A tragic and still-unsolved case from Floyd County dates back more than 160 years, when the body of an unidentified child was discovered along Flood Creek near Bennett’s Ford in Rudd Township.
According to research by author Nancy Bowers, published by Iowa Unsolved Murders: Historic Cases, the incident occurred on August 20, 1859. Mrs. Bennett, a local resident whose family lived near the creek crossing, was collecting water when she heard sounds she initially believed were coming from a cat or kitten.
Curious about the noise, she investigated and made a heartbreaking discovery. Hidden among driftwood along the creek bank was the body of a small child who had drowned. The child’s clothing had reportedly been stuffed into a hollow log nearby.
Mrs. Bennett took the child back to her home and alerted neighbors. Community members soon followed the tracks of a wagon that had recently traveled through the area and detained its occupants on suspicion of murder.
The travelers told authorities that the child had accidentally fallen from their wagon into Flood Creek and drowned. They claimed they concealed the body in the driftwood because they lacked the money to provide a proper burial.
Despite suspicions, investigators were unable to gather enough direct evidence to prove the child’s death was intentional. The case relied entirely on circumstantial evidence, and the accused individuals were ultimately acquitted in court. Following their release, they continued their journey westward.
The identity of the child remains unknown, and the circumstances surrounding the death have never been fully explained, leaving the case among Iowa’s historic unsolved mysteries.
Source: “Driftwood: Murder of an Unknown Child 1859” by Nancy Bowers, Iowa Unsolved Murders: Historic Cases.
