A man has been arrested in the cold case murder of an Iowa woman whose body was discovered by turtle hunters along the bank of a creek 31 years ago.
Angela Renee Buck, of Waterloo, was found lying dead near the creek located near a bridge in Black Hawk County, Iowa, the morning of August 11, 1995, according to authorities. Following the discovery, the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office determined she had been fatally shot. Buck was 37 years old.
After pursuing several investigative leads over the years, authorities ultimately arrested Kelly Grant, of Minnesota, on Friday, October 16, in connection with Buck’s death, the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office announced in a news release.
Grant, 59, was taken into custody on a first-degree murder charge, according to the agency.
Grant was long considered a suspect in connection with Buck’s death, according to The Des Moines Register.
A witness had initially accused Grant and another man of assaulting Buck at a home in Waterloo, located in northeast Iowa, before she was killed in 1995, according to a court filing viewed by the newspaper.
The person reported they saw Grant, then 28, and the other individual “forcibly removing Buck from the residence and forcing Buck into a vehicle before driving away,” the filing states.
Another person, described as an associate of Grant, told law enforcement in January 1996 that Grant allegedly killed Buck because she had stolen something and that Grant “wouldn’t be doing this to anyone else again,” per the newspaper.
As investigators interviewed Grant over the years in connection with Buck’s murder, he allegedly changed his story repeatedly and has denied responsibility in her killing, the newspaper reported.
Authorities believe Grant killed Buck because she was wrongly suspected of informing law enforcement of drug activities in Waterloo, according to The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier.
“After 31 years, Angie Buck’s family is getting answers,” Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said in a statement. “Because of the dedication of Black Hawk County Sheriff Neff, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Black Hawk County Attorney Brian Williams, and with assistance from our Cold Case Unit, there will be justice for Angie Buck. No one should get away with murder.”
The investigation into Buck’s death is ongoing, according to the sheriff’s office.
“This is a great example that highlights the cooperation and tenacity of multiple agencies working together to bring closure to a case that is over 30 years old,” Black Hawk County Sheriff Nate Neff said in a statement. “I would also like to credit the retired deputies who originally worked this case. This arrest would not have happened without their efforts.”
Information on whether Grant retained legal counsel wasn’t immediately available.
