Justice Delayed: Iowa Man Charged with Murder of Missing Girlfriend After 36 Years
In a case that has haunted Iowa for nearly four decades, Robert Davis, 61, was arrested and charged with the first-degree murder of his former girlfriend, Barbara Lenz, who vanished without a trace on May 6, 1989. The Iowa Department of Justice announced Davis’s arrest on March 10, 2023, marking a significant turn in a cold case that has perplexed investigators and devastated Lenz’s family.
Barbara Lenz, a 31-year-old mother, was last seen heading to her apartment in Woodbine, Iowa. Her disappearance sparked immediate concern when she failed to arrive in Omaha, Nebraska, to see her three-year-old daughter, Lindsay, a visit that was long anticipated. When police investigated, they found her home in disarray; her purse and wallet were missing, and her pets had not been cared for, indicating she had left abruptly, perhaps against her will.
The criminal complaint reveals a disturbing history of alleged abuse at the hands of Davis, the last person known to have seen Lenz alive. Witnesses reported that Lenz had confided her fears of Davis to multiple people, detailing instances of physical violence, including one harrowing incident where she was reportedly strangled until unconscious. This troubling pattern of behavior raises questions not just about Lenz’s fate, but also about how such red flags can go unchecked for so long.
Davis’s own statements to authorities added layers of suspicion. He claimed Lenz had called him from Omaha, but inconsistencies in his narrative and witness accounts paint a more sinister picture. A witness even alleged to have seen Davis and a brother burying something in a remote area shortly after Lenz’s disappearance, a chilling detail that remains unexplained as the investigation continues.
Lenz’s daughter, now an adult, expressed her feelings about the arrest as “very surreal,” stating that it felt like a long-awaited moment that might finally bring closure—something Lenz’s family has been yearning for since 1989. Her hope is clear: justice for her mother would mean finally bringing her home, a sentiment echoed by many families of missing persons.
The investigation remains active, and as Davis sits in the Harrison County Jail without bond, the haunting inquiry into Barbara Lenz’s fate continues. As we reflect on this tragic story, it’s a stark reminder of how justice can be delayed, but never forgotten. For Lenz’s family, the hope for answers persists, even after all these years.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and People Magazine, KCCI, Iowa Department of Justice
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