These last few months, I've gotten really into true crime. My latest obsession is the show Forensic Files, which aired on TLC from 1996 to 2011. It's currently available to watch on Netflix, but not for too much longer! I'm trying to watch as many episodes as I possibly can before the show is removed from the streaming service at the end of the year.

While watching the show this weekend, I stumbled upon an episode from right here in Iowa! After watching it, I decided to do a little more research to see just how many episodes focused on crimes in our state. I discovered four episodes, with one taking place in Des Moines, one in North Liberty, one in Iowa City, and one in Cedar Rapids. Here are details on all four:

"Hair of the Dog"

  • Season 8, Episode 18
  • Originally aired on August 29th, 2003
  • North Liberty, Iowa
  • "Hair of the Dog" tells the story of a North Liberty man named John Helble who was found dead in his home in 1999. When his body was discovered, investigators also realized his husky Keisha was missing. She was later found wandering the streets, and it was her fur that helped crack the case. A friend of John's from Wyoming named Andrew Rich was determined to be the killer. He was convicted in 2002.

"Smoke in Your Eyes"

  • Season 8, Episode 27
  • Originally aired September 9th, 2009
  • Iowa City, Iowa
  • "Smoke in Your Eyes" tells the story of an apartment fire in Iowa City that occurred in March of 1999. Two women, Laura Watson-Dalton and Maria Lehner, were found dead in an apartment that didn't belong to either of them. It was determined that they had been killed before the fire began, and that the fire was started on purpose. A transient by the name of Jonathan Memmer was found guilty thanks to a shoe print and a blood stain left on his shoes. He was convicted in 2001.

"Dancing With the Devil"

  • Season 13, Episode 6
  • Originally aired on October 31st, 2008
  • Des Moines, Iowa
  • "Dancing With the Devil" tells the story of Patrick McRae, a Des Moines man who was found dead in his home in 1999 after a visit to a strip club. After five years with no leads, a man arrested for a crime in Lincoln, Nebraska named Mars Davis offers up details on the unsolved murder in exchange for leniency. He revealed that his girlfriend at the time, a 24-year-old stripper named Andrea Morris, was responsible for the murder after hearing voices in her head that told her to do it. She was convicted in 2007.

"Purebred Murder"

  • Season 14, Episode 1
  • Originally aired September 10th, 2010
  • Cedar Rapids, Iowa
  • "Purebred Murder" tells the story of Christina Sanoubane, a Cedar Rapids woman who was found murdered in the bathtub of her apartment in 2000. She and her two-year-old son had recently moved in after separating from her abusive ex-boyfriend. After narrowing it down to three suspects, her neighbor Carloss Robinson was found to be the culprit thanks to a footprint in a hamburger bun. He was convicted in 2002.

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