US EditionIowa City Police Make Arrest in 1992 Cold Case
Advancements in DNA testing led to the arrest of Cindy Sue Elder, who admitted to placing her newborn in a trash receptacle in 1992; the case was reopened in 2020.
- Iowa City police announced Tuesday that they arrested Cindy Sue Elder, 58, charging her with first-degree murder in the 32-year-old Baby John Doe case.
- Investigators reopened the case in 2020 after DNA advances allowed identification of Baby John Doe found at the Iowa City Landfill on December 21, 1992.
- Admitting to giving birth, Cindy Sue Elder told investigators she placed the newborn in a plastic bag and dumped it in a Coralville trash receptacle; DNA tests showed a 99.99% chance she was the mother.
- Elder faces one count of first-degree murder and was booked into the Christian County Jail in Ozark, Missouri, with prosecution by the Iowa Attorney General's Office and Johnson County Attorney's Office.
- Under Iowa's Safe Haven Act , parents may surrender newborns up to 90 days old without prosecution, and since enactment 77 babies have been surrendered, said Iowa City Police Chief Dustin Liston.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Iowa City suspect arrested in 1992 murder case - The Daily Iowan
Cindy Sue Elder was arrested Tuesday, 32 years after her baby was found dead in the Iowa City Landfill, according to a release from the City of Iowa City. The 58-year-old faces one count of first-degree murder and will be prosecuted by the Iowa Attorney General’s Office and the Johnson County Attorney’s Office. The body of an unidentified infant was discovered in the landfill on Dec. 21, 1992. With no means to identify the baby due to a lack o…
Arrest made in cold case of Baby John Doe found in Iowa City landfill over 30 years ago
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- In 1992 a baby was discovered in an Iowa City landfill. Now, over 30 years later, authorities say they've made an arrest in the case. On December 21, 1992, the body of an infant was found at the Iowa City Landfill. At the time, the infant couldn't be identified and was thus named Baby John Doe. The Iowa City Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation began what was described as an extensive investigation…
Woman charged in 1992 death of baby found at Iowa City landfill
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