In the small farming community of Aplington, Iowa, a tragic event unfolded on January 18, 1983, shattering the town's sense of peace. Darrell Franken, a 37-year-old White / Caucasian male, was found deceased in his home alongside his three children, Troy, 13, Valerie, 11, and Dustin, 7. The discovery was made after the children failed to show up for school, which was located just across the street from their house, and a friend was unable to get an answer at the family's door.
This prompted a call to local authorities, leading to the grim finding.
Upon entering the Franken residence, police discovered a scene of unimaginable horror. Darrell Franken was found in a bedroom, having been shot. His wife, Ethel Mae Franken, 33, was also found in the bedroom, deceased, with a small-caliber handgun near her. The children were located in their bedrooms as well, each of them victims of gunfire. Investigators at the scene, including the Butler County Medical Examiner, quickly pieced together the sequence of events. The evidence strongly suggested that Ethel had shot her husband and their three children before turning the gun on herself in a devastating murder-suicide. The position of the bodies and the location of the weapon led officials to this conclusion.
The investigation that followed confirmed the initial assessment. There were no signs of a break-in or any other suspects involved. Friends and neighbors described the Frankens as good, hard-working people with nice kids, leaving the community in a state of shock and disbelief. It was revealed that Ethel Franken had been receiving psychiatric care in the weeks leading up to the tragedy, including several hospital stays. A friend was scheduled to take her to a psychiatrist appointment on the morning the bodies were discovered. As Ethel Mae Franken was identified as the sole perpetrator and was deceased, no arrests were made in connection with the deaths of Darrell Franken and his children. The case was closed, leaving a lasting scar on the small Iowa town.
