One of Iowa’s oldest unsolved homicide cases is the 1905 death of 17-year-old Addis E. Lyman, whose body was discovered beside the Chicago and Northwestern Railway tracks near Carroll, Iowa.
On the morning of February 23, 1905, Lyman’s body was found near the railroad tracks. At first, authorities believed the teenager had accidentally fallen from a train while attempting to hitch a ride. That theory quickly changed after an autopsy was performed.
Doctors Kelley, Johnson, and Patty determined that Lyman had been shot once behind his right ear. A .32-caliber bullet was recovered from his skull, leading investigators to conclude that his death was the result of homicide rather than an accident.
A coroner’s jury ruled that Lyman died from a gunshot wound caused by “foul play.” Despite an extensive investigation at the time, no firearm was recovered at the scene, and authorities were unable to determine who was responsible.
Investigators interviewed railroad employees who had worked on the train Lyman was believed to have been riding, but no information surfaced that explained how or why the teenager was killed. It is believed he was traveling alone when the shooting occurred.
Addis E. Lyman was born in November 1888 in Harrison, Iowa, to Thomas A.E. and Lucy Lyman. He had two sisters, Clarice and Marian. At the time of his death, the Lyman family was living in Carroll.
More than 120 years later, the murder of Addis Lyman remains unsolved, leaving unanswered questions about what happened to the young man during his final journey.
Source: Iowa Unsolved Murders: Historic Cases by Nancy Bowers.
