Trigger Warning: This article discusses child sexual assault.
It’s one of the most horrific crimes that occurred post-World War II America during the “Fabulous Fifties” and shocked an entire nation. Even the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), J. Edgar Hoover himself, demanded his men find the killer. Still, the brutal rape and torture-murder of a 21-month-old little girl remains unsolved today.
The 1950s is often considered one of the most wholesome decades in America. I was born in 1970, but when I think of that decade, visions of poodle skirts, Elvis Presley, and television shows like “Gunsmoke” and “Leave it to Beaver” fill my mind. Songs like “Rock Around The Clock” by Bill Haley and His Comets and “Aint That a Shame” by Fats Domino were big hits that live on in people’s hearts today.
For one Iowa community, the 1950s brought tremendous fear, loss, and shock over a horrific act of violence that changed the lives of many.
Who Were the Davises?
James “Don” Davis married Mary Beatrice McCarville in Wyoming on August 5, 1943, and they started a family soon after. The couple had three children – Mary Claire, Timothy Ralph, and Donna Sue.
The family eventually settled in on the first floor of a two-story duplex at 715 Isabella Street in the Smith-Villa neighborhood of Sioux City, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. M.A. McLeod resided upstairs above the Davises at 717 Isabella Street. The building was built in 1924 and still stands today as a multi-family home with five bedrooms and two bathrooms.
It was a hot summer in 1955, and air conditioners were a luxury for most Iowans. The Davises did not have air conditioning and found other ways to cool off in the summer. The children escaped the hot confines of the house by playing outside with their friends, some of which lived in their neighborhood.
Mary Claire, 11, and her playmates loved to push dolls and Donna Sue in their play buggies and strollers, while Timothy, 7, enjoyed time with his friends, likely playing outdoor games or riding bicycles.
Donna Sue, 21 months old, enjoyed being the center of attention. She was a small bundle of absolute joy for her family. Weighing 21 pounds, Donna Sue had dark blond curly hair and blue eyes, a sweet child and the epitome of an All-American little girl. She loved three things as much as her family: a red purse, a rubber doll, and a teddy bear.
But one night, evil entered the Davis home and, in the blink of an eye, brutally robbed the family of a precious loved one and a lifetime of memories.
The Horrific Abduction and Murder of Donna Sue Davis
At 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 9, 1955, torrential rains began descending on Sioux City, an eerie reminder of the Floyd and Missouri Rivers flood three years before when the entire city had to evacuate. Still, this storm brought enough rain for the flood sirens to blare, warning residents of the potential danger.
After the rains finally stopped during the early morning of Sunday, July 10, 1955, they brought high humidity and soaring temperatures throughout the day. That evening was hot and humid.
Mary gave Donna Sue a cool bath and dressed her in pink pajamas. As she laid the child in her crib at 9:30 p.m., Mary recited the nursery rhyme “One for the Money.” (The Sioux City Journal)
One for the money,
Two for the show;
Three to make ready, (another version is “Three to get ready”)
And four to go!
When Mary got to the word “go,” she would then add “to bed.” They were the last words Mary ever spoke to her little girl.
The crib sat against the wall directly below the window and at the foot of Don and Mary’s bed. Mary left the window open due to the sizzling summer heat.
The other children were fast asleep in their beds in another bedroom. Meanwhile, Don was watching television in the living room, and Mary went to the kitchen to read that day’s Sioux City Journal. Both enjoy the quiet time following a busy day filled with love and laughter. All seemed well in their lives.
Nothing could have prepared the Davis family for what would happen next. Within minutes, their lives would change drastically and horrifically forever.
Neighbors Spot a Prowler
George Berger lived at 1301 Villa Avenue. At 9:35 p.m., George sat in his backyard, facing the Davis home’s south side. Suddenly, he noticed a man had crossed through a bush near the front of the Davis’ house, heading west along the home’s south side. However, George’s vehicle parked in his driveway obstructed his view, and he could not see what the man was doing.
A few minutes later, George saw the man again walking back toward Isabella Street, except this time, the man walked in a crouched, stooped position (Ewing, 2011), not erect as before. George also reported seeing a man pass his home and the Davis home earlier in the evening. (Shuman, 1955)
Laif and Ann Fjeldos lived at 1310 West 14th Street, north of the Davis’ home. Their dog, Rex, started barking at the back door, signaling its owners to let it inside. Ann went to the door, turned the outside light on, and let the pup into the home. She spotted a man hiding behind her garage about 16 feet south of the door. Ann turned the outside light off and immediately hollered for Laif. He grabbed a flashlight and went to investigate.
Laif shone the light toward the man, stooping over and behind a bush. He handed the flashlight to Ann, instructing her to hold the light on the man in the bush. Laif went inside and called the Sioux City Police Department at 9:37 p.m.
Ann then alerted her husband that the man hiding in the bush had run with the bundle he carried, and Laif gave chase, heading north through the alley toward W. 14th Street, parallel with the Fjeldos home, and into another alley that led to W. 15th Street. Laif could tell the man had something wrapped in a blanket, assuming the bundle was stolen goods.
Laif approached slowly, but the man had vanished when he got to the bushes. However, while pursuing the man, he could see the prowler was about 30 years old, around 5’11”, 165-170 pounds, with a slight build and wore a white T-shirt and khaki trousers. The man was hatless, and had dark hair, closely cut, and parted on the side. (The Sioux City Journal)
The Taking of Donna Sue Davis
Unaware of the commotion with the assumed prowler in the neighborhood, Don Davis decided to retire for the night but first wanted to check on his little dumpling, Donna Sue.
Around 9:40 p.m., Don entered his bedroom but did not see his baby girl in the crib; it was empty. He looked under the covers, but she was not there. Her red purse, rubber doll, and teddy bear were still in the crib.
Don shouted at Mary, asking where Donna Sue was, and noticed the bedroom window screen had been removed. (Shuman) He immediately called the police, kickstarting a long, extensive search and investigation.
Meanwhile, Laif and two neighbors had gathered outside near Laif’s home. Laif was outside waiting for the police to arrive when he and the neighbors heard Mary screaming inside the Davis home.
“My baby is gone! My baby is gone!” Mary cried out. Laif could hear her weeping and pleading for help. (Shuman) He put two and two together, realizing the bundle the prowler had been carrying was Donna Sue.
Searching For Donna Sue
Sioux City police officers arrived, and the crowd of curious onlookers grew. Don and Mary told the police there had been no family trouble, and they had no idea why anyone would want to kidnap Donna Sue.
Police began questioning the neighbors. Several said they had seen the stranger, including George Berger, but most could not give the man’s height because he had been crouched over and carrying something. The McLeods upstairs claimed not to see or hear anything unusual.
Over two dozen neighbors began searching for Donna Sue, checking vacant fields and houses nearby without luck. Don attempted to search for his youngest child in his car, but the roads were muddy from the rain, and the vehicle became stuck in a ditch.
Then, a lead came in, and the police thought they were zeroing in on the suspect and close to rescuing Donna Sue.
Sighting of a Blond Little Girl and the Sounds of a Suspicious Car
By 10 p.m., news of Donna Sue’s kidnapping had not yet spread beyond Sioux City.
At 10:05 p.m., Sid Goldberg of Sioux City was driving through Elkton, South Dakota, a tiny community about 150 miles north of Sioux City. Near a motel, he spotted a man wearing a white T-shirt and khaki trousers standing on the road next to a black two-door Chevrolet sedan with Nebraska license plates. (The Sioux City Journal, July 11, 1955) The man was holding a small child.
However, Sid had no idea someone had kidnapped Donna Sue; therefore, he thought nothing of the sighting. He likely thought it was a father soothing his daughter during a car ride.
Everett and Juanita Hauswirth lived on the Old Back Road in South Sioux City, Nebraska, which connected South Sioux City to Dakota City. They owned and operated several restaurants in the area.
At 10:30 p.m., Juanita suddenly heard a car stopping outside on the gravel road or pulling into her driveway and quickly sped off a moment later. Like Sid, she did not think much of the vehicle, thinking someone turned around or was lost.
Around 11 p.m., Sid was on his way back to Sioux City when a radio station broadcasted Donna Sue’s abduction. He pulled over and called the Sioux City Police to report the sighting of the man and the little girl.
Sid remembered the vehicle’s license plate number. Police then radioed “a detailed description of the man and child to law enforcement networks in Iowa, South Dakota, and Nebraska, and to taxicab companies whose cabs were equipped with two-way radios.” (Ewing)
The Nebraska Motor Vehicles Bureaus was closed until Monday morning. Police followed up on the plate number but came up empty.
Investigation
Meanwhile, back at the Davis home, police removed Donna Sue’s bedroom window screen and other items and took them to police headquarters to check for fingerprints.
Sioux City policeman working extra shifts scoured the city’s west side overnight, searching for Donna Sue and her abductor, but never found any sign of them. Authorities held three men for questioning in the case and “every lead and tip is being followed through,” said Sioux City Police Chief James O’Keefe.
The next day, Monday, July 11, 1955, investigators returned to the Davis home and began canvassing the area and questioning residents door-to-door.
Three FBI agents from Omaha showed up at the Davises home in a “consulatory capacity” to familiarize themselves with the case. They were not yet officially called in to investigate because there was no evidence yet that Donna Sue’s kidnapper had crossed state lines.
A report came into the Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office from a farmer who heard a baby crying in a parked car on the road three and a half miles east of Highway 75, halfway between Sergeant Bluff and Salix, a few miles south of Sioux City. He said the car had Nebraska plates, and deputies investigated, but it did not pan out.
An extensive search party had formed, including the Air National Guardsman, additional police officers, and numerous volunteers. The group searched from West Seventh Street to West 18th Street, along Perry Creek, and West Eight and Bluff Street West to Ross Street. (Ewing) The search was fruitless, and soon, dreaded news would shake the community to its core.
Discovery of Donna Sue Davis
Later that afternoon, the temperature reached 96 degrees. One of Ernest and Genevieve Oehlerking’s daughters turned 11 on this day. Genevieve prepared to bake the birthday cake in the kitchen while her six daughters were at a Girls Scouts Camp.
At 3:45 p.m., Ernest drove his tractor toward South Sioux City to purchase oats. Following behind him in a wagon was Ernie Reed, Harlan Haas, and Ernest’s nephew, Ronnie Oehlerking, 14. One-eighth of a mile north of his farmhouse and halfway to Everett Hauswirth’s home, Ernest saw something in the ditch and investigated. He discovered the bottom half of a baby’s pink pajamas and a pair of rubber pants that fit over a baby’s diaper.
Ernest turned around for home, called the police, and told Genevieve of his discovery. Genevieve and her sister-in-law, Florence Oehlerking, 47, each driving a vehicle to search for the missing toddler, went south on the Old Back Road (Ewing), passing Ernest and Genevieve’s farm. Florence’s 13-year-old daughter and Genevieve’s six daughters rode along with Genevieve.
At 4:15 p.m., about a half-mile east of the farm, the girls started screaming and crying — they had spotted Donna Sue’s body. Genevieve hit the brakes and reversed the car, and she and Florence exited their vehicles to inspect the body.
Donna Sue was lying 15 feet west of Old Back Road in the first row of a cornfield. The only piece of clothing she wore was her pink pajama top, pulled up around her neck. Her little arms were above her head, and she had blood and bruises around her eyes.
Genevieve took the girls home and called the police while Florence stayed with Donna Sue’s body. She found an old paper sack nearby, tore it up, and covered the little body.
Police arrived at the cornfield at 4:45 p.m. Donna Sue’s clothing was taken to Don and Mary Davis for identification. Investigators examined the area and noticed broken cornstalks, which indicated the killer likely threw her body from a car. Don arrived at the scene and identified the body as Donna Sue.
Police then transported the body to the Becker funeral home for autopsy.
The Autopsy
Woodbury County Coroner Dr. Thomas L. Coriden and Sioux City pathologist Dr. A.C. Starry performed Donna Sue’s autopsy, and the results were gruesome. They determined Donna Sue had been dead for about 10-12 hours. She was raped and sodomized. Her left jaw was broken from a blow and numerous bruises covered her body. Additionally, there were cigarette or cigarette lighter burns on her buttocks.
Coriden and Starry listed the cause of death as a “massive brain hemorrhage resulting from a severe blow to the head.” (Ewing)
Following the completion of the autopsy, Donna Sue’s body was transported to Manning O’Toole Funeral Home in Sioux City. Donna Sue’s family laid her to rest on July 13, 1955.
Murder Investigation
With Donna Sue’s body being found, the police were no longer investigating a missing person’s case but a homicide.
Around 10:05 a.m. on July 12, 1955, a truck driver drove along U.S. Highway 12, near Selby, S.D. He saw a man fitting the description of Donna Sue’s killer hitchhiking along the road. The trucker reported the sighting to state police in Pierre, S.D. Deputies thoroughly searched for the hitchhiker but never found any trace of him.
Iowa investigators never found the Chevy sedan with the Nebraska plates used in the abduction and murder.
Over the next few years, police continued investigating Donna Sue’s murder. There were a few arrests, some suspects, a reward fund, and even a couple of false confessions. Despite their hard work, police never found Donna Sue’s killer.
Aftermath
Don and Mary Davis had another daughter following Donna Sue’s murder. Dawn Davis was born in July of 1956. The Davis family later relocated west to Redding, California. Don died in 1996, and Mary followed ten years later in 2006. Donna’s siblings are still alive. Her sisters still reside in California, while her brother returned to Iowa.
TCD’s Thoughts
There is no doubt in my mind that the killer knew the Davis family, or he had been stalking them. He knew the exact location of Donna Sue’s crib. The abduction took minutes. So there’s no way someone unfamiliar with the layout of the duplex could pull it off that quickly.
What’s interesting is that Donna Sue never cried out the entire time her killer carried her under the blanket. The witnesses never mentioned hearing a child’s cries. Her parents would have heard her and followed her cries if she had. Donna Sue could not have been asleep yet when the man abducted her from her crib. How did she stay so quiet? Did she recognize her abductor? Was she drugged?
Her mom put her to bed at 9:30, and 10 minutes later, when Don checked on her, she was gone. George saw the man at 9:35 walking toward the Davis’ window. The man quickly removed the screen and entered the home through the window undetected. He grabbed a quiet Donna Sue, and fled without Don or Mary hearing a thing. Honestly, I don’t see how that’s possible unless she was drugged. Donna Sue’s killer had balls because her parents were still awake and could have easily caught him in the act.
The killer likely dumped the Chevy somewhere, and he probably stole it beforehand for the abduction. I also 100% believe he subsequently abducted and killed other children because he got away with this one.
Sources
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/234920470/ann-fjeldos: accessed August 3, 2024), memorial page for Ann Fjeldos (1 Dec 1919–9 Dec 1995), Find a Grave Memorial ID 234920470, citing Memorial Park Cemetery, Sioux City, Woodbury County, Iowa, USA; Maintained by Jen Shaffer (contributor 48755245).
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/188033173/laif-fjeldos: accessed August 3, 2024), memorial page for Laif Fjeldos (14 Sep 1922–2 Aug 1992), Find a Grave Memorial ID 188033173, citing Memorial Park Cemetery, Sioux City, Woodbury County, Iowa, USA; Maintained by SDD (contributor 47801102).
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/199657536/ernest_dale-oehlerking: accessed August 3, 2024), memorial page for Ernest Dale Oehlerking Sr. (1921–1985), Find a Grave Memorial ID 199657536, citing Memorial Park Cemetery, Sioux City, Woodbury County, Iowa, USA; Maintained by Remembering Them (contributor 47869121).
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15400672/genevieve_fern-oehlerking: accessed August 3, 2024), memorial page for Genevieve Fern Franke Oehlerking (25 Nov 1922–20 Jul 2006), Find a Grave Memorial ID 15400672, citing Memorial Park Cemetery, Sioux City, Woodbury County, Iowa, USA; Maintained by Peggy Durand (contributor 46621297).
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8127079/james_donald-davis: accessed August 3, 2024), memorial page for Sgt James Donald “Don” Davis (2 Apr 1916–1 Feb 1996), Find a Grave Memorial ID 8127079, citing Calvary Cemetery, Sioux City, Woodbury County, Iowa, USA; Maintained by Remembering Them (contributor 47869121).
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/175522022/mary_beatrice-davis: accessed August 3, 2024), memorial page for Mary Beatrice “Bea” McCarville Davis (28 Apr 1918–13 Feb 2006), Find a Grave Memorial ID 175522022, citing Calvary Cemetery, Sioux City, Woodbury County, Iowa, USA; Maintained by Jody Ewing (contributor 47271115).
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/88792949/donna_sue-davis: accessed August 3, 2024), memorial page for Donna Sue Davis (19 Sep 1953–10 Jul 1955), Find a Grave Memorial ID 88792949, citing Calvary Cemetery, Sioux City, Woodbury County, Iowa, USA; Maintained by Jody Ewing (contributor 47271115), colorized photo of Donna Sue by Susan Bennett-Edwards (contributor 46515864).
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/204102844/everett_m-hauswirth: accessed August 3, 2024), memorial page for Everett M Hauswirth (31 Aug 1919–30 Nov 1972), Find a Grave Memorial ID 204102844, citing Saint Michaels Calvary Cemetery, South Sioux City, Dakota County, Nebraska, USA; Maintained by Kenlyn Hecht (contributor 48952917).
Ewing, Jody. “Donna Sue Davis.” Iowa Cold Cases, February 14, 2011. https://iowacoldcases.org/case-summaries/donna-sue-davis/ — You can see better images of the Davis home, the women who found the body, the crime scene, etc. at this website.
“Juanita Matthews.” Obituary. Smith Family Funeral Home. https://www.smithfamilycares.com/obituaries/juanita-matthews-1
Shuman, Ben. “Mother Tucks in Baby With Childhood Ryme —Tragedy.” The Sioux City Journal, July 11, 1955.