In the late summer of 1902, the community of Onawa, Iowa, was shaken by the violent death of one of its own. William Strain, a 30-year-old male serving as a local law enforcement officer, met his untimely end on the first day of September. His death was not the result of an unfortunate accident or a sudden illness, but a deliberate act of violence that would leave a lasting mark on the small town.
The series of events leading to the tragedy began when Strain set out to apprehend a man
who had reportedly been making threats. The suspect, anticipating a confrontation, had concealed himself in the dense cover of a nearby cornfield. As Sheriff Strain entered the field, searching for the man, he was ambushed. The suspect fired a shotgun, striking Strain in the abdomen and inflicting a mortal wound.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the perpetrator vanished, eluding capture and leaving a community to mourn its fallen officer. For decades, the case remained a stark reminder of a brutal crime where justice had been deferred. The suspect remained a fugitive, his identity and whereabouts a mystery that lingered over Onawa.
Remarkably, the passage of time did not entirely erase the memory of the crime. Forty-two years after the fatal encounter in the cornfield, a citizen in Spokane, Washington, recognized the long-vanished suspect. This unexpected breakthrough led to the apprehension of the now-elderly man in 1944. However, the final chapter of this long and drawn-out story would not conclude in a courtroom. Before a murder warrant could be officially served, the 86-year-old suspect passed away, taking with him the full measure of justice for the death of William Strain.
