Iowa Cold Cases

09/27/2026

19 years ago today, Robert "Kip" Bates III, a 39-year-old Marine who fought in Operation Desert Storm, was shot twice around 10 p.m. at the Carter Lake "Jump Start" convenience store after stepping outside to take a break.

Bates’ girlfriend expected to deliver the couple’s child within the month, and Bates hadn’t been scheduled to work that night but switched schedules with another employee. He was working alone that night, and was shot twice within two seconds after going out the front door. He managed to make it back inside to dial 911, but died before help could arrive.

Officials said robbery wasn’t considered a motive because the gunman never went inside the store and didn’t steal any cash or property. If you have any information about this unsolved murder, please contact Pottawattamie County Crime Stoppers at 712-328-STOP (7867) or Carter Lake police at 712-347-5920.
https://iowacoldcases.org/case-summaries/robert-bates/

09/26/2026

https://www.instagram.com/p/DdrfZ5XxZ2T/
To mark the 40th anniversary of her sister Kim Loose’s death, Julie Loose compiled a collection of poignant family videos and photos — including the five young sisters riding on a carousel — and worked with a videographer to convey a story of love and loss. Julie, like so many other victims’ family members, holds on to hope to one day have answers while also wondering about a life that could have been. Many thanks to Julie Loose for sharing this with Iowa Cold Cases. The video is available to view on Instagram at the link below.

09/26/2026

(1 of 2 posts) 40 years ago today, Kim Loose, 16, died in rural Walcott, Iowa, after leaving her best friend’s 16th birthday party in Blue Grass with 20-year-old Jeffery Daily of Blue Grass, to meet up with Daily's best friend, Craig Petersen, 20, and Craig's brother Kevin, 22, at a party at the Walcott Mobile Home Park.

Officials found the unresponsive teen in the mobile home's parking lot after 10 p.m. on a Friday night and initially told the family she died from a broken neck after falling from a moving vehicle in the parking lot. More than 25 years passed before the family learned Kim had died from three separate fatal injuries that were inconsistent with statements witnesses provided to authorities following the incident.

The day after Kim's death, the Petersen brothers argued all day, and by nightfall the elder brother had shooed away gawkers while he and Craig fought on the I-280 bridge south of Davenport. It was the last time Craig was seen alive. Just hours before Kim Loose's funeral began, a fisherman bailing out his boat discovered Craig's body floating about 100 feet offshore in Muscatine County.

The cases are believed to be connected and both remain unresolved.
https://iowacoldcases.org/case-summaries/kim-loose/

09/07/2026

50 years ago today, Marie "Lisa" Peak, a 19-year-old Wartburg College sophomore from Knoxville, Iowa, was found dead in a Bremer County ditch. She had been sexually assaulted, and died of suffocation and a broken neck.

The journalism major’s body was found less than six months after 18-year-old Julie Benning’s body was discovered in another nearby ditch. Officials have long believed the two murders are connected. If you have any information about these cases please contact the FBI at (712) 258-1920 or contact the Iowa Attorney General’s Office Cold Case Unit at 800-242-5100 or email [email protected].

On Sept. 7, 1976, Wartburg College student Lisa Peak, 19, was found in a ditch in rural Bremer County, Iowa. She'd been sexually assaulted and strangled.

08/25/2026

Reward in unsolved Waterloo homicide.

For additional, please visit- https://iowacoldcases.org/case-summaries/johnnie-rose/

08/11/2026

UPDATE: The Iowa Cold Cases website is now back online. The site was being heavily crawled by a European bot network, and that IP address has since been permanently blocked.

We will keep the security verification window active on the site for the next week to ensure everything is running smoothly. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

08/11/2026

NOTICE: We are aware that the Iowa Cold Cases website is currently down, and are working with our longtime server to track down the problem. The suspected issue is high system resource usage due to unusually high traffic. We appreciate your patience and will let you know when the site is back up and running.
Jody @ ICC 

08/09/2026

https://www.ktiv.com/2026/08/07/case-that-refused-die-murder-trial-begins-42-years-after-brutal-killing/

Jury selection begins Tuesday in the case against Thomas Duane Popp, who faces life in prison if convicted

08/05/2026

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office would like to make residents aware of an upcoming mailing you may receive requesting donations to the Iowa State Sheriffs' & Deputies' Association (ISSDA).

This is part of an annual, statewide fundraiser conducted by Iowa Sheriffs. The letter invites recipients to become an Honorary Member of the Iowa State Sheriffs’ & Deputies’ Association Institute (ISSDAI), which helps support law enforcement resources and services across Iowa.

We understand some residents may find this mailing suspicious, especially since the return address may list a P.O. Box in Wellman, Iowa. Please know that this mailing is legitimate.

⚠️ Important reminder:
ISSDA will ONLY solicit donations by mail. They will NEVER request donations by phone.

For more information, please visit: https://www.issda.org/issdai-fundraising

08/05/2026

CORALVILLE — The human remains found last month, near S.T. Morrison Park and the Coralville Recreation Center, have been identified as a Coralville man who went missing in October 2023.

The Johnson County Medical Examiner’s Office notified police that staff at the University of Iowa Decedent Care Center confirmed the identity of Grant Wongsatorn Leonard, 32, by comparing his dental records from the missing person investigation, Police Chief Kyle Nicholson said in a news release.

The human remains found last month in Coralville have been identified as a Coralville man who went missing in 2023. Grant Wongsatorn Leonard, who was 29 when reported missing, was identified through dental records.