12 Unsolved Iowa Murder Cases

On April 8, 2011, 27-year-oldAshley OklandAshley Okland was killed in western Des Moines, IA. Okland was born in December 1983 and graduated from Iowa State University in 2006. One year later, she became a real estate agent.

Iowa Realty Co. employed Okland when she was murdered. She worked when the event happened. She showed a model townhouse. An employee from Rottlund Homes heard strange noises inside. The employee entered the home and found Okland on the floor, shot twice.

Okland’s case remains open.Investigators follow leads. As of 2021, police examined about 900 leads and interviewed 500 people. They believe someone holds information that could solve the case. Jason Bryan, a Sergeant then, stated, “We do everything possible to solve the case. It is not a file cabinet. We look at every tip right away and thoroughly. For us, it is an active case and stays active until solved.”

Police will not share details only involved parties know to identify them. They also have not discussed potential suspects with the media. A reward of up to $150,000 seeks information leading to the perpetrator’s arrest.

Law enforcement asks anyone with information about the case to report it to Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa. Call (515) 223-1400 or (800) 452-1111. Submit information via their website (crimestoppersofcentral.com) or app (P3TIPS.com).Law enforcement asks anyone with information about the case to report it to Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa. Call (515) 223-1400 or (800) 452-1111. Submit information via their website (crimestoppersofcentral.com) or app (P3TIPS.com).

Elizabeth Collins, age 8, and her cousin, Lyric Cook-Morrissey, age 10, wereriding bikes togetherSomeone abducted the girls on July 13, 2012. The girls' grandmother watched them at Elizabeth's home that day. They decided to bike around their hometown of Evansdale, IA, in the afternoon.

The girls were last seen on their bikes between 12 and 1 pm. When Elizabeth's mother returned, the girls were gone. She and other family members searched until before 3 pm. Finding no girls, Elizabeth's mother called police to report them missing. Law enforcement then took the search.

A family member drove with the Evansdale Police Chief, and theyHunters found the girls' bikesThe bikes were at around 4 pm. The bikes were on a trail by Meyers Lake, along with a Hannah Montana purse belonging to Elizabeth. Despite continued searching, their bodies went undiscovered for another five months. Hunters found the girls' remains in the rural area of Seven Bridges Wildlife Park, approximately25 miles awayfrom where the girls were riding their bikes.

Soon, the investigation began. Lyric’s mother and her ex-husband, Dan, refused to help the police. They stated they did not want the police targeting Dan because he had a criminal record.

Elizabeth's mother told reporters she hopes her sister (Lyric’s mother) and Dan are not involved in the girls' fate because of their drug use. She also said she found it strange they chose cremation over burial for Lyric's body. She said, “They canTests continue.on Elizabeth. They can’t on Lyric. Lyric's body was cremated. I tried talking to Misty [Lyric’s mother] about that, begging her not to do it, but she ignored me. When she did something like that, she asked me, ‘what are you hiding?’

Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers posted a$50,000 reward exists.in July 2019. This reward pays for information leading to an arrest in the abductions and murders of Elizabeth Collins and Lyric Cook-Morrissey.

On June 27, 1995, 27-year-old...Jodi Huisentruitwent missing. Jodi Huisentruit was a news anchor in Mason City, IA. Law enforcement thinks she was taken near her apartment while heading to work. The body has never been found, but she was declared legally dead in 2001, six years after she vanished. No one has changed in the case, but it remains open.

Police think they took her from her apartment parking lot; signs of a struggle were found there. Progress stalled until recently. Media attention changed things. A billboard campaign featured Huisentruit, and her case appeared on the national TV showForty-eight hours passed.After the show aired, Mason City police received many calls.

Another lead involved one of Huisentruit’s friends,John Vancise.. For 24 years Huisentruit was missing, Vancise chose not to talk to the media. The public was surprised when he changed his mind and gave an interview. Before that, he faced accusations of the crime with little proof. In the interview, he claimed he knew nothing about Huisentruit’s disappearance. In 2017,

The public was surprised. Then, he changed his mind. He gave an interview about the topic. Before this, people accused him of the crime with little proof. In the interview, he said he knew nothing about Huisentruit’s disappearance. In 2017,for his DNA, fingerprints, and handprints, but no results have been shared.Law enforcement says they keep investigating. Anyone with info can call the anonymous tip line at (970) 458-JODI.

Law enforcement investigates the case now. Anyone with information can call the anonymous tip line at (970) 458-JODI.

Tammy Zywicki.Tammy Zywicki was 21 on August 23, 1992. She drove from her Evanston, IL home to Grinnell, IA, for college. She dropped her younger brother at Northwestern University first. Then, she drove toward Grinnell. Because Zywicki did not call her mother to say she reached her destination by the next evening, her mother called the Illinois State Police.

An Illinois State Trooper found a vehicle matching Zywicki’s description. A white Pontiac hatchback sat near LaSalle, IL. The trooper marked the car abandoned and towed it. A search for Zywicki took nine days. Her body appeared on September 1. They wrapped her in a blanket and left her on Interstate 44 in Lawrence County, MO.

The medical examiner performed an autopsy on Zywicki’s body.The medical examiner found something strange during the autopsy. Zywicki had multiple small puncture wounds around her heart. Police agreed this was an odd killing method.The medical examiner found something strange in Zywicki’s body. She had multiple stab wounds near her heart, but the puncture marks were very small. Police agreed this was an odd way to kill someone.

Zywicki was last seen in her car.Zywicki was last seen around mile marker 83 on Interstate I-80 in Illinois between 3 and 4 pm. Some reports claim she talked to a man in a pickup truck; a tractor trailer was also near her car. The tractor trailer driver was a white male with dark hair, over six feet tall, and aged 35 to 40. Police made no arrests, and the case remains open.

The FBI offers a $50,000 reward for info that identifies the killer. People with information should call the Illinois State Police at (815) 726-6377.

Josiah (Joe) Moore, 43, and his wife, Sarah Moore, 39, had four children aged 5 to 11. On the night of June 9, 1912, the family was at theirhome in Villisca, IA.They were with two family friends, Lena and Ina Stillinger, having a sleepover with the Moore children.

Early the next morning, neighbors worried. The family usually woke up early, but no one appeared. Around 8:30 am, the town marshal reached the home. After a quick look, he saw everyone had beenmurdered in their beds.He found the murder weapon, an axe.belonging to the Moores.Authorities did not immediately secure the scene. More than five people entered the home during the first investigation, which could have messed up important evidence.

Three main theories exist about the killer. The first suspect isFrank Jones.Jones was a local man who feuded with Joe Moore. Moore worked for Jones for years. When Moore left, he took a big deal with him—and left Jones. Rumors suggested Moore had an affair with Jones’s daughter-in-law. A grand jury investigated Jones but did not convict him. Some people thought he was found not guilty because of his community influence.

The second suspect wasReverend Lyn George Jacklin Kelly.He arrived in Villisca the day of the murders. He drew suspicion after boarding a train leaving town at 5 am the next morning. On the train, he reportedly told other passengers about the murders before they were discovered. Kelly confessed to the murders in August 1917 but later recanted. The court eventually acquitted him in November of that year.

The third theory suggests the Moores and Stillingers were killed by a serial killer.This serial killer used the train to commit murders across the country. They allegedly entered towns, attacked a family, and left before anyone knew they were there.Paula Oberbroeckling was born in Cedar Rapids, IA, in 1952. On July 11, 1970, she was 18 and had just finished high school. The night of June 10, Oberbroeckling dated Lonnie Bell. After they returned home to share with roommate Debbie Kellogg, Oberbroeckling and Bell argued. After Bell left, Oberbroeckling left too, telling Kellogg she would return and asking to borrow Kellogg's car.

Paula OberbroecklingShe was born in Cedar Rapids, IA, in 1952. On July 11, 1970, Paula Oberbroeckling was eighteen and had just finished high school months earlier. The night of June 10, Oberbroeckling went on a date with her boyfriend, Lonnie Bell. When they got home to the place she shared with a roommate, Debbie Kellogg, Oberbroeckling and Bell started arguing. After Bell left, Oberbroeckling left too, telling Kellogg she would return and asking to borrow Kellogg's car.

When Carol spoke to police again on July 15, she told them Oberbroeckling was allegedly seen in a specific area of town around 1 am the night she disappeared. She reported car trouble and that a man was helping her. Law enforcement followed hundreds of leads, including one from Oberbroeckling's boyfriend.Bell told police Oberbroeckling had been writing to another man named John Strayhorn.The next day, Paula Oberbroeckling was found near a supermarket, two miles from where Oberbroeckling and Kellogg lived. Her mother, Carol Oberbroeckling, filed a missing person's report. She told police her daughter was upset because she thought she might be pregnant and believed Bell would leave her.

When Carol spoke to police again on July 15, she told them Oberbroeckling was allegedly seen in an area of town around 1 am the night she disappeared. Oberbroeckling reportedly had car trouble, and a man helped her. Law enforcement pursued hundreds of leads, including one from Oberbroeckling's boyfriend.

Bell told police Oberbroeckling had been writing to another man namedJohn Strayhorn, who lived in the Hawthorne Hills apartments. However, when law enforcement checked the apartment, they learned no one named John Strayhorn lived there.

On November 29, 1970, four months after she vanished, Oberbroeckling’sskeletal remainswere found near a steel pin in the ground by a sewage plant. The University of Iowa Hospitals conducted the autopsy, and the coroner could not rule out death from soft tissue injury, poisoning, and/or asphyxiation.

As of 1972, 31-year-old Keith Schuller and 26-year-oldLynn SchullerLynn Schuller had been married for almost seven years and had one child. A year earlier in 1971, Keith asked for a divorce, but Lynn refused. Later, before August 1972, Lynn wrote her mother, telling her Keith threatened to murder her.

Months later, Lynn’s mother got a call from Keith, who said Lynn was missing. Keith told them he took their toddler on a bike ride for about five hours around 7:30 am on August 6, and when he came back, Lynn and her bike were gone.

Keith took their son swimming at a nearby park for about an hour then returned home. He claimed Lynn’s bike was at the house, but Lynn was gone. A day later, August 7, Keith called the police about his wife missing.Lynn Schuller's wife is missing..

Law enforcement found no forced entry or robbery signs at their home. Lynn’s parents and some family members visited town and started searching for her. Law enforcement asked Keith for help in the search. He refused, claiming he already checked the woods for Lynn. Keith faced arrest for not cooperating, but the charges dropped.

Those close to Lynn believe she was harmed, even though she was never charged with the crime.Keith caused her disappearance.The main theory suggests Keith killed Lynn and fed her to his pet alligator, Pogo, along with two snakes. Keith pursued a divorce, telling the courts Lynn deserted him. However, he backed out whenever he had to testify about her disappearance. Two years later, in 1978, he got a divorce only after convincing the judge Lynn was legally dead.

On December 19, 1970, the body of 37-year-oldMary BerniceLange was found floating fully clothed in Long Creek, a shallow water body under a bridge near Burlington, IA. She was in a tough divorce from her 50-year-old husband, Marvin Dale Lange, involving a custody fight over their three children. Around her death, her husband spent $2,000 from an out-of-state bank account.

Three days before, on December 16, Lange went to a work Christmas party at Memorial Auditorium. She left the party around 9 pm to meet a married man named Charles Robert Hutson. Hutson last saw her just before 3 am that morning; she dropped him off and told him she was going home.

When Lange did not return home on December 17, her sisterreported her missing.The ex-husband also knew something was wrong. He had two men tracking her to find info that would help him win custody of their children. Lange’s car was found a day later with blood spots inside. Police believe they did not move it since the 17th.

Lange’s autopsy showed she drowned in the creek after blunt-force trauma hit her head. Police think an attacker first attacked her somewhere else. Then, the attacker placed her in her car trunk and drove to the rural area of Long Creek, where her body was later found.

Police sent fingerprints, blood, and other evidence from the car to an FBI lab for testing. Authorities believe Lange's killer knew the area because it was not busy. They likely knew Lange personally. Hutson became the only person discussed in the media, but a polygraph test cleared him.

Jessica Marie AltmanJessica, only four years old, found her mother dead in the kitchen on the afternoon of January 24, 1981. Jessica answered a call from her aunt, stating her mother would not wake up.

Jessica answered a phone call from her aunt, saying her mother would not wake up. Jessica's aunt arrived shortly after with police.Angela Marie Altman was 22 years old.Police found her partially dressed on the kitchen floor. Authorities determined she suffered strangulation and stabbing. They guessed she died eight to ten hours before they arrived. No murder weapon remained at the scene.

The investigation focused on a 16-year-old as the main suspect.Everett Dial was the suspect.Dial and Altman had a romantic relationship. Altman's family reported Dial abused her. Law enforcement got a search warrant for Dial’s home and arrested him January 25. The next day, he faced first-degree murder charges. The judge at the juvenile detention center ruled Dial could not go home with his mother pending trial; he had to stay at the center.

Throughout February 1981, courts discussed Dial’s competency. He underwent mental evaluations at the North Central Mental Health Center. Early in March, the judge allowed Dial to leave detention because evaluations showed he did not threaten the community. Eventually, the charges against him were dropped.The charges against him were dropped.The media mentioned only one other suspect. Someone who knew this suspect claimed he killed Altman after she disrespected him. The informant refused to testify against the unnamed suspect, and no charges ever filed.

The media mentioned only one other suspect. Someone who knew this suspect claimed he killed Altman after she disrespected him. However, the informant refused to testify against the unnamed suspect, and no charges were ever filed.

Maria Lena Ybanez.Maria Lena Ybanez disappeared in June 1973 while living in Davenport, IA. Police first thought the 16-year-old fled because her father was very abusive. Kathryn Ybanez and Bernardo “Bernie” Ybanez were finalizing a divorce, and the girl was set to testify against her father. Despite the difficult home life, Ybanez family members denied the girl would ever run away. No updates on Ybanez’s disappearance occurred for more than four years.

In November 1977, two men found human remains while hunting pheasants. They found the bones in a shallow grave near New Liberty, IA. Decomposition made the remains hard to identify. In January 1978, one of Ybanez’s ex-boyfriends saw a news article about the remains and recognized the rings in a picture as Ybanez’s. On the 24th, authorities officially identified the remains as Ybanez through dental records.Authorities officially identified the remains as Ybanez through dental records.Authorities identified the remains as Ybanez through dental records.

Law enforcement named her father, Bernie. Bernie was the primary suspect in the case, alleging he physically and sexually abused her for many years. They believe Ybanez may have tried to run away before Bernie tracked her down, and he beat and strangled her before dumping her body.

An officer on the case stated, “I know Bernie killed her. She was buried long ago, and we could not press the charge, but I know he committed the crime.”

Lloyd John Patrick.Lloyd John Patrick was 85 when someone killed him on October 27, 1982, in his home in rural Mahaska County, IA. He was born there and lived on his farm his whole life. A reporter said the land belonged to his family for over 100 years. Patrick was home alone during the attack; his wife died ten years earlier, and his two children were adults.

The perpetrator shot Patrick multiple times inside his home. Authorities think the perpetrator started the house fire after shooting Patrick, though officials did not know how the fire began.An autopsy report.The autopsy showed Patrick died from gunshot wounds; he was already dead when the fire started. Separately, his wife also suffered in a fire and survived with lasting injuries.

No suspects have been named in the case. Reports surfaced about a vehicle seen near the area between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. the night Patrick died. The murder stays on a cold case list. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is still looking into it. Investigators might find answers as time passes and technology improves.No suspects have been named in the case. Reports surfaced about a vehicle seen near the area between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. the night Patrick died. The murder stays on a cold case list. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is still looking into it. Investigators might find answers as time passes and technology improves.

Anyone with case information should call (641) 673-4322 to reach the Mahaska County Sheriff's Office. You can also contact the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation at (515) 725-6010.

On May 21, 2001, around 1:30 a.m.,Shawn North was shot in the driveway.of his Waterloo, IA home. Neighbors heard him scream and called police. Bullets struck North in the front, hitting his spinal cord. Doctors at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics determined he was paralyzed from the neck down.

Law enforcement found North was shot with bullets from two guns. They found casings from both a .22-caliber gun and a 9-mm gun at the scene. They also recovered bullets found in North during some of his surgeries.

North told police he heard knocking at his window. He opened the door and two men demanded his truck. When he refused, they shot him and fled. Because North survived the attack, the incident was filed as anThe incident was aggravated assault., and no charges ever happened. Police entered the casings and bullets into a national database, but they had little else. The attack changed North’s life completely; he could no longer play sports, walk, or work.

Then, in lateAugust 2016Shawn North died at 45. His death certificate listed complications from gunshot wounds as the cause. The shooting required a colostomy bag. Pulling off the bag caused an infection that killed him. This shift changed the case from aggravated assault to homicide.

The Waterloo Police Department Captain said they reopened the case. They sought potential witnesses and leads.