Cold Cases: Five murders remain unsolved in county; four between \'77 and \'81

Between Jan. 1, 1977, and Aug. 2, 1981, four men were murdered in Benton County.

Their killers were never caught.

According to the Iowa Cold Cases web site, there are five Benton County murders that remain unsolved, dating back to September of 1925 (six if you count the skull that was found in 1997).

Over the next few weeks, Vinton Today will be telling the stories of these murder victims, talking to law enforcement officers about the cases, and interviewing the researchers at Iowa Cold Cases about their efforts to tell the stories of the nearly 500 Iowans whose killers have not yet been caught. The five murder victims included in the Benton County Cold Cases file include (from latest to earliest):

1. James Charles Huff, Jr., 26. Mr. Huff was a farm hand who was found with many injuries on Jan. 1, 1977, in a rural Shellsburg barn. He died four days later.

2. Charles Plucar, 74. Mr. Plucar was shot to death in his home in rural Luzerne, in what authorities believe was an attempted robbery, on June 22, 1977.

3. John Albert Rose, 35. On April 21, 1978, Rose's' body was found between Urbana and Vinton. He had been shot in the head. Rose had been convicted of killing his father when Rose was 17, and had spent time in the Anamosa prison before being released and moving to Chicago.

4. Amos Wesley Jellison, 71. He was beaten to death Aug. 2, 1981, in his Blairstown home, during another possible attempted robbery.

5. Myrtle Cook, 51. Her murder on Sept. 7, 1925, was one of the most historic in Iowa. She was shot dead in her Vinton home a few days after publishing the names of suspected bootleggers. Cook was a member of both the KKK and the Women's Christian Temperance Union; both organizations supported Prohibition. Her story has been told in many history books.

Related Stories:

Meet the Iowa Cold Case Researchers

Myrtle Cook

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TP October 14, 2011, 11:20 am I remember #3- John Rose-- I didn\'t know his name-- but if i rememebr right- he was found out in a ditch on the gravel road by Hummels farm--
And #4-- if I am thinking right- this happened at the house we lived in during mid 70\'s thru mid 80\'s-- 703 3rd Avenue- by the depot. I saw this in a history book at the library.

TP October 14, 2011, 7:57 pm and on #5-- the book I saw the info in- showed a pic of her funeral- I believe it was at the now Methodist Church ( I am not sure if that is what it was then or not)- but lined up along the sidewalk to the church were the KKK members (in their robes and hoods)- agin if I remember right- my dad confirmed it happened at what was then our house by checking at the courthouse or somewhere with records of it.
(Editor\'s Note: We have read similar reports, and are working on a story about Mrs. Cook\'s murder, as well as the others.)

JH October 14, 2011, 8:27 pm I remember the Huff murder very well. There were all kinds of rumors about it at the time, but I guess I never realized it was still unsolved.
As for the Cook murder, that was actually discussed in the Iowa History course I took at Mount Mercy years ago. the Klan and WCTU had a strong alliance in the 1920s.
Great stuff Dean!

JR October 17, 2011, 7:43 pm I am so excited to read the Vinton Today stories about these unsolved mysteries. I have always thought that the history of ordinary people and places was just as interesting, if not more interesting, as what\'s noted in our history books. Thank you, Vinton Today!

News : Cold Cases: Five murders remain unsolved in county; four between \'77 and \'81

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