IA IA - Daughter Alleges Father (Donald Studey) is Serial Killer - Searches Yielded No Evidence - Thurman

[sgmet]

This place... It's not "typical Iowa". To be real honest I didn't realize people lived back there.

To the east and bordering the Missouri River you'll find really flat farm land that mostly looks as you would imagine Iowa except they've had some horrible flooding. Interstate 29 runs North/South through that flat land towards Council Bluffs / Omaha, and from the interstate this appears to be a clearly defined line of hills. Maybe more than hills but less than mountains. It's beautiful really, especially at this time of year.

I found this link interesting:

"Fremont County Iowa, Green Hollow"

 

[Lyanna]

The first wife died very young. I wonder what she looked like. Same question for his Mother. It says his Father went to prison for adultery,maybe he blamed his Mother?, it wouldn't be the first time we have seen a serial killer who chose victims that resembled their Mother.
What a mess!.

Edit- Sorry,I think I quoted the wrong post of yours. I'm still getting the hang of following a decent true crime website,instead of Facebook groups!.

Welcome to WS!

 

[Lyanna]

They got divorced because of indignities? I wonder what they even means?

General Indignities
For a divorce to be granted on the ground of general indignities, you must be able to provide evidence that your spouse has consistently manifested such rudeness, hate, abuse, and neglect towards you as to render your life intolerable.

According to a Google search

Moo

 

[Erutan]

They got divorced because of indignities? I wonder what they even means?

Hmm...
Cruelty ?

 

[Rolypolyoly]

Welcome to WS!

Thank you

 

[Curiosa20]

This place... It's not "typical Iowa". To be real honest I didn't realize people lived back there.

To the east and bordering the Missouri River you'll find really flat farm land that mostly looks as you would imagine Iowa except they've had some horrible flooding. Interstate 29 runs North/South through that flat land towards Council Bluffs / Omaha, and from the interstate this appears to be a clearly defined line of hills. Maybe more than hills but less than mountains. It's beautiful really, especially at this time of year.

I found this link interesting:

"Fremont County Iowa, Green Hollow"

That is interesting. And very helpful in u understanding the potential scope of burial sites.
And this- I read a comment in a local paper referring to the area as Loess Hills. Looks beautiful! Mostly hiking and off road access in that forest.
The Newsweek Editor who was out there with the dogs said the well is in a very inaccesible “canyon.”

Loess Hills National Scenic Byway | Byway | Travel Iowa

Get all the details on the Loess Hills National Scenic Byway including maps and communities and points of interest along the way.

www.traveliowa.com

 

[LaborDayRN]

So he was still alive when Lyric & Elizabeth were murdered.
Forgive me as this may have been mentioned. I'm just seeing this thread and am only on page one but the girls came to my mind right away.

 

[airportwoman]

DDS was first married to a Barabra J Voogd in Wyoming (Married Dec. 1961- Div. May 1964)
Divorce lists 3 minor children.

He then married Lucy Hogan in Nebraska Aug 1964. Their children were born in '65, '66','68, and '69.
Lucy Hogan died Jan. 1970 (I haven't found cause yet.)
The family was living in Nebraska at the time of a mobile home fire in Sep 1972. There are many newspaper articles referencing donations, the kids ages, and it being Gary's 7th birthday.

Donald's mother Rose Lee Reeves died in 1973. His father had passed years before. I'm guessing he may have moved back to the family property in Iowa after his mother passed.

Assuming marriage to Charlotte between this time and when she died in 1984.
Anna Flynn was married twice before Studey, in 1963 to Harlan Tordoff. Her mother's obit in '93 lists her as Annie Tordoff still, so assuming she married DDS at least after '93.

I just skimmed over prior posts so not sure if any of this has been mentioned.

I see that the divorce decree is from Wyoming.

Bet authorities there are gearing up too.

 

[airportwoman]

They got divorced because of indignities? I wonder what they even means?

In short, infidelity or abuse. This is an Arkansas website.

Just What Does "General Indignities" Mean?

"General indignities" are one of the potential reasons for a divorce. Learn about some of the scenarios that this could refer to.

oliviasheppardlaw.com

 

[airportwoman]

About cadaver dogs picking up skeletal remains "hundreds of years" old... Settlers didn't arrive in Fremont County Iowa until the 1830's, 190 years ago. And burials around the homesteads were common for a long time.

It's not impossible that there was a Native American or even early-settlers' cemetery, or at least burials, in the area, but authorities would be able to tell the difference between that, and something like this.

My BFF grew up on a farm in rural Kansas that has been in his family for several generations, and many years ago, his father unearthed some human bones while plowing a field. He called the police, and they called in KBI because it was outside city limits, and they did some sifting and the like, and in the end determined that it was a white man in his 40s who had been dead for at least 100 years. Most likely, it was someone passing through on a covered wagon, and he got sick and died and was buried in the area. He was given a county-paid burial in a local cemetery.

 

[squish]

I find this case fascinating and I believe the daughter. Her sister’s protestations just make me think even more that it’s true - especially her unprompted defence of her father’s “strict” parenting. All other evidence seems to point to Lucy being truthful/accurate. She doesn’t come across as unstable or an attention seeker IMO.

My hunch is that authorities will do their utmost to not have to spend several years and a huge fortune investigating this, despite local officers being eager and dutiful.

I suspect they will dig around in some of the least likely areas for a shallow grave to make it look like they’ve tried, find nothing, then say excavating the well isn’t justified, and paint Lucy as a nutter.

 

[LaborDayRN]

I find this case fascinating and I believe the daughter. Her sister’s protestations just make me think even more that it’s true - especially her unprompted defence of her father’s “strict” parenting. All other evidence seems to point to Lucy being truthful/accurate. She doesn’t come across as unstable or an attention seeker IMO.

My hunch is that authorities will do their utmost to not have to spend several years and a huge fortune investigating this, despite local officers being eager and dutiful.

I suspect they will dig around in some of the least likely areas for a shallow grave to make it look like they’ve tried, find nothing, then say excavating the well isn’t justified, and paint Lucy as a nutter.

I truly hope this is not the case (regarding your last two paragraphs). They had a cadaver dog hit on the site. I believe LE will at the very least try to locate remains at this site.

 

[UnapologeticallyAspie]

So he was still alive when Lyric & Elizabeth were murdered.
Forgive me as this may have been mentioned. I'm just seeing this thread and am only on page one but the girls came to my mind right away.

Same.

 

[Snoopster]

Do you know where they lived, at least in the Census? Omaha by chance? I can’t find a grave for either one.

Regarding where DDS's parents were buried, there is a headstone at Thurman Cemetery.
(although I don't believe that Rose is actually buried there...I think someone just wanted to have both of their names side by side on the headstone. Her name shows as Rose Lee, under the family name 'Studey'. But since she remarried and had moved on, that is a bit weird.)

Ira “Bud” Study (1886-1957) - Find a Grave...

As for where they lived, according the 1940 and 1950 census, DDS and his father (and mother in 1940) lived in Scott, Freemont County IA.

 

[Snoopster]

The first wife died very young. I wonder what she looked like. Same question for his Mother. It says his Father went to prison for adultery,maybe he blamed his Mother?, it wouldn't be the first time we have seen a serial killer who chose victims that resembled their Mother.
What a mess!.

Edit- Sorry,I think I quoted the wrong post of yours. I'm still getting the hang of following a decent true crime website,instead of Facebook groups!.

Regarding what the mother Rosie looked like...I came across a photo of her, which I can't link here, but as a young mother she had medium-dark brown straight hair, with a broad face with strong cheekbones and a strong chin.

 

[What's up Doc]

The cops were afraid of him?! What?!

What kind of incompetent police are employed there?? This whole story sounds insane, but I've been here long enough to know that just about any kind of horror is possible in this troubled world.

Get to the bottom of this. Justice demands it.

If he didn't break any local laws, the police would just let him be. No use in poking the bear. In small towns and rural areas, police hear a lot, but much of it is gossip. That doesn't mean the police are incompetent. JMO

 

[Rolypolyoly]

Regarding what the mother Rosie looked like...I came across a photo of her, which I can't link here, but as a young mother she had medium-dark brown straight hair, with a broad face with strong cheekbones and a strong chin.

Thank you

 

[otto]

Here's a link to the to the Iowa well logs

https://www.iihr.uiowa.edu/igs/geosam/map

The link is all of Iowa. To get to Fremont County click on Wells on the top left and click map from the drop down, once the map appears click the search in the bottom left corner, when the form appears you can enter Fremont for the county or whatever other search criteria you might know.

If you hover over the dots on the map the well number and owners name show up and if you click on the dot all the well information is provided.

It looks like there aren't any drill logs for the property address we have on Green Hollow Road.

 

[Tippy Lynn]

It looks like there aren't any drill logs for the property address we have on Green Hollow Road.

View attachment 375958

View attachment 375960

I think it's because the well was there before wells became regulated like they are now. I haven't looked at Iowa laws regarding if abandoned Wells need to be sealed prior to a sale or not.

 

[sgmet]

It looks like there aren't any drill logs for the property address we have on Green Hollow Road.

If you look down that road though you'll see several houses. In Iowa rural houses might get water from a rural water association, but those usually don't cover very very sparsely populated areas like that. Especially with no agricultural water needs. I'd be willing to bet that every single one of those residences gets their water from a well and none of them are documented.

Related concern - most private wells aren't tested either. This area had some insane flooding in 2019, in 2016 too. When wells get flooded they can get contaminated.