RaNae June Uithoven

In the small town of Winner, South Dakota, the winter of 1975 was shattered by a brutal crime that has remained a source of questions and unresolved grief for decades. On February 2, 1975, RaNae June Uithoven, a 36-year-old female from the nearby town of Kennebec, and Lawrence Steiger Sr., a 71-year-old Winner resident, were found shot to death. Their bodies were discovered inside Steiger’s mobile home at the Piska Trailer Court, located at 322 Harding Street, leaving the community in shock and fear.

RaNae Uithoven was from Kennebec, the county seat of Lyman County, a small prairie town that in the 1970s, as now, was a quiet, tight-knit community. Lawrence Steiger was known in the area and had previously operated a pool and beer hall in Kennebec. According to some accounts, RaNae had sought refuge with Steiger in Winner. Reports from the time suggest she had been in a volatile relationship with a man from Pierre and had left him due to his abusive and threatening behavior. Her presence in Lawrence Steiger's home on that cold February night was believed to be an attempt to find safety.

The initial investigation into the double homicide appeared to move swiftly. Suspicion quickly fell upon Francis "Sonny" Peck, a 37-year-old from Pierre. According to Stan Whiting, who was the deputy state's attorney for Tripp County at the time, the investigation uncovered that Peck had a well-known reputation for his abusive treatment of RaNae. Witness statements indicated that Peck had traveled to Winner on the night of the murders and was seen at the Westside Café asking for directions to Lawrence Steiger's residence. He had even reportedly asked the police for directions.

Based on this evidence, Francis Peck was arrested in connection with the murders. A judge set his bond at a significant $1,000,000, and he was held in the Tripp County Jail. The case seemed to be moving toward a resolution as the deputy state's attorney prepared to present the evidence to a grand jury. However, in a turn of events that has puzzled observers for years, the charges were abruptly dropped. According to Whiting's later accounts, the Tripp County State's Attorney and then-South Dakota Attorney General Bill Janklow made the decision to dismiss all charges against Peck, and he was released.

The reasons behind the dismissal have never been fully clarified to the public, and the case quickly went cold. No other suspects were publicly named, and no further arrests were made. For the families of RaNae Uithoven and Lawrence Steiger, the lack of a trial or conviction meant there was no justice and no official closure. The initial flurry of investigative activity gave way to a long and frustrating silence that has now lasted for nearly half a century.

Today, the double homicide is one of South Dakota's oldest and most haunting unsolved cases. It remains on the official SD Unresolved Cases list maintained by the South Dakota Attorney General's Office, Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI). The DCI's cold case unit is tasked with reviewing such cases, hoping that modern forensic technology or new witness cooperation might finally provide a breakthrough. As of January 2023, the case of RaNae Uithoven and Lawrence Steiger officially remains open and unresolved.

The passage of time has not erased the memory of the crime in the small South Dakota communities affected by the loss. For the families and those who remember the events of 1975, the hope for answers persists. The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation continues to accept information on the case and encourages anyone with knowledge about the murders to come forward. Tips can be directed to the DCI Tip Line at 605-394-1884.