In the small town of Sloan, Iowa, the morning of January 9, 2015, brought a grim discovery that would shatter the community's sense of peace. Dustin Brown Wilder, a 29-year-old Caucasian male, was found deceased in his home. A dog sitter, arriving to care for the pets, stumbled upon the tragic scene, finding Wilder unresponsive in his kitchen. Emergency responders were called to the residence, but it was too late; Dustin Wilder was pronounced dead at the scene.
The initial investigation
into Wilder's death quickly pointed towards a homicide. An autopsy would later reveal that he had died from a gunshot wound to the head. As law enforcement officials began to piece together the events leading up to his death, their focus turned to the hours just before his body was discovered. It was learned that Wilder had been at a local bar, the Sloan Tap, the night before. He was reportedly in the company of Timothy Rodger Schroeder and his wife, Amanda, who had accompanied him back to his house.
Within days, the investigation honed in on Timothy Rodger Schroeder as the primary suspect. Court documents revealed that Schroeder's wife, Amanda, told investigators that she and another man had overheard her husband talking about wanting to commit a robbery or "do something big or kill someone" before Wilder's death. She later testified that after going inside Wilder's home with her husband, he pushed her aside and she heard a gunshot. She claimed to have seen a gun in Schroeder's hand and Wilder lying on the floor. Schroeder was arrested on a parole violation shortly after the murder, keeping him in custody as the investigation progressed.
Ultimately, Timothy Rodger Schroeder, then 29, was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of Dustin Wilder. He was also charged with going armed with intent and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Investigators urged the public for assistance in finding Wilder's missing black tri-fold billfold, considering it a key piece of evidence. Though another individual was present with the Schroeders and overheard the incriminating statements, no one else was charged in the case. Schroeder was subsequently held in the Woodbury County Jail.
