IA IA - Paula Oberbroeckling, 18, pregnant, Cedar Rapids, 11 July 1970

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The murder of Paula Jean Oberbroeckling

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In the summer of 1970, Cedar Rapids resident Paula Jean Oberbroeckling was 18 years old. A beautiful girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes, she taught developmentally disabled children and worked at Younker’s Department Store in Lindale Plaza.

Paula went on a date Saturday night, July 11, 1970 with boyfriend Lonnie Bell. They later came back to Paula's residence arguing. According to a relative of Paula's, Paula had been upset because she thought she was about 1-1/2 months pregnant with Bell's child and she suspected that Bell wanted to end the relationship. After Bell left, Paula asked to borrow Debbie, her roommate's, car. After getting the car keys, she walked out the door and said, “I’ll be right back.” But Paula never back came home.

The next day, Debbie's vehicle was located near the Eagle Food Store on 14th Street only 2 miles east of where Debbie and Paula lived. There were no signs of a struggle, no signs of any harm. It was thought that Paula may have left on her own accord...until November 29th, 1970.

On the 29th of November, a father with his 2 sons discovered a body near the Cedar River about six miles from Paula’s and Debbie’s apartment. When law enforcement arrived, they found the decomposed remains draped around a steel pin in the ground. The body — hands and feet bound with clothesline rope — in a light blue dress like the one Paula was described as wearing. A piece of rope lay on the ground nearby. The cause of death was unknown due to the condition of the remains, but foul play is heavily suspected.

During an interview by police of Lonnie Bell, Lonnie told police Paula had been writing to a "colored" subject by the name of John Strayhorn, who lived at the Hawthorne Hills apartments. When police visited the Hawthorne Hills apartments that same day, was told by the manager that no one named John Strayhorn rented an apartment there. It was also stated that Paula had previously had a "colored" boyfriend by the name of Robert Williams, but that they’d broken up some time ago.

Despite a number of theories about Paula Oberbroeckling’s death, her case remains unsolved.

http://www.whathappenedtopaula.com
http://iowacoldcases.org/case-summaries/paula-oberbroeckling/
 
I lived in Cedar Rapids for a few years and vaguely remember hearing about this unsolved case. There are a couple of unsolved murders of young women in Cedar Rapids (one was found on the hood of an abandoned car, another was murdered in the parking lot of Westdale Mall) that are intriguing.

As far as this case goes, I would hope foul play is "heavily suspected" considering her feet and hands were bound...
 
There was a girl found on the hood of a car? In plain sight?
 
There was a girl found on the hood of a car? In plain sight?

IA IA - Maureen Brubaker Farley, 17, Cedar Rapids, Sept 1971 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community


http://iowacoldcases.org/case-summaries/maureen-farley/
On Friday, September 24, Kevin Coppess, 15, of 2357 Blakely Blvd. SE, and Danny Lineweaver, 14, of 2350 Blakely Blvd. SE, gathered their rifles to go hunting. Sometime between 5 and 5:30 p.m., they’d just crossed the river on the railroad trestle and were headed up Ely road when they saw a junk car in the ravine. They hadn’t noticed it from the road due to the trees and other foliage. Lying across the trunk, with one leg propped up and the body lying against the rear window on its back, they saw what they believed to be a woman sleeping. The lady wore clothes, but no shoes.
 
Anytime a pregnant murder victim is involved ..... I instantly think of the fact that 20% of murders that involve a pregnant woman, involve the father. My first suspicion would be Lonnie Bell.

The fact that she was involved with black men and it being 1970, it wouldn't be much of a reach to consider this made very well have played a part in why she was killed.

There was an e-book written about her case, but it is no longer available. However, I have reached out to the author to see if I can snag it.

Even after all these years ....someone always knows ....
 
A friend on Facebook who is into local cold cases has mentioned this one, so I'm checking in here to see if WS has any additional info.

This is the site my friend linked to:
Case of the Month: Paula Oberbroeckling

Interesting details about the autopsy there. Paula's friend seems to be the author of the ebook mentioned earlier in this WS thread.
 
Do we have more pics? I've seen the wedding one. I can't see anything on the green dress pic. I want to compare with a pic made by sk Alcala. Just checking something out.
 
Book review: Powerful probe of a 50-year-old cold case
Aug 29 2021
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Paula Oberbroeckling's case hasn't been forgotten. Author Susan Taylor Chehak went to high school with Paula. She did intensive research on the case and her daughter-in-law, Katherine Dykstra, who is also an author, wrote a book about Paula's murder. It's called What Happened to Paula: On the Death of an American Girl, and was released in June of 2021. You can read an interview with Dykstra and Chehak, discussing what led to the book, HERE.

Unsolved Crime in Iowa: Who Murdered This Cedar Rapids Woman?
 

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