The Transparency Project: The Cold Case Death of Diane Schofield

A young woman’s badly decomposed body was found in the trunk of a tan 1966 Rambler in a parking lot at Southwest 20th Street and Porter Avenue near the Des Moines airport on Thursday, July 10, 1975. The body was later determined to be 21-year-old Diane Marie Schofield.

An autopsy indicated Schofield died of strangulation. Her body was found fully clothed in a green halter top and blue jeans, but with no shoes. Her hands were tied behind her back and her feet bound with twine near the ankles. She’d been strangled with a strip of knotted cloth. The body showed no other apparent signs of violence. Based on evidence and witness accounts, investigators believe she was killed sometime after 9 p.m. Monday, July 7.

Police said robbery didn’t appear to be a motive because Schofield still wore her $200 watch and several turquoise rings. The 1966 Rambler in which her body was found was registered to the victim.

The case has gone cold, but Diane’s sister, Twyla Johnson, refuses to give up her fight for resolution and justice. Twyla will talk about her efforts and the status of the investigation.

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