In the biting cold of a rural Iowa December in 1983, a young White/Caucasian man named Ronald Lee Novak, 24, met a violent and untimely end. On Christmas Eve, a friend discovered Novak's body in an unheated room of his farmhouse at 5044 Rolling Acres Rd, just north of Center Point. The scene was one of brutality; Novak’s hands were bound behind his back, he had been severely beaten about the head and face, and he had suffered a single gunshot wound to the chest.
The medical examiner would later determine that the cause of death was a combination of his injuries, shock, and hypothermia from the frigid temperatures.
The initial investigation pointed towards a robbery or burglary gone wrong. Investigators found that Novak had been beaten with hammers and a golf club, which were left at the scene. In the months leading up to his death, Novak had reportedly expressed feelings of being watched and had become increasingly paranoid. The case quickly grew cold, leaving a shadow over the small Iowa community and decades of unanswered questions for the Novak family. Investigators knew that Novak was a significant marijuana dealer in the area, and they believed the motive for the attack was to rob him of money and drugs. However, for more than 40 years, the identities of his killer or killers remained a mystery.
A significant breakthrough in the case came in May of 2025, after decades of dormancy. Advances in forensic science allowed investigators to utilize blood and touch DNA evidence that had been meticulously collected from Novak's clothing and a hammer at the original crime scene. Through the use of DNA testing and genetic genealogy, authorities were able to identify a suspect. On May 28, 2025, law enforcement arrested 64-year-old Michael S. Schappert in Fairview, Oregon.
Schappert was charged with first-degree murder in connection with Novak's death. Investigators believe that Schappert, possibly with others, went to Novak's home on that frigid December night with the intention of robbing him. While an arrest has been made, law enforcement officials have stated that the case remains open, suggesting that other individuals may have been involved in the brutal crime that took Ronald Lee Novak's life decades earlier. Schappert is awaiting extradition to Iowa to face trial.
