On the evening of Thursday, May 29, 1986, a young White man named Bryan Eugene Pence, age 21, was working his shift at the Sinclair service station at 3725 Frederick M. Hubbell Ave. in Des Moines, Iowa. Around 10 p.m., what began as a routine night at the gas station turned into a tragedy when a robbery occurred. During the commission of the crime, Pence was shot in the back.
A Des Moines Police Detective, Charles Soderquist, happened to be driving by the service station when he noticed
something amiss. Through the glass of the station, he observed three individuals walking toward the restroom inside the building. This sight prompted him to investigate further, leading to the discovery of Pence's body. The 21-year-old service station employee was found deceased at the scene.
Despite the initial observations by Detective Soderquist, the individuals seen inside the station were never apprehended. The case has remained open for decades, with no arrests made in connection with the robbery and fatal shooting of Bryan Eugene Pence. His death is officially listed by the Des Moines Police Department as an unsolved homicide, leaving his family and the community without answers or justice for the violent end to a young life.
