Maureen Ann Brubaker was born Sunday, July 4, 1954 at St. Joseph's Hospital in Sioux City, Iowa, to Mary Ann (Meyer) and David Roland Brubaker, weighing in at six pounds and 11 ounces.
As the eldest of seven siblings, Maureen would babysit for her six younger siblings whenever their parents decided to go out. David and Mary Ann knew what a challenge the job could be, but always told the children they'd make it worth their while if they were good for big sister Maureen.
The children knew what kind of reward each would receive in exchange for minding Maureen — 10 cents apiece — and in the late 1960s, 10 cents could go a long way. They'd be able to purchase an extra-large bag of popcorn at the dime store, or even a pack of candy cigarettes, where the powdered sugar would blow off the minty sticks just like real smoke.
The money could be put back and saved, too, to buy a Hula Hoop, paper dolls or coloring books, or even a model airplane kit.
They couldn't help but get into a few skirmishes now and then, but their big sister always came through for them; when their parents returned home, Maureen would bestow lavish praise on all of them for having minded every word she said, and they'd all be given a dime apiece to save or spend as they liked.
In 1971, the newly wedded Maureen moved to Cedar Rapids to be closer to her husband, David Farley, who'd been ordered to serve a brief stint at Anamosa's correctional facility. He was still incarcerated when Maureen went missing on Friday, Sept. 17, 1971.
On Friday, Sept. 24, 1971, two young boys out hunting discovered a woman's body atop the trunk lid of an abandoned car in a wooded ravine near Cedar Rapids' southwest edge. The victim was later identified as Maureen Brubaker Farley.
The Linn County medical examiner ruled Farley had been dead no less than 48 hours and no more than 96 hours, and said death was caused by a "massive blow" to the right side of her head, causing a basal skull fracture.
[Then] Assistant Cedar Rapids Police Chief Kenneth Vanous said officials believed Maureen's death occurred at a place other than where the boys discovered her body. Investigators theorized the young woman had been thrown from a passing vehicle and crashed through heavy vegetation onto the car's trunk. Over the years, numerous suspects were questioned, interrogated, given lie detector tests, and eventually cleared.
In addition to her parents, Maureen was survived by her husband, David Farley; two sisters, Angela and Lisa; and four brothers, David, Craig, Robin, and Scott.
Maureen's father passed away in January 2002 without ever learning what happened to his daughter. Maureen's brother David passed away in May 2009. All three are buried in the Calvary Cemetery in Sioux City.
Fifty years after Maureen's body was found, the Cedar Rapids Police Department Cold Case Unit identified and confirmed that George M. Smith was the killer through investigation and use of DNA technology that did not exist then. The case was closed with no prosecution because Smith died in 2013 at age 94, police said during an Oct. 5, 2021 press conference.
As the eldest of seven siblings, Maureen would babysit for her six younger siblings whenever their parents decided to go out. David and Mary Ann knew what a challenge the job could be, but always told the children they'd make it worth their while if they were good for big sister Maureen.
The children knew what kind of reward each would receive in exchange for minding Maureen — 10 cents apiece — and in the late 1960s, 10 cents could go a long way. They'd be able to purchase an extra-large bag of popcorn at the dime store, or even a pack of candy cigarettes, where the powdered sugar would blow off the minty sticks just like real smoke.
The money could be put back and saved, too, to buy a Hula Hoop, paper dolls or coloring books, or even a model airplane kit.
They couldn't help but get into a few skirmishes now and then, but their big sister always came through for them; when their parents returned home, Maureen would bestow lavish praise on all of them for having minded every word she said, and they'd all be given a dime apiece to save or spend as they liked.
In 1971, the newly wedded Maureen moved to Cedar Rapids to be closer to her husband, David Farley, who'd been ordered to serve a brief stint at Anamosa's correctional facility. He was still incarcerated when Maureen went missing on Friday, Sept. 17, 1971.
On Friday, Sept. 24, 1971, two young boys out hunting discovered a woman's body atop the trunk lid of an abandoned car in a wooded ravine near Cedar Rapids' southwest edge. The victim was later identified as Maureen Brubaker Farley.
The Linn County medical examiner ruled Farley had been dead no less than 48 hours and no more than 96 hours, and said death was caused by a "massive blow" to the right side of her head, causing a basal skull fracture.
[Then] Assistant Cedar Rapids Police Chief Kenneth Vanous said officials believed Maureen's death occurred at a place other than where the boys discovered her body. Investigators theorized the young woman had been thrown from a passing vehicle and crashed through heavy vegetation onto the car's trunk. Over the years, numerous suspects were questioned, interrogated, given lie detector tests, and eventually cleared.
In addition to her parents, Maureen was survived by her husband, David Farley; two sisters, Angela and Lisa; and four brothers, David, Craig, Robin, and Scott.
Maureen's father passed away in January 2002 without ever learning what happened to his daughter. Maureen's brother David passed away in May 2009. All three are buried in the Calvary Cemetery in Sioux City.
Fifty years after Maureen's body was found, the Cedar Rapids Police Department Cold Case Unit identified and confirmed that George M. Smith was the killer through investigation and use of DNA technology that did not exist then. The case was closed with no prosecution because Smith died in 2013 at age 94, police said during an Oct. 5, 2021 press conference.
Maureen Ann Brubaker was born Sunday, July 4, 1954 at St. Joseph's Hospital in Sioux City, Iowa, to Mary Ann (Meyer) and David Roland Brubaker, weighing in at six pounds and 11 ounces.
As the eldest of seven siblings, Maureen would babysit for her six younger siblings whenever their parents decided to go out. David and Mary Ann knew what a challenge the job could be, but always told the children they'd make it worth their while if they were good for big sister Maureen.
The children knew what kind of reward each would receive in exchange for minding Maureen — 10 cents apiece — and in the late 1960s, 10 cents could go a long way. They'd be able to purchase an extra-large bag of popcorn at the dime store, or even a pack of candy cigarettes, where the powdered sugar would blow off the minty sticks just like real smoke.
The money could be put back and saved, too, to buy a Hula Hoop, paper dolls or coloring books, or even a model airplane kit.
They couldn't help but get into a few skirmishes now and then, but their big sister always came through for them; when their parents returned home, Maureen would bestow lavish praise on all of them for having minded every word she said, and they'd all be given a dime apiece to save or spend as they liked.
In 1971, the newly wedded Maureen moved to Cedar Rapids to be closer to her husband, David Farley, who'd been ordered to serve a brief stint at Anamosa's correctional facility. He was still incarcerated when Maureen went missing on Friday, Sept. 17, 1971.
On Friday, Sept. 24, 1971, two young boys out hunting discovered a woman's body atop the trunk lid of an abandoned car in a wooded ravine near Cedar Rapids' southwest edge. The victim was later identified as Maureen Brubaker Farley.
The Linn County medical examiner ruled Farley had been dead no less than 48 hours and no more than 96 hours, and said death was caused by a "massive blow" to the right side of her head, causing a basal skull fracture.
[Then] Assistant Cedar Rapids Police Chief Kenneth Vanous said officials believed Maureen's death occurred at a place other than where the boys discovered her body. Investigators theorized the young woman had been thrown from a passing vehicle and crashed through heavy vegetation onto the car's trunk. Over the years, numerous suspects were questioned, interrogated, given lie detector tests, and eventually cleared.
In addition to her parents, Maureen was survived by her husband, David Farley; two sisters, Angela and Lisa; and four brothers, David, Craig, Robin, and Scott.
Maureen's father passed away in January 2002 without ever learning what happened to his daughter. Maureen's brother David passed away in May 2009. All three are buried in the Calvary Cemetery in Sioux City.
Fifty years after Maureen's body was found, the Cedar Rapids Police Department Cold Case Unit identified and confirmed that George M. Smith was the killer through investigation and use of DNA technology that did not exist then. The case was closed with no prosecution because Smith died in 2013 at age 94, police said during an Oct. 5, 2021 press conference.
As the eldest of seven siblings, Maureen would babysit for her six younger siblings whenever their parents decided to go out. David and Mary Ann knew what a challenge the job could be, but always told the children they'd make it worth their while if they were good for big sister Maureen.
The children knew what kind of reward each would receive in exchange for minding Maureen — 10 cents apiece — and in the late 1960s, 10 cents could go a long way. They'd be able to purchase an extra-large bag of popcorn at the dime store, or even a pack of candy cigarettes, where the powdered sugar would blow off the minty sticks just like real smoke.
The money could be put back and saved, too, to buy a Hula Hoop, paper dolls or coloring books, or even a model airplane kit.
They couldn't help but get into a few skirmishes now and then, but their big sister always came through for them; when their parents returned home, Maureen would bestow lavish praise on all of them for having minded every word she said, and they'd all be given a dime apiece to save or spend as they liked.
In 1971, the newly wedded Maureen moved to Cedar Rapids to be closer to her husband, David Farley, who'd been ordered to serve a brief stint at Anamosa's correctional facility. He was still incarcerated when Maureen went missing on Friday, Sept. 17, 1971.
On Friday, Sept. 24, 1971, two young boys out hunting discovered a woman's body atop the trunk lid of an abandoned car in a wooded ravine near Cedar Rapids' southwest edge. The victim was later identified as Maureen Brubaker Farley.
The Linn County medical examiner ruled Farley had been dead no less than 48 hours and no more than 96 hours, and said death was caused by a "massive blow" to the right side of her head, causing a basal skull fracture.
[Then] Assistant Cedar Rapids Police Chief Kenneth Vanous said officials believed Maureen's death occurred at a place other than where the boys discovered her body. Investigators theorized the young woman had been thrown from a passing vehicle and crashed through heavy vegetation onto the car's trunk. Over the years, numerous suspects were questioned, interrogated, given lie detector tests, and eventually cleared.
In addition to her parents, Maureen was survived by her husband, David Farley; two sisters, Angela and Lisa; and four brothers, David, Craig, Robin, and Scott.
Maureen's father passed away in January 2002 without ever learning what happened to his daughter. Maureen's brother David passed away in May 2009. All three are buried in the Calvary Cemetery in Sioux City.
Fifty years after Maureen's body was found, the Cedar Rapids Police Department Cold Case Unit identified and confirmed that George M. Smith was the killer through investigation and use of DNA technology that did not exist then. The case was closed with no prosecution because Smith died in 2013 at age 94, police said during an Oct. 5, 2021 press conference.
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