Maria Lisa Peak:1976, Waverly, Iowa

   

Maria Lisa Peak

  Maria Lisa Peak was born on December 10th, 1956 to Mary Virginia Scrivener Peak and Dr. Frank Allen Peak. She had a younger sister named Carmen Dana Peak. 


  Dr. Peak was a veterinarian and the family was very active in their community of Knoxville, Iowa. That is a town southeast of Des Moines. 


  She attended Wartburg College which is located in Waverly, Iowa. It is situated northeast of Des Moines. Wartburg is known for its instrumental and vocal music programs. Maria Lisa Peak studied journalism there. 


  On September 7th, 1976, Maria, who went by her middle name of Lisa, was moving back into her dorm in Waverly. She was a sophomore. That evening she left the dorm to go to the store and pick up a few things. 


  She never made it back to the dorm. She had a date planned that night. He came by the dorm to pick her up and she had not returned which caused her friends to report her disappearance. 


  Lisa was found “just north of the Waverly city limits under a huge cottonwood tree”.  The spot was on a gravel road that had a reputation as a place where young people went to park. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled. 


  In an article about her murder a reporter wondered whether her death was related to the other murders in the area or the sex extortion case “which she had been a victim of”. I think there’s a very strong chance that it was. 


   Lisa was a journalism major and was working with a reporter on a book about the Mason City sex extortion case. Think about extortion for sex. A man says “if you don’t have sex with me I will ruin your life. I’ll tell lies about you and no one will believe you. Everyone will be disgusted by you. They will believe me because I am a man.”  And when you are basically still a kid you stand up to the guy and press charges. Lisa Peak was only 19. That is bravery. 


  John J. Carmody, Jr. was convicted in the rape and extortion case in 1976. He was sentenced to 40 years on May 19th, 1976. Did someone kill Lisa Peak in retaliation? 


  Carmody had been a used car salesman in Mason City, Iowa. He would rape young women, photograph them during these assaults and then blackmail them using the photographs. 


  John Joseph Carmody Jr. was paroled in 2001. It appears that he still lives in Iowa and is in his late 80’s. 


  What about the other area murders? Are they related? Arlene Gehrke was 58 and found murdered outside the church where she was a musician. Her valuables, which were few, were stolen as well as a CB radio in her car. I think the CB radio was probably what her killer was after.


  Julia Benning was murdered in 1975 and her body was found in 1976.  Sheila Lynn Foley had been murdered about 20 minutes away near Hazleton in 1975. Sheila and Julia disappeared within days of one another. Gary Lynn Frazier was eventually found guilty of Sheila Foley's murder. Did he also kill Julia Benning?


  Valerie Klossowsky had been murdered in Waverly in 1971. Gary Lynn Frazer would have been 20 then. Did he kill her too? 


  Lisa’s killer could be Gary Lynn Frazer. He was in the middle of the Sheila Foley murder trial in 1976. But, He escaped on May 29th, 1976 after he was found guilty. He was on the run when Lisa went missing. He was later apprehended in October in Colorado. 


  Frazer was found guilty of murdering Sheila Foley. He is still serving a life sentence today. It seems odd and unlikely that he would stop off or hang around Waverly to kill Lisa Peak when he had escaped. His wife drove the getaway car when he escaped and their baby was also in the car. But, did they come back to town in September so his wife and baby could visit family? 


   Lisa Peak could have been killed by someone upset about the Carmody sex extortion case verdict. There were other female victims who testified against Carmody. Why were they not targeted too? 


  She could have been the random victim of a random killer. It was the 1970’s and all bets are off. Violent crime was rising still.


  Lisa Peak was only 19. It was a tragic loss for her family, friends and community. Her family would sadly be touched by tragedy again that Fall.

  

  In November of 1976, Lisa Peak’s younger sister, Carmen, was tragically killed in a freak accident when she was crushed by a horse. I can’t imagine how the parents of these two girls picked themselves up and kept going.  But, they did. 


 Their Dad passed away in 2013 and their Mother passed away in 2014. All four are buried together at Graceland Cemetery 

in Knoxville, Iowa. 


  We have the technology to solve many more cold cases these days. Othram Labs is doing amazing work in testing DNA with very small samples these days. 


  There’s always hope that these cold cases can be solved. 


  Rest In Peace Lisa


  If you have information about the murder of Maria Lisa Peak please call the FBI at (712) 258-1920 or Iowa DCI at (515) 725- 6010. 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Raymond Charles Lamb:Indiana Serial Killer

Image
         One thing about writing something and publishing it on the internet is that people reach out with feedback. Sometimes, if you write about true crime, that feedback can come from a victim’s family or even from the granddaughter of a serial killer.     When that granddaughter appreciates what was written and is also doing research you can find a very welcome, if unexpected, collaboration.     When you hear from the family member of a victim it is always a very humbling feeling. I feel dreadful about what happened. I feel bad about writing about it. (Even though I feel very strongly that these cases need to be talked about.)     That scenario is exactly what happened to me recently. I began to look more into the past of that serial killer. He has been serving a life sentence in Indiana since 1973.    Raymond Charles Lamb was born in August of 1946 according to the India...
Read more

51:Brenda Ginter:1975, North Judson, Indiana

Image
        Brenda Lou Ginter was born on October 20th, 1952. She grew up in Lake Station, Indiana. It’s a town very close to Gary, Indiana. It appears almost like a neighborhood of Gary, Indiana on the map. Brenda’s parents were Joseph Ginter and Esther (Scalf) Ginter. She had three brothers and a sister.  Joanana Ida Ginter was born in 1931. Joseph Junior was born in 1935. The two other brothers and Brenda came along later. I am not sure but I think Brenda and Dennis were twins. They were in the same class in high school. I found an Edison High School 1969 yearbook and they are together in the Junior Class. Brenda and Dennis would have graduated from high school in 1970.    Brenda was pretty with dark brown hair. Her middle and high school pictures from Lake Station show a smiling and vibrant young girl with the many changing hairstyles of the time.     In 1973 Brenda had a son, Stephen. One newspaper article said that she...
Read more

Laurie Jo Lopez and Gerald E. Bunche III: 1975, Gary

Image
    On the evening of April 6th, 1975, two teenagers went on a date. The eighteen year olds were Laurie and Gerald. They borrowed Laurie’s Mom’s car.  It should have been a fun night out. But, the two teens never made it home.    Laurie Jo Lopez graduated from Kankakee Valley High. She lived southeast of Gary, Indiana at 10 Windsor Drive, outside of Demotte, Indiana.    Gerald Ellsworth Bunche III was born on January 3rd 1957. He went to Lew Wallace High in Gary and lived at 1145 Whitcomb Street. He was the son of Erdell and Gerald Bunche Jr.  He was an active highschool kid. He played basketball and was pretty good.    Laurie Lopez was the daughter of Frank Lopez. Her mother’s name is not known to me. (Her mother is not listed on her death certificate and I was unable to find any information about Laurie’s Mom or possible siblings.) Laurie’s stepfather was Sgt. James E. Rodriguez.    I usually am ab...
Read more