On July 30, 2011, firefighters rushed to a massive late-night blaze in Norwalk, Iowa. When the flames were finally extinguished, the charred remains of 79-year-old Bill Wood were discovered inside. His wife, Kay, was missing, and the couple’s truck turned up abandoned over 170 miles away in Kansas City, Missouri, with witnesses reporting a lone man walking from the vehicle.
Weeks of investigation revealed a chilling detail: Bill Wood hadn’t died in the fire—he had been shot before it ever began. Yet more than a decade later, questions linger. Who killed Bill Wood? What sparked the fire that destroyed his home? Why was their truck in Kansas City, and who was the man witnesses saw near it? And what became of Kay Wood, who vanished without a trace?
SOURCES
- St. Once, Kim, 5 years later: Investigators narrow search in deadly mystery, July 29, 2016, KCCI
- Pitt, David, Agency seeks public’s help in solving cold case, July 31, 2014, Telegraph Herald
- Mystery behind couple’s death, disappearance continues, July 30, 2014, KCCI
- Person of interest sought in missing couple case, August 9, 2011, KCCI
- Seven Years Later, Mysterious Homicide and Missing Person Case Remains Unsolved, July 30, 2018, WHO TV 13 Des Moines
- Couple missing after fire consumes home, August 1, 2011, The Courier
- Stinson, Kathryn & Remasters, Tiffany, Warren County fire considered suspicious, August 1, 2011, The Des Moines Register
- Alex, Tom, Missing couple, burned body still mysteries, August 2, 2011, The Des Moines Register
- Fire, August 3, 2011, The Des Moines Register
- Alex, Tom, Search expands for clues on missing couple, August 4, 2011, The Des Moines Register
- Finney, Daniel, Man sought in missing-couple case, August 10, 2011, The Des Moines Register
- Some tips collected in missing-couple case, August 12, 2011, The Des Moines Register
- Homeowner died of gunshots before Warren County fire, August 20, 2011
- Krogstad, Jens Manuel, Shooting death of Bill Wood rattles grandson, August 20, 2011, The Des Moines Register
- Alex, Tom, Family searching for answers in Bill, Kay Wood case, October 5, 2011, The Des Moines Register
- Warren County Murder Still Unsolved After Four Years, July 29, 2015, WHO TV 13 Des Moines
- https://www.overtonfunerals.com/obituary/5622976
- https://charleyproject.org/case/kaidena-lozelle-wood#:~:text=Details of Disappearance,house was destroyed by fire.
If you have any information on any of the cold cases covered, you can submit a tip here: https://www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/for-crime-victims/iowa-cold-case/cold-case-tip-form
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Theme Song: Shrouded Lament by james.lfo, William Claeson
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