One of the older unsolved homicide investigations connected to Cedar Rapids continues to raise questions decades after it first unfolded.
In the summer of 1977, Dennis L. Stastny, a 30-year-old part-time shoe salesman and U.S. Navy veteran, was reported missing after his family grew concerned when they had not heard from him. The concern quickly grew, and within days the situation turned tragic.
Two teenagers fishing along the Cedar River discovered a body near the spillway by the F Avenue Bridge. Authorities later confirmed the body belonged to Dennis L. Stastny.
An autopsy determined he had died from a stab wound to the heart. Because of the nature of the injury, the death was classified as a homicide.
However, the circumstances surrounding Dennis Stastny’s death quickly became complicated.
When investigators searched his apartment near downtown Cedar Rapids, they found evidence suggesting a violent incident may have occurred there. A bloody hunting knife was discovered inside his bedroom, and a trail of blood appeared to lead out of the apartment and toward an exterior staircase.
The trail stopped there.
Investigators were left trying to determine what happened next and how Dennis L. Stastny’s body ultimately ended up in the river.
The unusual evidence led to differing opinions about the case. Some investigators questioned whether the wound might have been self-inflicted and whether someone later moved his body to the river. The medical examiner disagreed with that theory and maintained the evidence pointed to homicide.
Because of those conflicting interpretations, the investigation stalled.
Over the years, several possible scenarios have been discussed. One theory suggests a confrontation inside Dennis Stastny’s apartment may have escalated into violence, with him later being dragged outside and transported to the river. Another possibility is that a personal dispute or altercation turned deadly. Some investigators have also considered whether the scene may have been staged to mislead authorities.
Despite those possibilities, no suspects were ever publicly identified and no arrests were made.
The case eventually joined the list of cold cases reviewed by authorities in Cedar Rapids. Investigators believe limited forensic technology at the time, the lack of witnesses, and uncertainty about where the crime actually occurred all contributed to the case going unsolved.
Nearly five decades later, the death of Dennis L. Stastny remains one of the city’s lingering mysteries.
Authorities still consider the case an unsolved homicide, and the hope remains that new information could one day help investigators finally determine what happened during the final hours before Dennis Stastny’s body was discovered in the Cedar River.
