In the small town of Aplington, Iowa, a tragic event unfolded on January 18, 1983, shattering the community's sense of peace. Ethel Mae Franken, a 33-year-old Caucasian female, was found deceased in her home in what authorities would later describe as a murder-suicide. This devastating incident also claimed the lives of her husband, Darrell John Franken, 37, and their three young children: Troy Vance, 13, Valerie May, 11, and Dustin Jon, 7.
The grim discovery was made after the children
failed to attend their classes at the elementary school situated just across the street from their home. A concerned friend also arrived at the Franken residence that morning to take Ethel to a scheduled psychiatrist appointment. When no one answered the door, local police were contacted. Upon entering the home, Police Chief Tom Lines discovered the bodies of the entire family in the bedrooms. All of the victims had been shot with a small-caliber handgun and were found in their nightclothes, leading investigators to believe the tragic events occurred on the night of January 17th or early in the morning on the 18th.
The investigation, conducted by local authorities and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, quickly focused on Ethel as the sole suspect. Evidence at the scene, including the location of the firearm, led them to conclude that she had shot her husband and children before taking her own life. Butler County Medical Examiner Dr. Garry Teigland noted that the scene was consistent with this conclusion, as Ethel was found in her bed with the gun nearby.
Acquaintances of the family revealed that Ethel had been receiving psychiatric care in the weeks leading up to the tragedy, including hospitalizations at Allen Memorial Hospital in Waterloo. Neighbors described the Frankens as "good hard-working people with nice kids," making the violent end to their lives all the more shocking to the small community of roughly 900 residents. No arrests were made in the case, as the investigation determined that Ethel Franken was responsible for the deaths of her family and herself. The incident was noted at the time as the largest multiple homicide in Iowa since a similar family tragedy in 1980.
