Agnes “Aggie” Kennedy was the kind of person who gave without hesitation. If she thought something she owned might make someone else happy, she would insist they take it—often leaving them feeling as though they had done her a favor. Friends and family remember her as warm, funny, and immaculately put together, with a near-constant smile that lifted the mood of any room she entered.
A lifelong Davenport resident, Kennedy was a devoted mother of four and grandmother of two. After graduating from Davenport Central High School, she earned a teaching degree from Iowa State University and began her career at Williams Junior High School. There, she quickly gravitated toward students who struggled or lacked support at home. Colleagues and former students recall her ability to see situations from others’ perspectives and her deep commitment to helping those often overlooked.
Despite her dedication, life took a difficult turn. By her mid-20s, newly divorced and raising three young children, Kennedy found herself unable to make ends meet. In what she later described as a “moral compromise,” she left teaching and began working at a business that operated as a front for prostitution. Even then, those close to her say she never lost her compassion or belief in helping others.
As Christmas approached in December 2007, Kennedy was busy with holiday preparations. On the evening of December 22, she went to work, unaware it would be the last day of her life. Later that night, a couple discovered her unresponsive in an alley between West 7th and 8th Streets in Davenport. Police were called shortly after 8:30 p.m., and Kennedy was transported to Genesis Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
Authorities quickly deemed her death suspicious. An autopsy later confirmed she had been strangled, and the case was officially classified as a homicide. Investigators worked through the holiday weekend, gathering evidence and interviewing those who had contact with Kennedy in the hours before her death.
In the weeks that followed, law enforcement explored multiple leads. One Davenport man was detained on unrelated federal drug charges while police examined his possible connection to the case. Investigators testified that he had a history of violence toward women in prostitution, though he denied any involvement. He was never formally charged in Kennedy’s killing.
Months passed with no arrest. On what would have been Kennedy’s 52nd birthday, her family and friends gathered in Fejervary Park to honor her life and call attention to the unsolved case. They spoke of her joy, her humor, and the hole her loss left behind. Fifty-two balloons were released in her memory, followed by a candlelight walk to the alley where she was found.
As the years went on, the case took troubling turns. In 2010, a Davenport woman was charged with extortion after repeatedly contacting Kennedy’s family and demanding money in exchange for false information about the murder. Later, investigators began examining similarities between Kennedy’s death and the killings of other women in the region, including Angela Hennes and Yvonne “Bonnie” Nicholson—both of whom were also strangled. A man later convicted of Hennes’ murder has since been considered a possible connection, though Kennedy’s case remains unresolved.
Today, Agnes Kennedy is remembered not for the circumstances of her death, but for the way she lived. She was artistic, generous, deeply spiritual, and endlessly kind. She loved baseball, music, long walks, coffee with friends, and helping people who needed it most. Her family continues to wait for answers—and for justice.
More than a case file, Agnes “Aggie” Kennedy was a mother, a grandmother, a teacher, and a light in the lives of many. Her story remains one Davenport has not forgotten.
