Thomas DeWayne Adkins, 29, of Fairfield, Iowa, died on September 14, 1985, from a gunshot wound to the head after a squirrel-hunting outing in the Van Buren Wildlife Area near Douds. He had been hunting with 24-year-old Robert Alan Tisor, who told authorities the shot was an accident, saying he mistook Adkins — described as having a long ponytail and wearing a baseball cap — for a squirrel and fired his .22 caliber Ruger rifle.

Adkins’ family say Tisor’s statements to investigators were inconsistent. After the shooting, Tisor drove Adkins’ vehicle away for several hours and returned with it thoroughly cleaned; Adkins’ wallet and a small amount of marijuana that had been in the car were missing. The death was officially ruled accidental and no criminal charges were filed.

Adkins’ wife Sherri and their two young children were left without answers. When Adkins’ daughter Kaylea later sought the autopsy report, she was told the case files had been discarded because the death was classified as accidental. Does anyone have information about that day or the missing case files?