IA IA - Ronette Peterson Burton, 22, Lakeland, 7 May 1986

Woman killed in Florida in 1986 is Iowan

The victim's sister went to police, who identified the missing Madrid woman.

By TOM ALEX
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
January 29, 2005

A central Iowa missing-persons report filed this month has rekindled a Florida homicide case that was cold for 18 years.

Authorities say a body found floating in a drainage canal near a Florida highway on May 7, 1986, has been identified as Ronette Lynn Peterson, formerly of Madrid, who left home and lost touch with her family a few months earlier.

At a Friday press conference, investigators asked for the public's help to find out what Peterson, then 22, was doing in the spring of 1986, why she traveled to Florida, and with whom she might have been traveling.

The break in the case came earlier this month, when Peterson's younger sister went to police after a long, personal search for her sibling.

Danielle Buxbaum of Phoenix said she had not heard from Peterson since 1986.

"There have been a lot of dead ends," she said. "We even called Florida before. All of this has been kind of like a dream."

Buxbaum said relatives decided as a last resort to call Madrid police and file a missing persons report.

She was rocked by Friday's news that the report had led to her sister, who Florida authorities said had been beaten to death.

The body was found in a long drainage canal between Tampa and Orlando, just off Interstate Highway 4, said Detective Sgt. Mike Reckart of the Polk County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office. Peterson had suffered multiple blows to the body and head.

"She was put in the water and left to drown," Reckart said.

Officials said the mystery of Peterson's disappearance was solved when Boone County sheriff's officials and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation agents checked the missing persons information against cold cases in other states. The search included a Florida missing-persons Web site. Iowa investigators determined that their counterparts in Florida were attempting to identify the remains of a victim that matched Peterson's description. A fingerprint match ended speculation.

Peterson's relatives had held out hope she was still alive.

"Until now, we thought maybe she was in an accident. Maybe she didn't know who she was," Buxbaum said. "We didn't know. We just didn't know.

"But at least we found someone who did something."

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050129/NEWS01/501290322&SearchID=73197585773588

Thanks for posting this fourboys, and thanks to ShowerSinger for sending us the link. It's amazing that she was unidentified for so long. I'm incredibly thankful this family now has an answer (albeit not the one anyone would want), as the not knowing surely must be the worst.

If this is the new Florida Doe site I'm thinking of, that site has already helped so many families with answers.

Ronette Lynn Peterson, found but forever missed.

Prayers of comfort for this family, Lanie

This is just so sad...I am glad to hear her family can finally stop wondering where she is...

DES MOINES - In a joint press conference, the Boone County Sheriff's Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation asked for help solving a murder that occurred 19 years ago.

By Matthew Carlson
January 31, 2005

Until earlier this week, no one knew Ronette Lynn Peterson, who was 22 at the time of her death and a former resident of Madrid, had been a murder victim.
Peterson's body recently was identified in Polk County, Fla.

On May 7, 1986, Peterson's unidentified body was discovered floating in a water-filled pit or shallow canal off Highway 33, approximately a mile north of Combee Road in Lakeland, Fla.
At that time, an investigation revealed Peterson was the victim of a homicide.
Earlier this month, Peterson's younger sister filed a missing persons report with the Boone County Sheriff's Office.

According to Peterson's family, no one has had contact with Ronette Peterson since the early to mid-1980s.
Based on the missing persons report, the Boone County Sheriff's Office, with the assistance of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, initiated a missing persons investigation.

Authorities found information indicating Peterson left Iowa, perhaps in route to unknown locations in Georgia and Florida.
Public Information Officer James J. Saunders said it appears Peterson left Iowa on her own accord. It is not known if she was traveling alone.
Peterson's younger sister filed the missing persons report because she was trying to track down her sister.

Boone County Sheriff Detective Kenny Kendall said the family had not had any contact with Peterson and thought she eventually would reappear.
The younger sister, who was about 8 when Peterson left Iowa, has been working on tracking down her sister.
Kendall said Peterson's sister was having difficult finding any leads before coming to the Boone County Sheriff's office.

Iowa investigators searched Florida's missing person's Web site, http://www.fluiddb.com, and determined Florida officials were attempting to identify the remains of a homicide victim meeting her description.
Iowa investigators contacted officials in Polk County, Fla., and forwarded known fingerprints of Peterson.
The result was a positive identification.
Peterson's family has been notified.
Her family no longer lives in Iowa. Her mother lives in Florida.

Peterson was born July 14, 1963. People think she left Madrid sometime in 1986. She attended Madrid High School, but officials don't think she graduated.
On Wednesday, investigators from the Polk County Sheriff's Office in Florida arrived in Iowa to meet with investigators from the Boone County Sheriff's Office and Agents of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Investigators are now seeking assistance from the public with the investigation.
Law enforcement officers are asking anyone who may have had contact with Peterson prior to May 7, 1986, to contact them.
Law enforcement officers are trying to develop a timeline from the date Peterson left Madrid to the date her body was found.
They want to find people she was in contact with, places she may have lived and jobs she may have held.

Anyone with information regarding Peterson's activities is asked to contact the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation at (515) 281-5138 or the Boone County Sheriff's Office at (515) 433-0524.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=2035&dept_id=238095&newsid=13857806&PAG=461&rfi=9

Ronette was my cousin. I was a senior in high school when she left town. For years, we have never known where she was. It had never occurred to any of us that she might be dead. To say it is a shock is putting it very mild. What do you do when you find out that she has really been gone all these years? Do you mourn as if it happened yesterday? It is a very strange situation to be in and no one is quite sure how to handle it.

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for your care and concern and for thinking of Ronette. We all love her and will miss her.

It's sometimes difficult to know quite what to say, being a stranger, and all. Still, I hope you know, many people have taken notice, and pray for you, and yours.

Thanks Misa for joining this forum.

Hi Misa,

I am so sorry for your loss. I think you need to mourn her however it comes naturally. I'm glad you found us, we really do care about you.

Please feel free to contact me at HelpForTheMissing@yahoo.com should your family need anything. I'm so very sorry for your loss.

My thoughts and prayers are with you, Lanie

FLorida UnIdentified Decedents DataBase

This is where an alert person found a DOE in the Florida records that matched Ronette's profile on the Nations Center for Missing Adults site.

Polk County Sheriff's Dept.

Anyone who has any information about the victim is asked to call the Polk County Sheriff's Office Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Homicide Unit. Detective Michael Johnston is in charge of the investigation and can be reached at 863-534-6379

State of Iowa Press Release

At this time investigators are seeking assistance from the public with this investigation. Specifically, law enforcement is asking anyone who may have had contact with RONETTE PETERSON prior to May 7, 1986 , to contact them.

Anyone with information regarding the activities of MS. PETERSON is urged to contact the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation at (515) 281-5138 or the Boone County Sheriff’s Office at (515) 433-0524.

Another link

Prayers for justice, Lanie

Came upon this going through the FDLE site. I did a search and didn't see where Ronette had her own thread. Thought maybe if someone was trying to tie this formerly UID to another woman it might help to be able to rule her out. She had a very distinct unicorn tattoo which I've included here if needed for search reference.

http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/osi/unsolved/1986JD/Jane.htm

Ronette Lynn (Peterson) Burton

Jane Doe gets name after 19 years

Homicide
Ronette Lynn (Peterson) Burton
22 YOA
DOB: July 14, 1963
Went Missing from: Madrid, IA
Boone County
Body found: May 7, 1986 in Lakeland, Florida
Identified as Ronette Peterson in January 2005

Click to expand...

FDLE Unsolved Homicides
Ronette Lynn Burton

May 7, 1986

Polk County Sheriff's Office homicide detectives recently identified this homicide victim from a 1986 case after receiving information from Iowa Law Enforcement Officials about a possible link to an Iowa missing persons case. Given the new information, PCSO detectives positively identified (via fingerprint match) the female victim of a 1986 homicide case as Ronette Lynn Burton (maiden name Peterson), formerly of Madrid, Iowa. On May 07, 1986, the unidentified victim's body was discovered floating in a phosphate pit near SR 33 just north of Combee Road in Lakeland. Given her recent identification, PCSO detectives are actively investigating the case and are seeking any information about the victim and her whereabouts prior to her murder. Detectives have received information that the victim had traveled through Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, and Florida (possibly the Clearwater area) during the time period leading up to he death.

Anyone who has any information about the victim is asked to call the Polk County Sheriff's Office Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Homicide Unit. Detective Michael Johnston is in charge of the investigation and can be reached at 863-534-6379."

Click to expand...

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...IBAJ&dq=ronette lynn peterson&pg=2628,7131293

Ronette Lynn (Peterson) Burton
Homicide
22 YOA
DOB: July 14, 1963
Went Missing from: Madrid, IA
Boone County
Body found: May 7, 1986 in Lakeland, Florida
Identified as Ronette Peterson in January 2005

---------------------------------------
Case summary compiled by Jody Ewing

On January 20, 1986, Ronette Lynn Peterson, 22, left her Madrid, Iowa, home and stopped by to visit her grandparents. She said she was headed to Alabama with a male friend.

In March 1986, a family member received a letter from Peterson, postmarked March 1, 1986, from Georgia.

Her family would never hear from her again.

On May 7, 1986, an unidentified female’s body was found floating in a water-filled pit off Highway 33, approximately three-fourths of a mile north of Combee Road in Lakeland, Florida. An investigation revealed the victim had suffered multiple blows to the head and body and then been put into the water and left to drown.

One of the victim’s tattoos seemed especially foretelling; she had a question mark (?) on her right hip.

Officials ruled the death a homicide but couldn’t make a positive identification.

For the next 19 years, “Jane Doe” remained without a name on both the Polk County (FL) list of unsolved homicides as well as the state’s missing persons list. She was buried in the Polk County Board of County Commissioners Shady Oaks Gardens Cemetery.

Back in Iowa, Peterson’s younger sister, Danielle Buxbaum, had grown increasingly frustrated after nearly two decades of unsuccessful searches for her lost sibling. She’d even called Florida before, but neither she nor anyone else knew for certain if Peterson had even made it to the state.

In a Des Moines Register article dated January 29, 2005, Buxbaum said relatives decided as a last resort to call Madrid authorities, and earlier that month had filed a missing persons report with the Boone County Sheriff’s Office. Based on the report, the Boone County Sheriff’s Office — with the assistance of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation — launched an investigation.

They began by searching Florida’s missing persons website, www.fluiddb.com, where they learned Florida officials had been attempting to identify an unknown homicide victim’s remains. The description matched that of Ronette Peterson.

Iowa investigators contacted Polk County, Florida officials, and forwarded to them a set of Peterson’s known fingerprints. The match positively identified the 19-year Jane Doe as Ronette Lynn Peterson, and officials notified Ms. Peterson’s family.

On Wednesday, January 26, 2005, investigators from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in Florida arrived in Iowa to meet with investigators from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa DCI agents.

Officials subsequently sought assistance from the public, asking anyone with information regarding Peterson’s activities to contact them. They were particularly interested in hearing from anyone who may have had contact with Peterson prior to May 7, 1986.

“This is good information, good renewable information that is going to generate some new leads hopefully and the investigators will pursue all those leads aggressively until they come up with the information needed to find a close to this case,” said Jim Saunders, spokesman for the Iowa Department of Public Safety, in an interview with the Quad Cities’ Dispatch-Argus published Jan. 27, 2005.

Detectives learned that Peterson had traveled through Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, and Florida (possibly the Clearwater area) during the time period leading up to her death...

LINK:
Ronette Peterson Burton | Iowa Cold Cases