsure her information would be of any use because she had read that the murder happened between 10p.m. and midnight, and it was 2a.m. when she drove by. Sac County James Jim Remakel, 59, was stabbed to death inside his 606 South Riverview Street home in Bellevue, Iowa, on Sunday, December 25, 2016. Arrest Date: May 31, 2018 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. Guilty Verdict Reached: February 24, 2020 She, too, had died from blunt force trauma to the head. Though investigators are nearly certain about the two mens involvement, there is not enough evidence against them to say for sure. Date of Crime(s): April 13, 1984 1:21 Authorities say they have solved the 50-year-old killing of an Iowa teen, but not before the suspect died of old age. He entered a plea of not guilty. 1912: Moore family and guests (Villisca) Josiah and Sarah Moore, their four children and two visiting girls were bludgeoned to death with an ax late June 12. SOLVED; NEWS. Iowa Cold Cases Prior to your father being murdered, he had a history of larceny, as is shown by this link: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/1239451/. [26] When the DNA sample was tested, it matched the blood sample found at the crime scene. 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. Firefighters discovered Hooks body about 4:30 p.m. after theyd extinguished the fire. Crime Date: January 12, 1981 On Monday, Feb. 16, 2015, Fremont County District Court Judge Timothy OGrady found Davis guilty of first-degree murder in Hollys death. 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. Using newer technology, Cedar Rapids police were able to procure DNA from case evidence in 2006. 1500 block alley between Second and Third avenues SE Story County jury acquits Mitchell of all charges: Oct. 23, 2013 2216 27th Avenue, Rm #106 WHO-TV eventually removed the story and video and from its website, but the case summary and video remained on the Iowa Cold Cases site. Arrest Made: Nov. 26, 2013 Council Bluffs, IA Arrest Made: March 24, 2016 October 7, 2021. [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. Investigating Agency: Des Moines Police Department Wapello County He then contacted a member of a third branch, and a DNA test determined that they were first cousins with the killer. Cold case team says it's ID'd Zodiac Killer. However, the case gradually grew cold as the investigation stretched on. Seth Anderson, 22, and Nathan Messer, 20, who were sleeping on the second floor of the home, never made it out and died from smoke inhalation. Killed: June 28, 2018 22 YOA Her friend declined. Nearly 2 years to the day that a teen was killed while driving his moped south of Fayette, the Fayette County Sheriffs Office announced an arrest in the case. June 25, 1982 Arrest Made: July 27, 2015 Firozeh Dehghanpour. 44 YOA Along that path were murdered victims most identified, some anonymous. 5 YOA Investigators had reviewed Burns' 2018 internet searches and found that he regularly visited websites showing blonde women being raped, stabbed, and strangled, and which depicted sexual intercourse with murder victims. On June 19, 1980, police released a composite sketch, developed based on descriptions provided by two witnesses, of the man they believed stabbed Martinko. Burns made his first court appearance Thursday morning, Dec. 20, 2018, in Linn County. On Monday, July 15, 2013, Mason City police and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation held a press conference stating that Michael Jason Cisneros, 37, formerly of Mason City, had been charged with first-degree murder in John Snyder Jr.s death. Jackson County Kerstens death came just three weeks before a scheduled child support hearing for the couples twins. In jesus name i pray Amen. Nancy Grace featured the cold case in 2010, and the family received a new . 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. On Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014, Robert Gene Pilcher, 68, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Mary Jaynes death. 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. 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. Arrest Made: July 15, 2013 Kim & Go Convenience Store Fremont County Officials found Farvers vehicle in Omaha on Jan. 10, 2013. Sentencing: On Feb. 22, 2023, William Rulli was sentenced to 50 years in prison after confessing to Golinkskys murder. . I hope that it gives them a little peace. Case Breakers calls for police to conduct a DNA test to verify their findings; Fox News' Eric Shawn has the details. Verdict: Feb. 20, 2015 Theresa Supino acquitted. Sentencings: Sept. 1, Sept. 7, 2016. Harris was held at the Pottawattamie County Jail on a $1 million bond, and his trial began June 24, 2014. Charged: Christopher Johnson, 49, of Cedar Rapids. The court immediately put a protection order in place. Police interviewed dozens of people after the murders including Jack Wendell Pursel but never made any arrests and the case went cold for 31 years.