Iowa Woman Claims Her Late Father Was Serial Killer

Donald Dean Studey

Authorities are now looking into an Iowa woman’s claim that her father was a mass serial killer. Lucy Studey reported that her father, Donald Dean Studey who died in 2013 at 75, murdered around 50 to 70 people throughout his lifetime. She is also stating that she helped dispose of the bodies in a well near Thurman Iowa. Thurman is a fairly small town in Iowa near the Nebraska border with only around 167 residents since the last census. Studey’s land is around 40 miles away from Omaha, Nebraska

According to Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope,  she said he murdered around five or six women every year, going on for decades. Additionally claiming that she and her siblings helped move them with a toboggan or a wheelbarrow. Studey claimed that her father would lure sex workers and people just visiting the town of Omaha, back to his land before killing them. Aistrope however, thinks that isn’t likely that so many people from Omaha could go missing without bringing attention. Although he admits that if the victims were from other places it could be possible.

Studey’s older sister, Susan, later told Newsweek that the claims from her sister were not true. She stated that although her father was a strict parent, he loved his children and was protective of them. She believes that her sister is making her father out to be a man that he was not.

Iowa Officials Plans Moving Forward

Aistrope said that on October 21, two cadaver dogs were taken to the site and got hits indicating potential human remains within the well. Other than this evidence from the cadaver dogs, there is no other proof. Aistrope believes she is making bold claims that need more proof to support her story. Aistrope additionally stated that they do not have a crime scene yet, and they do not know if it is one without evidence. They do not have any victims nor do they have bodies. Aistrope asked the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) for help during this investigation. At this point, they are still trying to prove whether Studey’s claims are false or not before they consider searching for new evidence. This would be excavating the land that the cadaver dogs indicated could possibly have remains.

Written by Alyssa Calderon

Sources

CNN: Authorities ‘actively investigating’ after woman claims her late father was a prolific serial killer

USA Today: Woman claims her dad was prolific serial killer who buried bodies on property; Iowa officials investigating

NBC News: Authorities are investigating an Iowa woman’s claim that her father was a prolific serial killer

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