Iowa is often thought of as a quiet, rural state, but its history includes some of the nation’s most disturbing crimes, notorious criminals and enduring mysteries. From Depression-era gangsters and violent murderers to cold cases that took decades to solve, these stories have left a lasting mark on Iowa history.
One of the state’s most notorious modern criminals was Dustin Honken, a northern Iowa methamphetamine manufacturer who was convicted of murdering five people in 1993. His victims included two federal witnesses and a mother and her two young children. Honken was eventually sentenced to death and became one of the most prominent federal criminal cases in Iowa.
Another case that captured national attention was the disappearance and murder of 20-year-old University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts in 2018. Cristhian Bahena Rivera was convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Iowa has also been visited by some of America’s most infamous outlaws. In 1933, Bonnie and Clyde and members of the Barrow Gang became involved in a violent shootout with law enforcement at Dexfield Park near Dexter. A year later, John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson were connected to the robbery of the First National Bank in Mason City.
Perhaps no Iowa crime is more infamous than the 1912 Villisca Axe Murders. Eight people, including six members of the Moore family and two young houseguests, were found brutally murdered inside their Villisca home. Despite investigations, suspects and several confessions over the years, no one was ever convicted. More than a century later, the case remains one of Iowa’s most haunting unsolved mysteries.
Other cases have raised questions about possible serial killers operating in or around Iowa. Donald Dean Studey, a Thurman, Iowa, man who died in 2013, became the subject of renewed attention after his daughter made allegations about multiple murders and possible burial sites on the family property. Authorities investigated the claims, but the allegations remain unproven and no criminal conviction established Studey as a serial killer.
Iowa has also been connected to notorious criminals whose crimes extended beyond the state. John Wayne Gacy, one of America’s most infamous serial killers, spent time incarcerated at the Anamosa State Penitentiary before his later crimes in Illinois.
One of Iowa’s most historically significant murder cases involved Victor Feguer. In 1960, Feguer kidnapped Dubuque physician Dr. Edward Bartels and later killed him in Illinois. Because the crime crossed state lines, Feguer was prosecuted in federal court. He was executed by hanging at the Iowa State Penitentiary on March 15, 1963, becoming the last person executed by the federal government in the United States before the death penalty was effectively halted for decades.
Some of Iowa’s most remarkable cases, however, are remembered because investigators eventually found answers.
In 2012, Cari Farver disappeared from Macedonia, Iowa. For years, people connected to her received threatening messages from someone apparently claiming to be Farver. The shocking truth was eventually uncovered: Farver had been murdered by Shanna “Liz” Golyar, who had spent years impersonating Farver online and through electronic communications. Golyar was convicted of first-degree murder in 2017.
Another breakthrough came in the murder of Michelle Martinko. The 18-year-old Cedar Rapids woman was found stabbed to death in a shopping mall parking lot in December 1979. The case remained unsolved for nearly 40 years until investigators used DNA and genetic genealogy techniques to identify Jerry Lynn Burns. Burns was convicted in 2020 and sentenced to life in prison.
The story of Charles Ray Hatcher is another disturbing chapter in Iowa’s criminal history. Hatcher was a drifter who moved between Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri and used numerous aliases and identities. Before his death in an Indiana prison cell in 1984, he confessed to numerous murders, although not all of his claims were independently verified.
Iowa also played a role in the world of organized crime during Prohibition. Al Capone and his criminal organization were connected to Iowa through alleged bootlegging operations and visits to places such as Dubuque. Stories of gangsters using Iowa as a route between larger Midwestern cities have become part of the state’s colorful Prohibition history.
From the Villisca farmhouse to Depression-era bank robberies and modern investigations using cutting-edge DNA technology, Iowa’s criminal history is far more complicated than its quiet reputation might suggest.
