To read about unsolved murders in a particular Iowa community, click on a location from the alphabetical list below.
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☛ A ☚
Adair, Adair County:
Afton, Union County:
Agency, Wapello County:
Alton, Sioux County:
Ames, Story County:
- The Secret Diary: Murder of Fred Hollingsworth 1933
- Who Killed the Corn Canning Czar? Murder of Henry Chavis 1948
- A Story Yet To Be Told: Murder of Sheila Jean Collins 1968
Avoca, Pottawatomie County:
☛ B ☚
Batavia, Jefferson County:
Beaver Township, Polk County:
Boone, Boone County:
Buffalo, Scott County:
Buffalo Grove, Buchanan County:
Burlington, Des Moines County:
- The Gun in the Privy: Murder of Louisa Fritzsche 1893
- What the Medium Saw: Murder of John Pierson 1904
- Gas Light: Suspicious Deaths of Clara & Alfred Mellor, Jr. 1920
- Appointment With Death: Murder of Dorothy Miller 1969
- Long Creek Close to Home: Murder of Mary Lange 1970
☛ C ☚
Cincinnati, Appanoose County:
Clarion, Wright County:
Calamus, Clinton County:
Camp Dodge, Polk County:
Camp Township, Polk County:
Carlisle, Warren County:
Carney, Polk County:
Carroll, Carroll County:
Casey, Guthrie County:
Cedar Rapids, Linn County:
- Summer Night in the Park: Murder of J.H. Peck 1931
- The Aspiring Actress: Murder of Marlene Padfield 1959
- Death in a Cubicle: Murder of Fred Coste 1959
- Destination Unknown: Murder of Geraldine Maggert 1968
- Foul Play: Murder of Paula Oberbroeckling 1970
- The Dead Suspect: Traci Ann Evenson
Centerville, Appanoose County:
- The Baby in the Pasteboard Box: Murder of a Newborn Girl 1881
- Black Hand and the Coal Miner: Murder of Nicollo Vinceri 1920
Charlotte, Clinton County:
Chelsea, Tama County:
- The Czech Marble Cutter: Murder of Matej Straka 1878
- “Trio of Thugs”: Murder of Officer Rolland P. Smith 1901
Cherokee, Cherokee County:
- Wages in Gold: Murder of John Hill Beal 1893
- Killer in the Tombstone: Murders of Lena and Martin Schultz 1893
- The Eccentric Baggage Hauler: Murder of William Kniffin 1917
- Shock: Suspicious Death of Neva Andrews 1950
Clarence, Cedar County:
Clear Lake Township, Cerro Gordo County:
Clinton, Clinton County:
- The Irish Carpenter: Murder of William Martin 1885
- Last Accounts: Murder of Henry Nurre 1890
- Grifters and Cons: Murder of “Lucille Marvin” 1937
- The Widow in the Alley: Murder of Lillian Chapman 1950
- Crossing the Line: Murder of Arlene Adler 1967 Written by David Jindrich
- Shooting at “Ike’s Peak”: Murder of Edwin Jacobs 1972
- When the Dogs Didn’t Bark: Murder of Robert M. Clary 1982
Colfax, Jasper County:
Colo, Story County:
Colon, Mahaska County:
Cottonville, Jackson County:
Council Bluffs, Pottawatomie County:
- Coldblooded Desperado: Murder of Officer George W. Wilson 1907
- Neither Rain, Nor Snow, Nor Death: Murder of Walter Baldwin 1921
- In the Garage: Murder of Henry Christensen 1941
- Taxi Ride to Death: Murder of George Massouris 1950
- “Heaven is My Home”: Murder of Gloria Slump 1967
Cresco, Howard County:
☛ D ☚
Davenport, Scott County:
- Too Long at the Fair: Murder of Robert McQuestian 1873
- Labor Day Excursion: Murder of Alexander McArthur 1899
- Delirium Tremens: Suspicious Death of Sam Anderson 1901
- The Gentle Man: The Murder of Charles Englehart 1935
- “The Tattooed Lady”: Murder of Margaret Treese 1947
- “Maniac” in the Drugstore: Murder of Lucille Bacher 1955
- A Daughter’s Quest for Justice: Murder of Clarence Raymond Case 1961
Decorah, Winneshiek County:
Des Moines, Polk County:
- “The Peaceable Negro”: Murder of John Allen 1864
- The Cooler: Suspicious Death of David T. Todd 1887
- The One-Armed Man: Murder of William A. Hunt 1893
- The Well Digger: Murder of Peter Hendrickson 1895
- Picture Imperfect: Suspicious Death of Oliver Pearson 1896
- Below the Melan Arch Bridge: Murder of Baby John Doe 1898
- “All Round Crook”: Murder of Joplin Red West 1900
- The Christmas Eve Brawl: Murder of Charles Johnson 1901
- After Church: Murders of Lena and Tommy Peterson 1902
- Acting Oddly: Murder of Daniel Kelleher 1904
- Double Identity: Murder of George Griswold 1905
- Taking the Waters: Murder of Frank Callahan 1905
- Mistaken Identity: Murder of Peter Ross 1909
- Dead From a “Wallop”: Murder of John Schnellbacker (Schnellbächer) 1913
- “Butcher, Baker”: Murder of Otto H. Samp 1916
- Black Hand At the Bridge: Murder of Francis “Frank” Oliverio 1917
- At Closing Time: Murder of Officer George W. Mattern 1918
- Alleyway Robbery: Murder of Carlisle Hunter 1919
- The Gardener and The Black Hand: Murder of Dominic Sposeto 1919
- Skull By the River: Murder of Jane Doe 1920
- Strangled With His Own Necktie: Murder of David Faulkner 1920
- All Souls’ Day: Murders of Sister Mary Virginis and Sister Mary Rosalita 1921
- “Fear of the Dread Black Hand”: Murder of Domenico Baretto 1921
- Deadly Taxi Party: Murder of Thaddeus Mitchell 1922
- “The King of Little Italy”: Murder of Angelo Ferrari 1922
- “Myself, Meadow, Hawk”:The Murder of Evelyn Lee 1930/
- After A Game of Bridge: Murder of Anne M. McGrevey 1948
- Cab in the Snow-Filled Ditch: Murder of Leon Groves 1951
- Under the Court Avenue Bridge: Murder of Charles Sanders 1954
- On the Front Porch: Murder of Rose Grandanette 1958
- “Cold-Blooded Sadistic Type”: Murder of Ramona Jean Cox 1962
- Below Zero: Murder of George Geary 1963
- Cold Night Out: Murder of Donald Nervig 1965
- Mother’s Day Death: Murder of Lillian Randolph 1965 (body found)
- “A Real Nice Girl”: Murder of Janice Snow 1965
- Death at the Chamberlain: Murder of Judy Ann Corbin 1967
- The Neighborhood Grocer: Murder of David R. Morris 1973
- Gunfire At the Holiday Inn: Murders of Danny Peters and Luis Trujillo, Jr. 1974
Dubuque, Dubuque County:
Duncan, Hancock County:
Dysart, Tama County:
☛ E ☚
Eldon, Wapello County:
Ely, Linn County:
☛ F ☚
Fayette, Fayette County:
Florence Township, Benton County:
Folletts, Clinton County:
Fort Dodge, Webster County:
Frankville Township, Winneshiek County:
- The Dead Horse Trader: Murder of William Clugston 1867
- “The Menial Drudge”: Murder of Lovina Kneeskern 1876
☛ G ☚
Glenwood, Mills County:
Gravity, Taylor County:
Near Guthrie Center, Guthrie County:
- Mother’s Day Death: Murder of Lillian Randolph 1965 (disappeared)
Near Guernsey, Poweshiek County:
☛ H ☚
Hamburg, Fremont County:
Hampton, Franklin County:
Hazelton, Buchanan County:
Near Hills, Johnson County:
Homer, Webster County:
☛ I ☚
Independence, Buchanan County:
Iowa City, Johnson County:
- The Coffee That Killed the Frog: Murder of Winfield Carpenter 1904
- Babe in the Woods: Murder of an Infant Girl 1910
- “He’s Got a Roll”: Murder of Jared Ham 1911
- “Brutal Killer”: Murders of Beverly Brenneman and Ruby Ciler 1953
- “Right Place, Wrong Time”: Murder of Edward Kriz 1962
- Spring Break Killer: Murder of Sarah Ann Ottens 1973
☛ J ☚
Johnson County, Coralville Reservoir:
☛ K ☚
Keokuk, Lee County:
- The “Inoffensive, Harmless Man”: Murder of John Murphy 1904
- Death at the Box Company: Murder of Earl Paris 1928
- Brothel Double Homicide: Murders of Willard Woodring and Richard Buchanan 1960
Near Keota, Keota County:
- Body in the Pasture: Murder of Elmer Penderson 1881
- In the Corner Under a Blanket: Murder of George Sulzberger 1898
☛ L ☚
LaMoille, Marshall County:
La Porte City, Black Hawk County:
Le Mars, Plymouth County:
Lenox, Adams County:
Long Grove, Scott County:
Low Moor, Clinton County:
☛ M ☚
Malvern, Mills County:
Manson, Calhoun County:
Maquoketa, Jackson County:
- The Woman Who Bought Her Own Tombstone: Murder of Sarah Tracy 1935
- The Neighbors: Murder of Hulda Emma Fischer 1975 Written by David Jindrich
Marion, Linn County:
Marshalltown, Marshall County:
- Mangled Bodies: Murders of Jack Wilson and Con Matthews 1899
- A Woman and Her Dog: Murder of Maude Stubbs Lambert 1902
- The Dead Bulgarian: Murder of Welio Tsnoff 1910
- The Apron in the Shack: Murder of Erma (Irma) Caldwell 1924
- Lonely Hearts Scam and the Veteran: Michael Featherstone 1924
Mason City, Cerro Gordo County:
- Apparition: Murder of Edward Hughes 1898
- Burning Murder?: Death of Lucille DeDries 1962
- Death of the American Dream: Murder of Andrew Hatges 1968
Near Maxwell, Story County:
Mediapolis, Des Moines County:
Melrose Township, Grundy County:
Meriden, Cherokee County:
Merrill, Plymouth County:
Meskwaki Settlement, Tama County:
Millersburg, Iowa County:
Milo, Warren County:
Minburn, Dallas County:
Missouri Valley, Harrison County:
Montezuma, Poweshiek County:
Montour, Tama County:
- “The Belle of the Tribe”: Murder of Ma-Sha-Che 1905
- “No Women Or Children Allowed”: Murder of Winfield Scott Rouse 1929
Montrose, Lee County:
Muscatine, Muscatine County:
Mystic, Appanoose County:
☛ N ☚
New Virginia, Warren County:
Newton, Jasper County:
☛ O ☚
Oelwein, Fayette County:
Osage, Mitchell County:
Osceola, Clarke County:
Oskaloosa, Mahaska County:
Ottumwa, Wapello County:
- Bright, Bold Blackmailer: Murder of Alice Kelley 1888
- “Foully Treated”: Murder of Thomas McGary 1892
- Murder Behind the Meat Market: David P. Sutton 1893
- The Wabash Trestle: Murder of James Chamberlain 1893
- Mistaken Identity: Murder of Peter Ross 1909 (body found)
- Letters in Russian: Murder of Ben Mikovitch: 1914
- “No Necking Here”: Murder of Harry Overturf 1925
Oxford Junction, Jones County:
Oxford Mills, Jones County:
☛ P ☚
Pacific Junction, Mills County:
Parnell, Iowa County:
Perry, Dallas County:
Plainfield, Bremer County:
Pleasanton (formerly Pleasant Plain), Decatur County:
Polk City, Polk County:
- Death Comes to the Mayor: Murder of Robert W. Stubbs 1882
- “Violent Excitement”: Murder of Robert Lee Clingan 1883
☛ Q ☚
☛ R ☚
Red Oak, Montgomery County:
- Death of the Photographer’s Daughter: Murder of Clara Gray 1898
- Knockout Drugs: Murder of Harry Salisbury 1904
Redfield, Dallas County:
Rock Valley, Sioux County:
Rudd, Floyd County:
☛ S ☚
Saylor Township, Polk County:
Seymour, Wayne County:
Sheldon, O’Brien County:
Sherman Township, Jasper County:
Sioux City, Woodbury County:
- “That Old —“: Murder of John Rohrer 1893
- Boxcar Hanging: Murder of Leopold Glatzer 1895
- “Lilies of Soul-Less Sin”: Murders of Max Noack and Ora Minter 1895
- “True Disciple of Pollyana”: Murder of Thecla Gerken 1917
- “Hacked to Pieces”: Murder of John McGill 1920
- Chinese Tong Ritual: Murder of John “Jack” Fong 1924
- Death at the Hardware Store: Murders of Harry Jones and William Laugesen 1925
- Mayhem: Murder of W.A. Davies 1925
- Sisters Act: Suspicious Deaths of Josephine Goodwin and Elizabeth Anthony 1925
- Slaughter of Innocents: Sioux City Babies 1925
- Third Time, No Charm: Murder of Benjamin “Barney” Kaplan 1925
- “Stick ‘Em Up, Louie”: Murder of Louis Friedman 1930
- In the Big Muddy: Murder of Sherman Casper 1935
- Valentine Death: Murder of Catherine Decora 1965
South Fork Township, Delaware County:
South Fork Township, Jackson County:
- Dying for Land: Murder of Andrew Brown 1852
- “The Whole Affair is a Deep Mystery”: Murder of Adelbert Rowland 1897
Spencer, Clay County:
Spirit Lake, Dickinson County:
Storm Lake, Buena Vista County:
☛ T ☚
Tabor, Fremont County:
Teeds Grove, Clinton County:
Turkey Grove (Now Grove City), Cass County:
☛ U ☚
Unionville, Appanoose County:
☛ V ☚
Van Cleve, Marshall County:
Vienna Township, Marshall County:
Villisca, Montgomery County:
Vinton, Benton County:
Near Vinton, Benton County
Volga City, Clayton County:
☛ W ☚
Wapello County, Polk Township:
Waterloo, Black Hawk County:
- “A Vaudeville of Troubles”: Murder of Deborah Simmons 1879
- “Very Maw of Death”: Murder of Officer Fred P. Widmann 1908
- Leave Town or Die: Murder of Richard Huggins 1914
- Ancient Vendetta: Murder of Joseph Busemi 1915
- Good Neighborhood Kid: Murder of Ronald Butler 1977
Waukee, Dallas County:
Waukon, Allamakee County:
Webster City, Hamilton County:
Westgate, Fayette County:
West Liberty, Muscatine County:
Williamsburg, Iowa County:
Woodbine, Harrison County:
Unwitnessed: Murder of Washington Irving Crow 1875