CEDAR RAPIDS POLICE SAY THEIR COLD CASE UNIT HAS CLOSED THE UNSOLVED MURDER OF A 17-YEAR-OLD SIOUX CITY GIRL FROM 50 YEARS AGO WHOSE MOTHER STILL LIVES IN SIOUX CITY.
MAUREEN BRUBAKER-FARLEY DISAPPEARED SEPTEMBER 20TH OF 1971 AND HER BODY WAS FOUND FOUR DAYS LATER IN THE TRUNK OF AN ABANDONED CAR IN A WOODED RAVINE IN CEDAR RAPIDS.
POLICE INVESTIGATOR MATT DENLINGER SAYS THEY DETERMINED THAT GEORGE M. SMITH IS THE MAN WHO KILLED BRUBAKER-FARLEY:
CRDEATH1 OC…….IN THE CASE” :17
MAUREEN MARRIED DAVID FARLEY WHEN SHE WAS 16 AND MOVED TO CEDAR RAPIDS TO BE NEAR HIM AFTER FARLEY WAS SENTENCED TO THE ANAMOSA STATE PENITENTIARY.
IN SEPTEMBER OF 1971 SHE FAILED TO SHOW UP FOR HER JOB AS A WAITRESS.
THE INVESTIGATION DETERMINED BRUBAKER-FARLEY HAD BEEN TAKEN TO THE LOCATION AFTER SHE DIED FROM A HEAD INJURY — AND WAS ALSO SEXUALLY ASSAULTED.
SMITH DIED IN 2013 — BUT DENLINGER SAYS THEY WERE EVENTUALLY ABLE TO GET D-N-A FROM A RELATIVE OF SMITH IN 2021 — AND HAD IT CHECKED AGAINST D-N-A RECOVERED AT THE CRIME SCENE:
CRDEATH2 OC……..HE WAS RESPONSIBLE” :13
DENLINGER SAYS HE HAD MIXED EMOTIONS KNOWING THE CASE WAS SOLVED — BUT THE MAN RESPONSIBLE WAS DEAD.
CRDEATH3 OC…….MEANT TO THEM”. :21
MAUREEN’S MOTHER MARY BRUBAKER IS 86 AND LIVES IN SIOUX CITY WHERE MAUREEN GREW UP.
THE MURDER HAPPENED BEFORE DENLINGER WAS BORN, AND HE SAYS THE WORK THAT HE FINISHED WAS BASED ON SOLID WORK DONE AT THE TIME.
HE SAYS IN 1971 THAT WAS THEIR GOAL, TO GET IT RIGHT AND BECAUSE THEY DID THINGS RIGHT BACK THEN, THAT PRESERVED ENOUGH EVIDENCE THAT WE SOLVED IT NOW.
