Iowa's serial killer history spans states and years
Iowa figures like John Wayne Gacy Jr and Robert Hansen loom in state crime lore. Gacy lived in Waterloo in 1968 and later confessed to 33 murders, while Hansen, raised in Pocahontas, did two years in an Iowa prison for arson before rising to notoriety in Alaska.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ing
John Wayne Gacy Jr
Steve Conlon
Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation
DCI
Iowa
Gacy
Waterloo
Des Plaines
Ill
Conlon
Illinois
Menard Correctional Center
Menard, Ill
Robert Hansen
Pocahontas
Hansen
Alaska
Iowa's VICAP Network Aids Serial Killer Links
A 1980s Iowa profile describes serial killers like Hansen and Hatcher, notes disappearances of Des Moines paperboys Johnny Gosch and Eugene Martin as possible linked cases, and explains VICAP, a state system aiding pattern detection for violent crime. The piece credits Conlon for developing VICAP at the DCI and outlines its role with the FBI center in detecting relationships among murders and rapes.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Iowa
Conlon
DCI
VICAP
National Center For the Analysis of Violent
FBI
Ganey
Hatcher
St. Joseph
James Churchill
Quad Cities
Churchill
Mississippi River
Rock Island
Ill
Des Moines
Johnny Gosch
Ax Murders Probe Divides Theories In Dual Slayings
Investigators debate whether the St Joseph murders were revenge driven or random. Detec tives connect the Amana and Galesburg killings through similar methods including ax bludgeoning and a Do Not Disturb sign, while others cite inconsistent evidence and possible personal motives among suspects and acquaintances.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Roger Atkison
Stockett
Rose Burkett
Atkison
St. Joseph
Roger
Rose
Kahoka
Amana
Amana murders study shows tangled motives and dodgy alibis
Gazette reporters spent three months exploring the Amana ax murders. Suspects include a fleeing bartender, a serial killer relative, a deceived wife, an ex lover, and a jealous suitor. Investigators cite a single partial fingerprint and baffling alibis while urging tips from the public.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Stockett
Amanaax
Roger
Rose
Amana
Missouri
Raymundo Esparza
Serial killer Charles Hatcher linked to murders but not proven
Investigators say the Amana Inn ax murders may involve serial killer Charles Hatcher, who later confessed to four murders and 12 unidentified deaths. Iowa officials note travels but no ties to unsolved killings. Hatcher died by hanging in prison after a lifetime of crime and evasive behavior.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bob Horton
Galesburg
Horton
Roger
Rose
William Kyle
Raymundo Esparza
Los Angeles
Davenport
Esparza
Kyle
Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Iowa City
Amana
Meridian
Miss
Stackett
Stockett
Larry Goepel
Iowa
Holiday Inn
North Carolina
U.S. Army
Germany
Roger Atkison
Larry
Kansas City
Elizabeth
Marcella
Hatchers
Kahoka
Charles Hatcher
St. Joseph
Herald Martin
Iowa County District Court
Rick Smith
Amana Holiday Inn
Hatcher
Norfolk
Neb
James Slockett
St. Joseph's Children
St. Louis Post-Dispatcher
Terry Ganey
Also Mentioned on This Page
Gazette
Owa
Des
Iowa Department of Public Safety
Meyer
Des Moines Register
Lown
St. Joseph, Mo
Wright
Chris Stewart
James Stockett
Rose Burkert
Killer
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