Elizabeth Nicole Forshee-Syperda was just 22 years old when she vanished from her Mount Pleasant, Iowa apartment in the summer of 2000. Though her body has never been found, the case that haunted her family for nearly two decades ultimately resulted in a first-degree murder conviction against her estranged husband.
Elizabeth, often called “Liz” by those who knew her, was last seen alive on the night of July 16, 2000. Her roommate reported seeing her at their East Madison Street apartment around 10:30 p.m. before leaving for work. When the roommate returned several hours later, Elizabeth was gone. She had no vehicle, left behind her personal belongings, and the apartment door was locked from the outside—circumstances that initially led investigators to believe she may have left voluntarily.
As days turned into years, troubling details emerged. Elizabeth never collected her final paycheck, her bank account showed no activity after the night she disappeared, and she had been living apart from her husband, Michael Lee Syperda, at the time. Just one month before she vanished, Syperda had been arrested for assaulting Elizabeth and her roommate, resulting in a court-issued protection order.
Despite the absence of physical evidence and the lack of a body, Elizabeth’s family remained convinced she had met with foul play. Syperda stopped cooperating with investigators early in the case, refused a polygraph test, and eventually moved out of state.
In March 2017, nearly 17 years after Elizabeth disappeared, the Mount Pleasant Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation reopened the case. After a renewed investigation and review of evidence, the case was reclassified as a homicide. The findings were presented to the Henry County Attorney’s Office and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office, leading to a grand jury review.
On November 29, 2017, the grand jury returned a true bill indictment charging Michael Syperda with first-degree murder. He was arrested the following day in Colorado and extradited back to Iowa.
Syperda waived his right to a jury trial. His bench trial began on May 1, 2018, with closing arguments heard on May 7. On June 25, 2018, Henry County District Court Judge Mark Kruse found Syperda guilty of first-degree murder during a brief but emotional hearing. The courtroom remained silent as the verdict was read, though members of the family struggled to contain their grief.
On August 23, 2018, Syperda was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. During sentencing, Elizabeth’s mother, Donna Forshee, pleaded with him to reveal the location of her daughter’s remains. He declined to speak.
Elizabeth Forshee-Syperda is still officially listed as missing, and authorities continue to search for her remains. Her case stands as a rare but powerful example that justice can be achieved—even without the recovery of a body.
Anyone with additional information related to this case is encouraged to contact the Mount Pleasant Police Department at (319) 385-1450.
