More than 120 years after the death of a Carroll teenager, questions still surround the circumstances of his killing.
On the morning of February 23, 1905, the body of 17-year-old Addis E. Lyman was discovered alongside the Chicago and Northwestern Railway tracks near Carroll. At first, authorities believed the young man had fallen from a train while attempting to hitch a ride.
That theory quickly changed following an autopsy conducted by local physicians. The examination revealed that Lyman had been shot behind his right ear. Doctors recovered a .32-caliber bullet from his skull, confirming that his death was the result of a gunshot wound rather than an accident.
A coroner’s inquest later concluded that Lyman died as a result of “foul play.” Despite the finding, investigators faced significant challenges in determining who was responsible. No firearm was recovered at the scene, and railroad employees who may have had contact with Lyman before his death were questioned but provided no information that helped solve the case.
Authorities believed Lyman was traveling alone at the time of the shooting. With few leads and little evidence, the investigation eventually stalled, and the homicide remains unsolved.
Addis E. Lyman was born in November 1888 in Harrison, Iowa, to Thomas A. E. and Lucy Lyman. He was survived by his two sisters, Clarice and Marian. At the time of his death, the Lyman family was living in Carroll.
More than a century later, the identity of the person who shot Addis Lyman remains unknown, making his case one of Iowa’s enduring unsolved murders.
Source: Nancy Bowers, Iowa Unsolved Murders: Historic Cases
