A dead baby boy was found at the Iowa City Landfill back on December 21st, 1982.
Technology wasn’t advanced at that time, and the police were unable to determine who the child’s parent were, and the case went cold.
Authorities reopened the case in October 2020, hoping that advancements in DNA technology could help them solve the case.
Cindy Sue Elder became a focus of the investigation, and in February 2022, she was questioned at her home in Clever, Missouri.
Police say she admitted she was pregnant and tried to cause a miscarriage by punching herself in the stomach.
That didn’t work, and the baby was born alive. She further explained that she put him in a plastic bag and discarded him in the garbage near her father’s residence when the temperature was below zero outside.
She reportedly told investigators that the baby’s father never knew she was pregnant.
Now 58, she was recently arrested and sent back to Missouri to face first-degree murder charges.
DOB:
1967Conviction(s):
- N/A
Date of crime:
December 21, 1992Location(s):
Iowa City, IowaDate of arrest:
September 2025Details:
Accused of killing her newborn son, then dumping him in the trash.Method:
N/ASentence:
Awaiting trialCurrent whereabouts:
Johnson County JailLast Updated on 03/18/2026
