IA IA- Terri McCauley, 18, found semi-clothed & fatally shot in the face, Sioux City, 6 Oct.,1983, *Arrest- Thomas Duane Popp, 62, Jan.,2025.

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  • #1
January 13, 2025 rbbm
Iowa Public Radio | By Sheila Brummer
January 13, 2025 at 7:40 PM CST
A make-shift memorial is in a wooded area. There is a poster board vintage photo of a woman wearing glasses with brown hair and eyes. It says In loving memory of Terri Rae McCauley. There are wooded crosses, a red heart made out of sparkly material, and plastic white and yellow flowers.

“She could have been a successful person, a Native female, who could have made a big difference in this community. And unfortunately, that was taken from her,” said Joshua Taylor, nephew and family spokesperson.

McCauley disappeared after a night with friends in the fall of 1983. She was last seen getting into a vehicle outside a bar on West
7th St. in Sioux City. Days later, her body was found in a wooded area miles away. Someone shot her to death.''
''Woodbury County Attorney Jim Loomis announced Monday an arrest was made in the case after a grand jury in Woodbury County District Court indicted Thomas Duane Popp for first-degree murder on Friday.''

''Taylor credits growing publicity around the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement for keeping the case alive.
“There was a lot of advocacy by many, many, many groups that continue to bring Terri's story to the forefront. And I think that that in itself was vital and important,” he said.
The family participated in MMIW awareness marches and an annual Pow Wow organized by the Great Plains Action Society, which says that 4 out of 5 Native women will face violence during their lifetime.''

''A Woodbury County grand jury filed an indictment Friday against Thomas Duane Popp, 62, charging him with first-degree murder for the death of the 18-year-old McCauley, whose body was found Oct. 6, 1983 in a wooded area in Sioux City.
Popp was arrested Saturday in Lakeview, Washington. He was being held in the Cowlitz County Jail in Washington, where he awaits extradition to Iowa. He was scheduled to make his first appearance in court Monday afternoon.''
McCauley, a mother of two, was last seen alive getting into a white Chevrolet Nova in a Sioux City parking lot in the early morning of Sept. 26, 1983. Before getting into the car, McCauley told the two friends she was with that she was going on a date. The white male driving the Nova headed north on Omaha Street and then west onto West Eighth Street.''

''A man walking his dog found McCauley's partially clothed and decomposed body near 33rd and Pavonia streets days later. McCauley had been shot in the face with a 20-gauge shotgun.
Her shirt and shoes were found near her body.''
 
  • #2
Jan 13, 2025
Update On 1983 Murder Case of Terri McCauley
Jan 13, 2025
McCauley family speaks out on arrest of suspect in connection to Terri McCauley’s murder
 
  • #3
Sioux City, Iowa — An arrest has been made in the cold case murder of a woman in Sioux City four decades ago. Thomas Duane Popp is charged in the shooting death of 18-year-old Terri McCauley in 1983.

A grand jury convened in Woodbury County last week and indicted the 62-year-old Popp for first-degree murder and he was arrested this weekend in Washington State. Former Sioux City Police Detective Tony Sunclades says he recommended that Popp be arrested in 1983, but the county attorney at the time didn’t think there was enough evidence for a conviction
 
  • #4
A grand jury indicted Popp on one count of first-degree murder, KTIV reported. Popp is currently in the custody of the Cowlitz County Jail, located in the state of Washington, on a $750,000 bond
 
  • #5
A grand jury indicted Popp on one count of first-degree murder, KTIV reported. Popp is currently in the custody of the Cowlitz County Jail, located in the state of Washington, on a $750,000 bond
Handy cold case link within your link, noting for future threads.
 
  • #6
Brad Hunter Published Jan 23, 2025 Lengthy article.
''A member of the Omaha Tribe, McCauley, 18, fell under the dark umbrella of murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG). There have been varying estimates of the casualty figures but it’s somewhere between 4,000 and 7,000.
But while Canada has been content to virtue signal and sloganeer just enough to keep the denizens of the Annex, Westmount and the Glebe smug, America has taken action.''
1737649674030.png

MMIWG: A criminology professor has warned that the real number of murdered Indigenous women and girls could be double official estimates.

''The U.S. formed half a dozen task forces in “Indian Country” to solve the murders and disappearances. Canada? Not so much.''
''Smith and TPS have been at the forefront of the revolution in cold-case investigations. Using genetic genealogy, they have closed some of the city’s most vexing homicides: Christine Jessop, Susan Tice, Erin Gilmour and others.''
 
  • #7
A make-shift memorial is in a wooded area. There is a poster board vintage photo of a woman wearing glasses with brown hair and eyes. It says In loving memory of Terri Rae McCauley. There are wooded crosses, a red heart made out of sparkly material, and plastic white and yellow flowers.

“She could have been a successful person, a Native female, who could have made a big difference in this community. And unfortunately, that was taken from her,” said Joshua Taylor, nephew and family spokesperson.

“From the stories I have been told, she was very outgoing and she loved her two kids," Taylor said. "It’s heartbreaking to put together words how the whole family is feeling."
 
  • #8
''Sixty-two-year-old Thomas Duane Popp was extradited from Washington State this weekend and is now in the Woodbury County Jail on a three-million-dollar bond. Popp was arrested January 11th by Longview, Washington police on a first-degree murder warrant from Sioux City in the death of then 18-year-old Teri McCauley. A Woodbury County Grand Jury indicted Popp on January 10th.''
 
  • #9

1741746216118.webp
 
  • #10
Can’t see any updates since a not guilty plea was made earlier in the year. I assume the court is working through the pre-trial process.

I looked up the alleged murderer on Newspapers.com.

An article in The Sioux City Journal, Tuesday, 28 February 1984 reveals he was arrested for shooting into an apartment and several guns were confiscated from his address. He was also quite aggressive while detained by police.

This was a year after Terri’s murder but we also know he was recommended to be arrested in 1983 and wasn’t due to lack of evidence.

I wonder if those seized guns and ammo from 1984 are crucial to his grand jury indictment this year.

I found an article in 1979 with his mother announcing Popp’s recruitment to the Navy, and plans to train in nuclear technology in Florida. His photo shows a happy young man in uniform.

Things seemed bright for the teenager, but by the age of 20 and 21, he’s back locally and on the police radar for a shooting murder and then goes on to terrorise with firearms the next year.
IMG_1484.webp
 
  • #11
Here is the docket update - looks like his trial was rescheduled 2 times now.

Case ID Initiated Date Title Name DOB Role
03971 FECR122963 01/10/2025 STATE VS POPP, THOMAS DUANE (IN CUSTODY) POPP, THOMAS DUANE 08/30/1962 DEFENDANT

Charges Speedy Trial: W
Count Original Charge Offense Date Charge Class Adjudication Adjudication Charge Adjudication Class
01 MURDER 1ST DEGREE - 1978 (FELA) 09/26/1983 CLASS A FELONY


Filings
Title: STATE VS POPP, THOMAS DUANE (IN CUSTODY)
Case: 03971 FECR122963 (WOODBURY)
Citation Number:
Docket # Event Filed By Filed Create Date Last Updated Action Date
D0026 ORDER FOR CONTINUANCE DECK TOD J 08/07/2025 08/07/2025 08/07/2025
Comments: JURY TRIAL 09/23/2025 09:30 AM; PTC 09-17-25 @ 1:30 PM

D0025 OTHER ORDER DECK TOD J 08/01/2025 08/01/2025 08/01/2025
Comments: EXT DEADLINES

D0024 MOTION LOOS JR JOHN 07/29/2025 07/29/2025 07/29/2025
Comments: TO EXTEND TIMES

D0023 ORDER FOR CONTINUANCE DECK TOD J 06/26/2025 06/26/2025 06/26/2025
Comments: JURY TRIAL 8/12/25 @ 9:30AM; PTC 8/6/25 @ 1:30PM

D0022 ORDER FOR CONTINUANCE DECK TOD J 05/28/2025 05/28/2025 05/28/2025
Comments: JURY TRIAL 7/1/25 @ 9:30AM; PTC 6/25/25 @ 1:30PM

D0021 OTHER ORDER DECK TOD J 04/22/2025 04/23/2025 04/23/2025
Comments: RE: MOTION TO EXTEND TIME

D0020 MOTION LOOS JR JOHN 04/18/2025 04/18/2025 04/18/2025
Comments: TO EXTEND TIMES

D0018 ORDER FOR PRETRIAL CONFERENCE DECK TOD J 03/27/2025 03/27/2025 03/27/2025
Comments: PTC 05-28-25 @ 1:30 PM

D0017 ORDER SETTING TRIAL DECK TOD J 03/27/2025 03/27/2025 03/27/2025
Comments: JURY TRIAL 06/03/2025 09:30 AM

D0019 WRITTEN ARRAIGNMENT AND PLEA OF NOT GUILTY LOOS JR JOHN 03/27/2025 03/27/2025 03/27/2025

D0016 APPEARANCE MULFORD BENJAMIN 03/13/2025 03/13/2025 03/13/2025

D0012 OTHER ORDER DECK TOD J 03/12/2025 03/12/2025 03/12/2025
Comments: RE EXPANDED MEDIA COVERAGE; EMAILED MEDIA COORDINATOR

D0014 ORDER FOR ARRAIGNMENT DECK TOD J 03/12/2025 03/12/2025 03/27/2025
Comments: ARR 3/28/25 @ 9:00AM; COPY TO DEFT C/O WCJ

D0013 MINUTES OF TESTIMONY DECK TOD J 03/12/2025 03/12/2025 03/12/2025

D0015 TRIAL INFORMATION DECK TOD J 03/12/2025 03/12/2025 03/12/2025

D0011 OTHER ORDER TOTT PATRICK H 03/12/2025 03/12/2025 03/12/2025
Comments: RE NOTIFICATION OF ASSIGNED JUDGE; EMAILED TO JUDGE

D0010 MEDIA COORDINATOR'S NOTICE GOTTBURG TERRY 03/10/2025 03/10/2025 03/10/2025

D0009 APPEARANCE LOOS JR JOHN 03/10/2025 03/10/2025 03/10/2025

D0007 ORDER APPOINTING PUBLIC DEFENDER BUCKMEIER BRIAN E 03/09/2025 03/10/2025 03/10/2025

D0006 HEARING FOR INITIAL APPEARANCE BUCKMEIER BRIAN E 03/09/2025 03/10/2025 03/10/2025
Comments: PRH 03/19/2025 09:00 AM LEC2; $3,000,000.00 CASH ONLY BOND

D0005 WARRANT SERVED WOODBURY COUNTY JAIL 03/09/2025 03/09/2025 03/09/2025
Comments: $35.00

D0003 APP FOR COUNSEL/FINANCIAL STATEMENT WOODBURY COUNTY JAIL 03/08/2025 03/09/2025 03/09/2025

D0002 OTHER ORDER TOTT PATRICK H 01/10/2025 01/10/2025 01/10/2025
Comments: ACCEPTING INDICTMENT & ISSUING WARRANT

D0001 ARREST WARRANT POPP THOMAS DUANE 01/10/2025 01/10/2025 03/09/2025

link: https://www.iowacourts.state.ia.us/ESAWebApp/TIndexFrm
 
Last edited:
  • #12
Wednesday, September 17th:
*Pretrial Conference Hearing (@ 1:30pm CT) - IA - Terri McCauley (18) was last seen on Sept. 23, 1983 getting into a vehicle outside a bar on West 7th St. in Sioux City. Her body was found on 10/6/83 in a wooded area in Sioux City. *Thomas Duane Popp (21 @ time of crime/62/now 63) was indicted (1/10/25), arrested (1/11/25) & charged (3/8/25) & arraigned (3/27/25) with 1st degree murder. Plead not guilty. $3M CASH only bond. Woodbury County
1/14/25 Update with Case info: Terri McCauley disappeared after a night with friends in the fall of 1983 (9/23/83 last seen). She was last seen getting into a vehicle outside a bar on West 7th St. in Sioux City. Days later, her body was found in a wooded area miles away. Someone shot her to death. Woodbury County Attorney Jim Loomis announced Monday an arrest was made in the case after a grand jury in Woodbury County District Court indicted Thomas Duane Popp for first-degree murder on Friday. 'A Woodbury County grand jury filed an indictment Friday against Thomas Duane Popp, 62, charging him with first-degree murder for the death of the 18-year-old McCauley, whose body was found Oct. 6, 1983 in a wooded area in Sioux City. Popp was arrested Saturday in Lakeview, Washington. He was being held in the Cowlitz County Jail in Washington, where he awaits extradition to Iowa. He was scheduled to make his first appearance in court Monday afternoon. $750K bond set. 3/11/25 Update: Popp was extradited from Washington State this weekend & is now in the Woodbury County Jail on a $3M bond. Popp was arrested 1/11/25 by Longview, Washington police on a first-degree murder warrant from Sioux City in the death of then 18-year-old Teri McCauley. A Woodbury County Grand Jury indicted Popp on January 10th.
Trial set to begin on 9/23/25.

Judge Tod J. Deck presiding. Defense attorney John Loos, Jr.
1/10/25 Docket updates: [D0001] Arrest warrant for Popp filed. [D0002] Other order. Accepting indictment & issuing warrant by Judge Patrick H. Tott.
3/8/25 Docket update: [D0003] Application for Counsel/financial statement. 3/9/25 Docket updates: [D0005] warrant served in Woodbury County jail. [D0006] Hearing for initial appearance set on 3/19/25 @ 9am. $3M CASH only bond. [D0007] Order appointing public defender filed by Brian E. Buckmeier. 3/10/25 Docket updates: [D0009] Appearance. [D0010] Media coordinators notice filed by Terry Gottburg.
3/12/25 Docket updates: [D0011] Other Order: Notification of assigned Judge by Judge Patrick H. Tott. [D0015] Trial information filed by Judge Tod J. Deck. [D0013] Minutes of testimony. [D0014] Order for arraignment set on 3/28/25 @ 9am before Judge Tod Deck. [D0012] Other Order expanded media coverage by Judge Deck. 3/13/25 Docket update: [D0016} Appearance by Benjamin Mulford. 3/27/25 Docket updates: [D0019] Written arraignment & plea of not guilty filed by John Loos, Jr. [D0017] Order setting trial on 6/3/25 @ 9:30am. [D0018] Order for pretrial conference on 5/28/25 @ 1:30pm.
4/18/25 Docket update: [D0020] Motion to extend times filed by John Loos, Jr. 4/22/25 Docket update: [D0021] Other Order-motion to extend time by Judge Deck.
5/28/25 Docket update: [D0022} Order for continuance-granted by Judge Deck. Jury trial set to begin on 7/1/25 & pretrial conference on 6/25/25.
6/26/25 Docket update: [D0023] Order for continuance-granted by Judge Deck. Pretrial hearing on 8/6/25 & jury trial set to begin on 8/12/25.
7/29/25 Docket update: [D0024] Motion to extend times filed by attorney John Loos, Jr.
8/1/25 Docket update: [D0025] Order-granted to extend deadlines by Judge Deck. 8/7/25 Docket update: [D0026] Order for continuance-granted by Judge Deck. Pretrial hearing on 9/17/25 @ 1:30pm & trial is now set to begin on 9/23/25 @ 9:30am.
 
  • #13
I figured the trial would be reset...

Filings
Title: STATE VS POPP, THOMAS DUANE (IN CUSTODY)
Case: 03971 FECR122963 (WOODBURY)
Citation Number:
Docket # Event Filed By Filed Create Date Last Updated Action Date
D0027 ORDER FOR CONTINUANCE TOTT PATRICK H 09/17/2025 09/18/2025 09/18/2025
Comments: JURY TRIAL 2/17/26 @ 9:30AM; PTC 2/11/26 @ 1:30PM

link: https://www.iowacourts.state.ia.us/ESAWebApp/TIndexFrm
 

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