In the days leading up to Thanksgiving in 1995, Martha "Marty" Erickson, a 47-year-old White female from Carlisle, Iowa, was filled with anticipation for a dance she planned to attend. Known for her compassionate spirit, she frequently attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, not because she struggled with addiction, but to offer support to others on their path to recovery.
Her life, however, was cut tragically short on November 21, 1995, the eve of the holiday.
On Thanksgiving Day, her body was discovered in the shallow waters of Avon Lake. An examination by the state medical examiner revealed she had been brutally beaten and stabbed. The time she had spent in the water unfortunately washed away crucial physical evidence, making it impossible for investigators to determine if she had also been sexually assaulted. This lack of evidence proved to be a significant hurdle in the investigation from the very beginning.
Detectives from the Polk County Sheriff's Office faced further challenges as they delved into Martha's life. Many of the individuals she associated with, particularly those from the AA community, were hesitant to come forward and speak with the police, often only knowing each other by first names. This made piecing together a timeline of her final hours incredibly difficult. Investigators explored several avenues, considering different individuals as persons of interest in her murder. One was Donald Piper, a Des Moines resident who was a suspect in other murders. Another was Jerry Lee Proctor, who had been charged with the murder of another woman in 1994. However, authorities were never able to gather enough evidence to press charges against either man in connection with Martha's death.
A chilling and complex layer was added to the investigation with the revelation that two of Martha's friends had also been murdered in the same time frame. Just two months prior, in September 1995, the body of her friend Susan Kersten was found in her burned-out car. Then, in January 1996, another friend, Donna Lee Marshall, was found shot to death. While police actively investigated a potential link between the three homicides, they were ultimately unable to find a definitive connection. In a significant development years later, Susan Kersten's ex-partner, Steven Klein, was arrested and convicted of her murder. Despite this breakthrough in her friend's case, no arrests have ever been made in the murder of Martha Erickson. Her case remains an unsolved cold case, a source of enduring pain for her family who remember her as a loving and helpful woman.
