Cold Case…
I have watched the television show Cold Case. There have been some very interesting shows with police cases several years old.
There is a cold case in my home town of Manson, Iowa.
Valerie Peterson
December 28, 2010 | By Jody Ewing
Valerie Peterson
Elna Maria “Valerie” Peterson
Homicide
Elna Maria “Valerie” Peterson
8 Years Of Age
Manson, IA
Calhoun County
May 6, 1971
Case summary by Jody Ewing
On May 6, 1971, eight-year-old Valerie Peterson was killed by a hit-and-run driver between 3:30 and 4:00 p.m. while riding her bicycle in front of the Manson Augustana Lutheran Church. One other girl riding ahead saw a blue-green pick-up truck with two or three men inside traveling north at a high rate of speed. They appeared to have long hair, and the girl believed the truck had some sort of equipment in the flatbed.
The truck had swerved onto the side of the road and did not stop.
Autopsy reports show that Valerie appeared to have flown up in the air after being struck and then hit the truck again on the front or side before striking the ground. The report indicated she probably was killed instantly.
The FBI and CBI suspected one family in particular — those owning the blue-green truck — which they went to immediately after the incident. The truck was then sold at Rost Motor in Manson within a week by the suspect’s family. Paint chippings were taken from the truck prior to the sale.
Initial evidence taken and sent to Washington, D.C. was damaged through testing procedures.
If you have any information about this case please contact the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s Cold Case Unit at (515) 725-6010, or send e-mail to: coldcaseunit@dps.state.ia.us.
Thank you, Bruce, for letting your readers know that Valerie’s case is still open. Her sister, international human rights attorney Eileen Meier, is working hard to get the Iowa legislature to pass a new bill defining procedures for storing and maintaining evidence in cold cases. Valerie would be quite proud!