It was supposed to be a simple night out. On November 17, 1973, five teenagers from Sioux Falls crossed into northwest Iowa to spend the evening around a campfire at Gitchie Manitou State Preserve. Instead, their night ended in one of the most brutal and heartbreaking crimes in Iowa history.
Three brothers — Allen, David, and James Fryer — were also in the preserve that night, but for far different reasons. Armed and planning to poach deer illegally, the Fryers stumbled upon the teens’ campfire. After noticing the smell of marijuana, they made a twisted decision: they would pose as narcotics officers, rob the teens, and take control of the situation by force.
From a ridge above the campsite, the brothers opened fire. Seventeen-year-old Roger Essem was killed almost immediately. Stewart Baade, 18, was wounded. The others tried to run, but the Fryers demanded they come back — pretending still to be law enforcement.
Stewart, along with his younger sister Dana (14), Michael Hadrath (15), and Sandra Cheskey (13), were forced away from the campfire at gunpoint. The Fryers tied up Sandra and loaded her into their van. Allen Fryer drove off with her, while David and James executed the remaining three teens in a remote area of the preserve.
The horror didn’t end there. That night, Sandra — the lone survivor — was taken to a nearby farmhouse, where James Fryer raped her. The next morning, the brothers dropped her off near her home and told her she was “too young to get busted.”
It didn’t take long for the bodies to be discovered. A couple visiting the preserve the next day found three of the victims along a roadside. Roger’s body was recovered a day later, closer to where the first shots were fired. Sandra’s testimony in the days and weeks that followed was critical. She helped identify the brothers, describe what happened in detail, and bring clarity to an otherwise senseless act of violence.
In court, David Fryer was the first to be sentenced — life without parole. Allen Fryer followed, receiving four consecutive life sentences. Before James Fryer could be tried, he and Allen briefly escaped from Lyon County Jail, though they were quickly recaptured. James was eventually convicted and sentenced to life as well.
All three brothers remain in Iowa prisons to this day.
The Gitchie Manitou murders shattered families and stunned the region. For many, especially those in the Sioux Falls and Lyon County communities, the events of that night still echo more than 50 years later. A peaceful nature preserve meant for quiet reflection became the backdrop for one of the darkest nights in the state’s history.
