Connie Jo Bodensteiner

Connie Jo Bodensteiner was remembered by her mother, Sandy Choate, as a loving and giving person who would give you the shirt off her back if you needed it. A 24-year-old white woman living in Des Moines, Iowa, Connie was a mother to a five-year-old daughter, Brittany, who was the center of her world. However, her life had taken a difficult turn. After dropping out of high school in the tenth grade, she fell in with what her mother described as the wrong crowd, leading to struggles with drugs and a history of arrests. Though she was separated from her husband and her parents had urged her to return to her hometown of New Providence, Connie was always drawn back to Des Moines. Despite her challenges, she remained close to her family.

The last time her mother saw her alive was on Sunday, July 23, 1995, when Connie visited to spend time with her daughter. The last official sighting of Connie was just over a week later, on Tuesday, August 1, when she was seen leaving the Polk County Courthouse. After that, she vanished. For seven days, her family did not know where she was or what had happened to her. The silence was broken by a grim discovery on the south side of Des Moines.

On the morning of Tuesday, August 8, 1995, a maintenance worker at the apartment complex located at 2800 Fleur Drive was investigating a foul odor. The search led him to a locked storage bin in the building's basement. When the bin was opened, it revealed the body of Connie Jo Bodensteiner. She was found half-naked, and an autopsy later confirmed that she had been strangled to death. The discovery launched a homicide investigation by the Des Moines Police Department, as detectives began the difficult task of retracing the final week of the young mother’s life.

Investigators immediately explored several angles. One early theory considered a potential link to the death of 37-year-old Angela Buck, whose body was found in Waterloo the day after Connie was discovered. Both women had histories involving prostitution, which prompted police to examine whether their deaths were connected. However, after a thorough review, authorities determined that the two cases were unrelated. This left detectives in Des Moines with a singular, baffling murder and very few leads to follow. The question of who had access to the locked storage locker and what had happened to Connie in the week she was missing remained unanswered.

Years passed without an arrest, and Connie’s case grew cold. The investigation was revisited over time, and authorities eventually looked into Donald Piper, a man convicted for the 1993 and 1997 murders of two other women in the Des Moines area. Police investigated Piper as a possible suspect in a number of unsolved homicides, including Connie’s. However, no charges were ever filed against him in connection with her death, and he has never been officially named a suspect. The case remained without a resolution, leaving a painful void for Connie’s family.

A private graveside service was held for Connie on August 11, 1995, where she was laid to rest at the Paton Township Cemetery in Greene County. Her death left her daughter to grow up without her mother and her parents to forever wonder what could have been. For her loved ones, the lack of justice has compounded the tragedy of her loss.

Decades later, the murder of Connie Jo Bodensteiner remains an open and unsolved case with the Des Moines Police Department. Investigators believe it is a solvable crime, awaiting the one crucial piece of information to bring it all together. As of 2015, Des Moines Police Sergeant Dave Elrod stated, “We just need that one piece of information to put it all together.” A reward is available through Polk County Crime Stoppers for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with knowledge about the disappearance and murder of Connie Jo Bodensteiner is urged to contact Polk County Crime Stoppers at 515-223-1400.