In the heart of southern Iowa's deer hunting season in November 2017, the life of 31-year-old Curtis Ross, a White male, was tragically cut short. An avid outdoorsman from Cedar Falls, Ross had traveled to Appanoose County for a few days of hunting following Thanksgiving. He was staying with a friend and had set up trail cameras and hunting stands in a remote area near Lake Rathbun.
When Ross failed to return to his friend's home, he was reported missing in the early hours of Saturday, November 25th. His truck was discovered parked at the end of a dead-end road near his hunting spot. A subsequent search by law enforcement led to the grim discovery of his body in a remote, wooded area. An autopsy would later reveal that Curtis Ross had died from multiple gunshot and stab wounds, and his death was officially ruled a homicide.
The investigation, a joint effort by several law enforcement agencies including the Appanoose County Sheriff's Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, quickly gathered momentum. Near the scene of the crime, investigators found several spent rifle casings and ammunition magazines. Forensic examination of these items revealed fingerprints belonging to a 27-year-old Promise City man named Ethan Landon Davis. This discovery made Davis a prime suspect in the murder.
Further investigation led officers to the 400-acre farm owned by Davis's parents, where he resided in a camper. A search of the property uncovered a concealed AR-15 rifle that was later determined to be the murder weapon. The rifle had Ross's blood and Davis's fingerprints on it. Ballistic testing confirmed that the shell casings found at the crime scene had been fired from this rifle. Davis was subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
During his trial, Ethan Davis maintained his innocence, suggesting he was being framed and that his gun had been stolen. However, the prosecution presented a strong circumstantial case built on the forensic evidence linking him to the crime. Despite the absence of a clear motive or any known connection between Davis and Ross, the jury found the evidence compelling. After an eight-day trial in February 2019, Ethan Davis was found guilty of the first-degree murder of Curtis Ross.
