Facebook Pixel

Idaho Cold Cases

Stay on top of all things cold cases, advocacy, and true crime with our twice per week newsletter

Idaho Murders

If you want to learn more about the number of murders in Idaho by year, or the number of murders or other types of crimes in any other states, several law enforcement organizations have information and reports published on their websites that are accessible to the general public. Every year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation prepares and releases a Uniform Crime Report which details the types of crimes, crime data and rates, and the locations of various crimes in every state, as well as most, if not all, counties and cities in each state.

In addition to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report and reports published by various law enforcement agencies, Project: Cold Case has created a database containing information regarding a number of unsolved murders across the United States, as well as completed research regarding the number of unsolved homicides in each state across the US. According to Project: Cold Case, Idaho had roughly 1,749 homicides dating from 1980 to 2019. Over time, an estimated 1,416 of the homicides have been solved, leaving approximately 333 unsolved homicides in Idaho.

The following cases are some of the unsolved murders in northern Idaho: the 1999 murder of Wil Hendrick, the 1945 murder of Harold (Neil) Bonner, the 1951 murder of Lonnie Jones, and the 1994 double murder of Bruce and Lynn Peeples, among others. Among the various lists of unsolved homicides around Idaho are the many unsolved central Idaho murders, which include the 1993 murder of Rose Migdal, the 1959 murder of Milo “Glenn” Damron, and the 1997 murder of Tonya Teske, among others. Additionally, a couple of the unsolved murders in Boise, Idaho, include the 2016 murder of Ronie Parrott, and the 2007 murder of Yazzie Plentywounds, among others. Lastly, a few unsolved murders in Ada County, Idaho, include the 2014 murder of Dale West and the 1974 murder of Mark Carlson, among many others.


Unsolved Idaho Murders

As included on Project: Cold Case’s cold case homicide statistics website, there are about 333 unsolved Idaho cold cases as of their most recent update. Many of Idaho’s unsolved homicides can be easily found listed on local, county, and state law enforcement or investigative agencies’ websites, as well as in Project: Cold Case’s database of unsolved murders.

Among the many northern Idaho unsolved murders that are documented on several law enforcement websites are the following: the 1999 murder of Wil Hendrick, the 1945 murder of Harold (Neil) Bonner, the 1951 murder of Lonnie Jones, and the 1994 double murder of Bruce and Lynn Peeples, among some others. Other cases that can be found among these lists or databases are unsolved murders Boise, Idaho, which include the 2016 murder of Ronie Parrott, and the 2007 murder of Yazzie Plentywounds, among many others.

In addition, some other unsolved murders Idaho that can be found included in these lists are the many east Idaho unsolved murders, including the 1997 murder of Tanya Teske, the 2004 murder of Dorothy Mary Kajpust, the 1973 murder of Donna Lemon, the 1981 murder of Linda Smith, and the 2000 murder of Thomas Sherwood, among countless others.


Joseph Smedley
Joseph SmedleySuspicious Death, 2015
Asha Degree
Asha DegreeMissing, 2000

Consider this

More than 200,000 unsolved cases have gone cold since 1980, and murder clearance rates continue to drop. With equity for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other underserved victims not prioritized in the true crime community—together we can do better.

Famous Idaho Murders

There may not be many names that spring to mind when you think about famous Idaho murders. Many of the names on the several law enforcement agency websites’ lists of murders in Idaho may be unfamiliar, but a select few of the names listed on the lists of all Idaho murders, list of Idaho murders, and notorious Idaho criminals have seemingly become household names. The most infamous Idaho murders that have already been solved include the following: 1996 murder of Angie Dodge, the 1993 murder of Jaralee Underwood, and the 2019 murders of Tylee Ryan and J.J. Vallow, among several other famous murders in Idaho.


Homicide Rate in Idaho

As stated on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Report (UCR) released in 2019, Idaho’s violent crime rate in 2019 was roughly 223.8 per 100,000 people. In simple terms, this implies that 224 people per 100,000 individuals living in Idaho were directly impacted by violent crime in 2019. Within the same report, we can see that the homicide rate in Idaho was roughly 2.0 per 100,000 people. This indicates that around 2 persons per 100,000 inhabitants in Idaho were killed in 2019.

Idaho’s capital, Boise, is also the state’s largest metropolitan city, with a population of more than 455,000 inhabitants. According to various reports released in 2018, the violent crime rate in Boise, Idaho, was approximately 276.97 per 100,000 people, while the Boise, Idaho, murders rate was roughly 0.44 per 100,000 people. Although we do not currently know how many murders in Idaho 2021, or how many murders in Boise, Idaho, 2021 as of yet, we do know that the homicide rates in both the capital city and the state as a whole appear to be dropping annually, based on archived records.


Ada County Murders

Ada County, Idaho, currently has a population of approximately 507,000 people. Although we don’t know how many Ada County murders have occurred in previous years, according to an Idaho State Police report, there were 4 murders in 2017, 3 murders in 2018, 8 murders in 2019, and 6 murders in 2020 in Ada County, Idaho. Based on the statistics in this report, it seems that the number of homicides in Ada County is unpredictable, with the 10-year comparison wavering drastically.

In certain cases, once investigators have been able to gather enough Ada County murders evidence, they can finally charge their suspected perpetrator with the crime and bring them to Ada County murders trial. Evidence that is most commonly used in Ada County homicide trials is most often entirely based on the nature and details of the crime committed. Some of the most common types of evidence included in homicide trials include blood, sperm, skin cells, or other DNA evidence, as well as cell phone pings, fingerprints, and witness statements, and most commonly Ada County murders crime scene pictures. Crime scene photos are usually used in order to illustrate to the jury the atmosphere around the crime as well as the location of items of evidence surrounding the scene.


Boise, Idaho Murders

Boise, Idaho, murders are seemingly much more prevalent than those committed in many other Idaho cities, presumably due to Boise’s size and large population. The majority of both recent and decades-old murders in Boise, Idaho, have been solved or seen some form of resolution, while law enforcement continues to look into the remaining unresolved cases. As can be easily expected, Boise murders discussion will continue on various social media platforms including Websleuths, Reddit, and Facebook, among others. Until these cases are solved, users will continue to speculate and share information concerning Boise murders pictures, Boise murders crime scene photos, and Boise, Idaho, murders autopsy photos, which are hardly ever released even after a case is solved or sees resolution.

In past years, various advancements in DNA technology have resulted in the resolution of hundreds, if not thousands, of decades-old cold cases, and, of course, Idaho is no exception. Some of the numerous cases in which Boise murders DNA, as well as DNA from crimes in other regions of Idaho, has been utilized to solve or to provide new information to cold cases include: the 1996 murder of Angie Dodge, the 1984 murder of Jonelle Matthews, the 1982 murder of Daralyn Johnson, and the 1987 murder of Tammy Bristow, among many others.


Idaho Serial Killers

Throughout history, Idaho has seen much more than its fair share of Idaho killers, especially with their relatively low population when compared to other states in the U.S. Some of the most famous Idaho serial killers may be recognized on any top ten or other kind of serial killer list, such as list of serial killers in Idaho or Idaho serial killer list. Idaho’s most well-known serial killer is Joseph Edward Duncan III, who murdered 5 to 7 (or more) people from 1996-2005 in Wolf Lodge, Idaho. Idaho was also home to Lyda Southard, also known as Lady Bluebeard, who is considered to be Idaho’s first serial killer. Lyda was arrested in 1920 for the murders of her spouses, brother-in-law, and daughter. Another suspected, unidentified serial killer terrorized the Lewiston-Clark metropolitan area in Idaho, murdering at least five people in the late 1970s. Currently, there have not been any crimes linked to any Boise, Idaho, serial killers, but with a massive number of serial killers within Idaho and its neighboring states, it is not completely out of the range of possibilities.


Crimes in Idaho

If you find yourself interested in learning more about the statistics and data regarding crimes in Idaho, several law enforcement organizations provide annual reports on their websites that detail the crimes that occur in Idaho, among other states in the U.S. Every year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation publishes a Uniform Crime Report which shows detailed statistics regarding types of crimes, crime rates or statistics, and even crime locations in every state, county, and city, along with a report on crime in Idaho.

Tragically, it appears that the volume of Idaho homicide and true crime stories in Idaho will never stop. Further, according to Project: Cold Case, there were about 1,749 homicides in Idaho between 1980 and 2019. Roughly 1,416 of those tragic homicides have seen resolution throughout the years, leaving approximately 333 unsolved homicides in Idaho alone. Regardless, Idaho’s numerous law enforcement and investigating agencies will never give up on their mission to solve or bring resolution to every single one of Idaho’s true crimes.

Get Your Free Step-By-Step Citizen Detective Guide

Get Your Free Step-By-Step Citizen Detective Guide

Biggest Cities in Idaho

Additional Idaho Cold Cases

Terrence Woods Jr.Patricia OttoLonnie LemonClyde BowmanLouis NeguelouartMichael VaughanSteven PearsallGayla SchaperGordon WhiteFern BairdAmber HoopesNancy RoseStephanie CraneMichael FlahertyRandall LeachDorothy Wright-WeilerLillian RicheyRoxann TolsonMatthew BronchoRichard BendelePatrick BeaversAhren BarnardCraig BarnettRichard Ray BarnettJon BarrettSergio AyalaDaniel AngelMatt AmonHillary AkinsDavid AlfordSusan AdamsMatthew HallApril BowdishRose BrennenJeramy BurtDonald ButlerJason CannonAlejandro CervantesCharles DehnerLiliam Diaz-GomezKathleen DurkinCurtis FairRuben FelixJoshua GalvanClemente GodinaFranklin HarderWayne HeathRex HillLarry HillSteven JonasCurtis KelsayDeorr KunzJonathin MacdonaldRussell MandigoFred MillerJaire MillierBobby RodriguezToni SchiessRobert SwanerKyle TolleyJeffrey VikRichard VollstedtKelly Walker-KnutsonTerrence WoodsDeOrr Kunz JrMichael Murphy Jr.Mildred JohnsonFloyd DorseyWilliam CuddieWalter WestRae BerwangerDeborah SwansonLaddie SchiessLynette CulverChristopher HolversonJesse FerrieriRaymond Ferrieri IIIThomas HedgecockRobert SandsJake NunesDewey Shawver IIIDavid ShimelMary SmithMartin EncinasTina FinleyZackery BrewerRodney AllenChristopher GlassJohn KeyRobert JohnsonPeter O'BrienSalvador Vargas MartinezRichard GorbetOrlando RamirezPhillip MedlinLuis Rodriguez-HernandezBrian ShookmanDeborah SykesDavid UhlAram DowellJose RodriguezJohn GreenChris JenningsKrystyn DunlapDiane SchulteDavid LewisMichael WagarJack ThomasJames SchroederConnie JohnsonKevin BowmanSally StoneScott WrightMark BondesonJoel CastroRonald GrayMichael HaireDarwin VestMarie WatsonPatrick CombsJedediah CrossDaniel FisherTracy HaightDarwyn HopeAndrew MaloneyTravis RandallBrian RitchieKimberly VialpandoScott WhitmireJody PerriJohn DavisBryan OpstedahlWebster George Jr