Amber Marie Burton, 42, was found dead on a couch at a Des Moines home on September 12, 2021, after neighbors heard screaming and a struggle. Officers who entered the residence at about 8:35 p.m. discovered significant trauma to her upper torso; what investigators at first thought might be a stab wound was later determined to be a shotgun wound to the chest.

Police focused on a dispute with a neighbor, Nery Arnoldo Lopez Morales, that reportedly involved a lawn tractor or lawnmower. Court documents say Burton and her boyfriend had sold the mower to Lopez Morales, then repossessed it because he allegedly still owed money. Surveillance footage and witness statements showed a red GMC pickup truck associated with Lopez Morales arriving at Burton’s address, and witnesses identified him as the person involved in the confrontation during which she was shot.

Burton worked for many years caring for elderly patients as a certified nursing assistant and later a licensed practical nurse. Family and friends remember her as devoted to her children and relatives; they held a candlelight vigil at Southridge Mall after her death. Does anyone have information about the dispute or the events that night?