In the early morning hours of Tuesday, January 13, 1981, the life of 19-year-old Pamela Rae Hinrichs, a White female, was tragically cut short. A recent graduate of Clinton High School, class of 1979, and newly engaged over the New Year's holiday, Pamela was working at the AMVETS Post No. 28 located at 1317 S. 17th Street in Clinton, Iowa. It was here that she was discovered, having been shot to death in what appeared to be a robbery.
The cash register and a nearby safe had been emptied, leaving a scene of violence and theft in their wake. Her car, a Cutlass, was found parked outside the club.
The Clinton Police Department, with the assistance of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, launched a thorough investigation into the homicide. Despite their efforts, the case quickly grew cold. There were no substantial leads, no witnesses who came forward with crucial information, and no suspects were ever publicly identified. The lack of evidence left both law enforcement and Pamela's family grappling with unanswered questions and a profound sense of loss. Her father, Raymond Hinrichs, offered a $2,000 reward for any information that would lead to an arrest, a testament to a family's desperate search for justice.
Ten months after Pamela's murder, another homicide occurred in Clinton that bore haunting similarities. On November 28, 1981, 53-year-old George Leonard was also shot and killed during an early morning robbery at the Inn Tavern on 902 S. 14th Street, less than a mile from the AMVETS Post. Like Pamela, Leonard was found deceased behind the bar. A suspect in Leonard's case was described as a young white male who had confronted and beaten another individual before fleeing the scene. The parallels between the two slayings prompted Pamela's father to reach out to the police, hoping a connection could be made. However, the Clinton County Attorney at the time stated that investigators had no information to officially link the two homicides. To this day, the murder of Pamela Rae Hinrichs remains unsolved, a cold case that continues to linger in the community.
