In 1997, Connie Ruddy disappeared from her home without a trace. Two years later, her jawbone was discovered miles away, confirming her death but offering few clues about what happened to her. For almost three decades, her case seemed cold. Until October of 2025, when investigators returned to her home to search for new evidence.
This case is a reminder that all it takes is one piece of information, one new advancement in technology, to change everything for a "cold case".
Someone out there knows what happened to Connie. It's time to come forward; her family and her children deserve closure and justice.
SOURCES (Full list exceeds character limitations, please email me if you would like my full list of sources):
- https://www.kcrg.com/2025/10/13/cold-case-iowa-authorities-search-former-home-woman-who-disappeared-1997/
- KTIV News Channel 4, Feb 11, 2022 “The Ruddy family shares their memories of Connie Ruddy”
- Jawbone of missing woman found along Iowa riverbank, September 3, 1999, The Courier
- Reward offered for ‘cold case’ information, February 11, 2009, The Courier
- Laurio, Alison, Woman not thought killed in Council Bluffs, December 2, 1997, The Daily Nonpareil
- Wolf, Gordon, Jawbone belongs to missing woman, September 3, 1999, The Daily Nonpareil
- Still no clues on missing woman, February 17, 1997, The Des Moines Register
- Santiago, Frank, No leads in search for Ida Grove woman, April 18, 1997, The Des Moines Register
- Woman’s body found in park, November 29, 1997, The Des Moines Register
- Rahim, Shuva, Authorities check farms, gravel pits, April 25, 1998, The Des Moines Register
- Hupp, Staci, Found bones may solve case, September 2, 1999, The Des Moines Register
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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