Kathlynn Shepard, 15 & a 12 yr old girl kidnapped in Des Moines/12 yr old escaped/Suspect Michael J. Klunder, 42 found dead of apparent suicide/Body I.D.'ed as Kathlynn's & COD is Multiple sharp & blunt forced injuries, manner of death is homicide

Michael Klunder, suspect in Kathlynn Shepard's disappearance, found dead
May 21, 2013
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Authorities say a man suspected of abducting two girls near an Iowa bus stop had committed suicide.

Forty-two-year-old Michael Klunder was found dead Monday night at a rural property northeast of Dayton.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation did not release more details Tuesday about Klunder's death.
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(CBS/AP) DES MOINES, Iowa - Investigators searching for Kathlynn Shepard, a 15-year-old Iowa girl who was abducted this week, have recovered her backpack along with one belonging to a 12-year-old who escaped from the kidnapper.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety said a search team of police and dogs found the backpacks Tuesday afternoon.

Kathlynn and the 12-year-old girl were abducted Monday by 42-year-old Michael Klunder while walking home from school in Dayton. The backpacks were found in a rural area, several miles south of a hog confinement where the girls were taken.

Klunder was found dead of self-inflicted injuries hours after the 12-year-old escaped, authorities say.

According to police, Klunder has a long criminal history and was ordered for sex offender treatment when he was a teenager, and residents are now questioning why he was not in prison and locked up for treatment.

Bremer County Sheriff Dan Pickett says it's unfortunate Klunder "was able to walk the streets." Cerro Gordo County Sheriff Kevin Pals called Klunder "a creep" who once kidnapped a 21-year-old woman and two 3-year-old girls.

Police are continuing to search for Kathlynn, specifically around Dayton, about 60 miles north of Des Moines.

Investigators have also released an image of Kathlynn exiting a school bus, shortly before her abduction.
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05/21/13
DES MOINES, Iowa — A 15-year-old central Iowa girl who was abducted after getting off her school bus was still missing Tuesday, and authorities said a massive search was underway. Meanwhile, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said the man who is suspected of taking her and another girl committed suicide.

Dozens of federal, state and local law enforcement officials are searching by air, land and water for Kathlynn Shepard. She and a 12-year-old girl, who are friends, were taken Monday afternoon shortly after stepping off a school bus in Dayton, about 60 miles north of Des Moines. The younger girl, who was later able to escape, told authorities the girls had accepted a ride from a stranger.

DCI Special Agent Bill Kietzman said Tuesday that the body of 42-year-old suspect Michael Klunder was found Monday night with a red Toyota Tundra pickup at a rural property northeast of Dayton.

Kietzman said authorities have begun focusing their search for Kathlynn to locations within 20 miles of Dayton, including Klunder's residence. Previously, the search covered up to 100 square miles of mostly rural areas.

Authorities have also coordinated with the FBI to update electronic billboards around the state with information about the search.

Kietzman would not elaborate on the likelihood of finding Kathlynn alive, though he remained optimistic.

"Time obviously is not your friend in these kinds of situations," he said at a news conference. "Our plan is that we're going to find her alive. That's our hope."

The 12-year-old girl, who has not been identified, told investigators she and Kathlynn were taken to an agricultural facility. But she was able to escape a short time later and ran to a rural residence for help, Kietzman said. She was then taken to a Fort Dodge hospital and released.

The abduction spanned several hours, officials said, with Klunder's body being discovered nearly four hours after the girls were taken.

Kathlynn is described as being 5-feet-6-inches and 160 pounds. She has blond hair, blue eyes and braces. She was last seen wearing jeans, a gray hooded sweatshirt and a Minnesota Vikings baseball cap.

"The response by volunteers has been outstanding," said DCI Director Charis Paulson.

Jessica Lown with the Iowa Department of Public Safety said authorities have been in contact with Kathlynn's family and they have declined to comment.

"They're continuing to search for the girl under the assumption that she is still alive because right at this point in time we don't have information indicating otherwise," Lown said. "That's the way these things work for all missing children and missing person cases. We search until we find them."

Klunder is listed on the state's sex offender registry, prison records show. He spent several years in prison after being convicted on kidnapping and assault charges, including the 1991 abduction and assault of a Rudd woman and the kidnapping of two toddlers from an apartment complex in Charles City, according to the Mason City Globe Gazette. The girls, both 3, were found alive inside a dumpster.

He was released from a work release program in February 2011.

The abduction comes less than a year after the high-profile disappearance of two cousins in Evansdale, about 90 miles east of Dayton. Lyric Cook, 10, and 8-year-old Elizabeth Collins disappeared while riding their bikes last July. Hunters found their bodies in a remote, wooded area in December.

Evansdale Police Chief Kent Smock said investigators were looking into whether Klunder was involved in Lyric and Elizabeth's kidnappings and deaths. DCI and FBI agents who have been involved in the search for the Evansdale girls have been dispatched to help search for Kathlynn.

Smock said investigators were trying to determine whether Klunder had any ties to the area.

"There's a multitude of things we're looking at to determine whether he may be a person of interest or not a person of interest," he said. "It's much too early in their investigation to be able to say with any degree of accuracy one way or another whether it's related to our case at all."

Authorities are asking the public for information about any interactions with Klunder, as well of any sighting of his pickup between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Monday.
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This photo provided by The Iowa Department of Public Safety shows Kathlynn Shepard, 15

As a search for an abducted Iowa girls stretches into its third day, authorities said they are looking for any connection to the still-unsolved murder and kidnapping cases of Lyric Cook-Morrissey and Elizabeth Collins of Evansdale.

Lyric, 10, and her cousin Elizabeth, 8, went missing last July. Their bodies were discovered in the Seven Bridges Wilderness Area of Bremer County in December, and the hunt for their killer is ongoing.

Authorities said Michael J. Klunder, 42, the suspect in Monday's abduction of Kathlynn Shepard, 15, and another girl in Webster County, was found dead of self-inflicted wounds Monday night at a rural property northeast of Dayton.

Evansdale Police Chief Kent Smock told the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier authorities are looking into Klunder's whearabouts on the day the Evansdale cousins were snatched while riding their bikes near Meyer's Lake:


“We are working closely with local investigators over there, and we are in constant contact,” Smock said. “It’s something we are looking at.”

Klunder was on the Iowa Sex Offender Registry and had been convicted of the 1991 kidnapping of two 3-year-old girls in Charles City. The girls were found alive in a Dumpster. Klunder was also convicted of assaulting a woman and forcing her into his car in 1991. He was sentenced to 41 years in prison but received work release in 2010, which he completed in 2011.

Black Hawk County Sheriff's Department Captain Rick Abben told the Des Moines Register that Klunder's DNA can be compared with evidence gathered during the Evansdale investigation.

Meanwhile, Shepard remains missing. She is 5'6" and 160 pounds. She has blond hair and blue eyes, as well as braces. She was last seen wearing jeans, a grey hooded sweatshirt and a Cubs baseball cap.

Authorities released an additional photo of Shepard today, taken as she exited her school bus moments before being abducted. Investigators said they have also discovered her backpack.

The other girl who was abducted, age 12, was able to escape. Her name has not been released, and she was treated at a local hospital and released.

Anyone with any information on Shepard's disappearance or who may have come in contact with Klunder between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Monday is asked to contact law enforcement immediately at 515-573-1410.
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Michael J. Klunder Credit Iowa Department of Public Safety

A 12-year-old girl who escaped a kidnapper Monday and alerted authorities about her still-missing friend told the local newspaper the abductor offered them money to mow lawns.

Desi, as she’s identified by the Dayton (Iowa) Leader, said she doesn’t think of herself as a hero.

“I don’t want to be called a hero,” she said.

Authorities are still searching for Kathlynn Shepard, 15, who was last seen around 4:30 p.m. Monday. On Wednesday, searchers found the girls’ backpacks and a purse. The man believed to be their kidnapper, Michael J. Klunder, 42, of Stratford, was found dead Monday night of apparent suicide.

Desi and Shepard, who typically ride the school bus together, decided to walk home from school Monday, Desi told the Leader. The girls were approached by Klunder, who was driving a red Toyota Tundra pickup.

“He asked us if we wanted to earn some money mowing lawns,” she said. “We told him we’d have to ask our parents first. He said that he’d take us to our house, but he just kept on going.”

Klunder drove the girls throughout the rural Dayton countryside before stopping at a hog confinement building.

“I tried to be quiet in the truck,” Desi said. “He said that if we did what he said, he’d let us go. But I knew that we were a long way from other peoples’ houses. When we got to the hog confinement, I knew that something was wrong.”

Klunder zip-tied the girls’ hands and took Kathlynn to another location on on the grounds.

“He had a gun, but he left it,” Desi said.

“I took it and hid in the woods. I ran through the woods and past a field. I found a cemetery and then I ran some more. I kept thinking that I didn’t want to not see my friends anymore. I just kept running. I saw some people, so I ran and asked them if I could use their phone,” she said.

Desi ran so quickly that she lost her shoes and was treated at the hospital for cuts on her arms, legs and feet.

“I was thinking I’m going to die. It was pretty scary,” she said. “I’m very happy to be with my family now.”

Desi’s mother and stepfather want other parents to be alert, the Leader reported.

“You just don’t think that something like this will happen,” the stepfather told the newspaper. “They’re not just offering kids candy anymore. They’re giving kids logical reasons to get into their vehicle. It’s scary.”
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Two photos of missing Webster County girl Kathlynn Shepard. (images via Iowa Department of Public Safety)

The man suspected of abducting two Dayton girls Monday was accused of attempted rape at the age of 15, court records show.

Michael James Klunder, 42, was found dead of an apparent suicide at a property northeast of Dayton several hours after the abductions.

Law enforcement officers and volunteers spent Wednesday searching for missing teenager Kathlynn Shepard. They found clues — backpacks and a purse belonging to the abducted girls — but members of the community still didn’t know Kathlynn’s fate late Wednesday during a vigil at a local church.

Meanwhile, court records obtained by The Des Moines Register and a Register interview with state corrections officials revealed new details about the criminal history of Klunder, who was on the state’s sex-offender registry:

• In 1986, when he was 15 years old, he was accused of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse. The available court records indicate he was adjudicated as a delinquent, which typically indicates a finding of guilt that results in a court-imposed order or sentence.

• In 1989, he was accused of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse and attempted robbery. Court records give conflicting accounts as to the disposition of that case, but most of the files indicate he pleaded guilty to the lesser charges of assault with injury and attempted burglary. He was sentenced to five years in prison, was paroled in February 1991 and released from parole in August 1991.

• Just four months later, he was arrested for two separate assaults and kidnappings. While in prison after being convicted in 1992, Klunder completed a months-long sex offender treatment program, an Iowa Department of Corrections spokesman told the Register.

• Yet in In 2002, after serving almost 10 years on the kidnapping charges, Klunder was involved in a series of court hearings that included testimony from a psychologist who described him as a “seriously disturbed young man.”

The court records provide no additional details about Klunder’s 1986 sexual assault case. But the other court records, and information from Iowa prison officials, provide a new timeline of Klunder’s time in prison and the treatment he received.

Two kidnappings in two days
His 1992 convictions stemmed from two cases. In one, police alleged that he had stopped a 21-year-old woman on U.S. Highway 18 east of Mason City, put her in his vehicle, assaulted her and took her from the area against her will.

The following day, he abducted two 3-year-old girls who were playing outside his Charles City apartment complex.

The toddlers were later found about 50 miles away, alive and abandoned in a trash bin near Northwood.

According to police, one of the girls had been choked. A doctor who examined them said neither had been sexually assaulted.

Klunder, who had fled to Houston, was arrested a week after the kidnappings.

He later pleaded guilty and claimed he was only an accomplice in the crimes, but authorities found no evidence that anyone else was involved.

He was sentenced to up to 41 years in prison, but he was released in 2011 because his sentence had been cut pursuant to Iowa’s earned-time law.

In 2002, while still in prison, Klunder began a long effort to secure parental rights over a son he had fathered a few months before he was sent to prison. The led to a series of court hearings that included testimony from a psychologist who described Klunder as a “seriously disturbed young man.”

According to an administrative law judge who reviewed the psychologist’s findings in 2002, Klunder was still brooding then about “getting back at the people who he thinks are responsible for the pain in his life.”

Administrative Law Judge Donald Bohlken found that after 10 years of incarceration, “there is absolutely no evidence that Klunder has received meaningful treatment of therapy” for his psychological disorders.

“It is virtually unknown whether he can function in a socially approved manner or whether he will again return to his violent behavior once outside a structured environment,” Bohlken wrote.

Klunder cited treatment programs
Klunder continued to pursue his case for parental rights.

In court filings made by Klunder in 2005, he admitted his “history of psychological problems,” which he said had included schizoid and anti-social behaviors, intermittent explosive disorder, an impulse disorder, and a narcissistic personality disorder.

He said he had completed the first phases of a “Bible-based Christian program,” and psychological problems were in the past.

His discharge records from the InnerChange Freedom Initiative — the faith-based program Klunder alluded to in his court filings — indicate Klunder was schooled by IFI in the importance of work, education, support groups and mentoring.

His IFI Bible counselor wrote that Klunder “was very transparent with me about his struggles and received coaching in a timely fashion. … Academically, he was always in the top of the class — 30 men — and he is a very intelligent young man. Michael is committed to completing his time as the Department of Corrections governs, and he is willing (to) work with IFI after-care when the time becomes appropriate. He is a changed individual with a good prospect of success.”

Klunder had a few discipline reports made against him while in prison but none were for any violent or serious infractions, according to Fred Scaletta, a spokesman for the state corrections department.

Klunder’s case was examined by officials to determine if he should have been committed to a civil commitment program, which would have prevented his release, at the end of his prison sentence, he said.

In the sex offender treatment program, Klunder would have been made to admit to his troublesome history, Scaletta said.

Ultimately, the review board saw that Klunder had completed a sex offender treatment program and found no troubling evidence to believe he’d be dangerous outside of prison, Scaletta said.

Even with treatment and review boards in place, it can still be hard to predict how an offender such as Klunder will react once released, he said.

“The program is there, but sometimes it’s hard to see signs that might lead to the fact that the treatment didn’t work or whatever,” he said.

Iowa Department of Corrections records show Klunder was released from prison in September 2010 and was transferred to a work-release facility in Fort Dodge where he remained until he completed his sentence in February 2011.

According to the Iowa Sex Offender Registry, he most recently lived in Stratford, a town on the border of Webster and Hamilton counties about 15 miles from Dayton, the north-central Iowa hometown of the girls officials believe he abducted.

Klunder worked at several hog confinement facilities in the area, including those where he took the girls immediately after the abduction and where he was found dead, officials said.

Former police chief 'stunned' at news
Paul Scranton was police chief in Charles City in 1991. In an interview with The Des Moines Register on Wednesday, he said he was “stunned” to see Klunder back in the news.

He said he didn’t know Klunder had been released from prison.

“His disregard for human life was stunning in that he threw the kids away like trash,” Scranton said

Scranton — who went on to serve as police chief in Indianola and then Ankeny until his retirement in 2002 — said Klunder is on the list of the worst criminals he ever pursued.

When the two toddlers were pulled from the dumpster, one girl had been choked.

Scranton didn’t know until he saw the news of the Dayton case that Klunder had been released from prison.

Still, Klunder’s name crossed his mind last July when he saw news coverage of the disappearance of Elizabeth Collins and Lyric Cook-Morrissey from Evansdale, Scranton said.

Then, Scranton took solace believing that Klunder was still incarcerated, he said. Collins and Cook-Morrissey were found dead Dec. 5, and investigators in the case are now following up to see if there is any evidence Klunder could have been involved.

From his perspective, Klunder deserved life in prison, Scranton said.

“I’m convinced at the time of his crime in the ’90s, that he thought at least one of the two girls was dead that he threw in the dumpster,” he said. “He had just a total disregard for their safety and welfare.”
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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - Iowa investigators say the discovery of blood of a missing 15-year-old girl has diminished hope of finding her alive.

Bill Kietzman of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said Thursday that DNA tests confirm that blood found on the ground around a hog confinement facility where Kathlynn Shepard was taken after being kidnapped belonged to the girl.
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Webster County, IOWA — At a 4:00 PM press conference today in Dayton, Iowa, the Department of Public Safety’s Division of Criminal Investigation disclosed more evidence in the investigation and search for Kathlynn Shepard. In particular, blood found at a hog confinement has been identified as belonging to Kathlynn Shepard.

During the initial search of 3023 400th Street in rural Pilot Mound, Iowa, several areas of what appeared to be blood were discovered and collected. Two of these items were on the ground and one was on the inside of the tailgate of the pickup. All three initially tested positive for human blood. DNA testing was completed this morning, and the blood is that of Kathlynn Shepard.

Kathlynn Shepard is still missing and the search continues.

DCI is now providing a photo of Klunder’s red Toyota pickup. Please note that there are some unique items on the truck. It has a silver Tommy Lift tailgate and a silver toolbox which is located only on the driver’s side. There is no license plate on the vehicle. Instead, there is a DOT paper plate behind the driver’s side on the back window. Anyone who may have seen this vehicle between the hours of 4:50 PM and 8:20 PM on Monday, May 20, 2013 should call law enforcement.

In addition to the areas already pointed out on the map given yesterday, law enforcement is now looking at areas approximately 10 miles north and northwest of the site where Klunder’s body was located. In support of these search efforts, area farmers are being asked to search their own outbuildings and surrounding grounds. Area residents that have any abandoned buildings on their property are asked to please look in and around them, or call law enforcement and a team will search the building for you.

Late yesterday investigators were notified that the 12 year old girl who was abducted along with Kathlynn chose to tell her story to several members of the media. We will confirm for you that in general, the statements she made to media are consistent with what she gave law enforcement shortly after her escape. The girls were lured into Klunder’s truck with the offer to earn money for mowing grass. The girls indicated to Klunder that they had to ask their parents, first. He then offered to drive the girls to their house. However, Klunder did not stop at their homes, indicating they could call on his cell phone when they arrived. Once they arrived at the hog confinement, Klunder took the pair to an office attached to hog building and zip tied both of their hands. Klunder took Kathlynn out of the building. That’s when the 12 year old was able to free her hands and escape, taking a gun with her. The gun is a tool used to euthanize animals and had the appearance of a real gun. The 12 year old ran into the woods and discarded the gun. She waited a short time and then ran through a wooded area and across a field to a farmer’s house. That’s when the first 911 call was placed.

Additionally, today the State Medical Examiner’s Office completed the autopsy of Klunder’s remains. The manner of death is classified as suicide. The cause of the death is hanging.

There have been several questions from media surrounding Klunder’s wife Lisa. Mrs. Klunder has been completely cooperative with law enforcement and is not a suspect.

Finally, there were several reports earlier today that a body was found today during the search. To clarify, the bones that were found were not human.
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RURAL LEHIGH – Donna Kramer and Joann Houser came to the Brushy Creek Creek State Recreation Area last weekend for a relaxing camping trip.

On Friday, they came back for another purpose, to help search for 15-year-old Kathlynn Shepard, who has been missing since Monday.

“I just want to find her, just for the family’s sake,” said Kramer, of nearby Fort Dodge.

Kramer, and Houser, of Red Oak, were among hundreds of volunteers who came Friday to help look for Shepard who, along with 12-year-old Dezi Hughes, was abducted Monday in Dayton on the way home from school.

Hughes managed to escape.

Michael J. Klunder, the man police say kidnapped the girls, was found dead Monday night about four hours after the girls went missing. Officials say he committed suicide at a rural Dayton residence.

Officials and volunteer coordinators estimated that between 250 and 300 members of the public and 150 law enforcement officers had shown up to search by 10 this morning.

Authorities said Thursday they are not giving up on finding Shepard alive but know that, given the time that has elapsed and evidence that she had been injured, the likelihood is dwindling.

Today, law enforcement and volunteers are searching designated areas in Webster and Boone counties, including the Brushy Creek area, about 14 miles north of Dayton.

Much of the area to be searched is wooded terrain and sometimes difficult to navigate, authorities said. Many volunteers brought all-terrain vehicles.

Kramer said searchers have to stay optimistic to keep themselves going.

“It’s heart wrenching, but I hope we find some kind of lead,” she said. “Hopefully we find a healthy 15-year-old girl.”

The women rode their horses Autumn and Ruby along the tree line, looking for anything unusual, from tire tracks to clothing.

It gets emotional at times to think about what they’re looking for, but the women said they keep their eyes down and their attention focused on the task at hand.

“It’s worse doing nothing,” Houser said.

The two have followed news coverage of the case all week, often thinking of their own daughters and the desperation they would feel as parents of a missing child.

“There’s never been something this close to home before,” Kramer said. “At least we’re doing what we can.”
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This POS should NOT have been let out of prison early! I wonder how many other missing/dead Iowa girls he's responsible for?
I feel so bad for Kathlynn and her family!

On May 24, 2013 ABC News reported that the search for Kathlynn Shepard has been scaled back. This is not very indicative of a positive ending in the search for the missing Iowa girl -- especially since her blood was confirmed as discovered. So far the evidence in this case points directly to the death of the missing teen, but without her being found there is still hope that she could be alive somewhere waiting to be rescued. Nonetheless, officials have already expressed a sort of pessimistic outlook on the search.

More and more is being revealed about the man believed responsible for Kathlynn's kidnapping. For starters, the young woman he kidnapped has come forward with her recollection of the horrific time she spent with Michael Klunder nearly 30 years ago. Her name is Ev Leasure Gansen and she might have been Klunder's first victim in what is possibly nearly 30 years of being a serial predator. He kidnapped Gansen at gunpoint when he was only 16-years-old. He beat her mercilessly, rendering her in need of around 100 stitches. She didn't die, but still suffered a horrific attack.

It's so easy to speculate that Michael Klunder could have been the person behind the kidnappings and murders of Elizabeth Collins and Lyric Cook from the Evansdale/Waterloo areas. He has a history of violent kidnappings and this latest disappearance just adds more fuel to the fire of speculation. Unfortunately he took his own life so it may never truly be known just how many victims he has.

Will Kathlynn Shepard ever be found? It's been several days since she and another 12-year-old girl were kidnapped by the man. While the 12-year-old girl is recovering from the attack and telling officials everything she can about it, Kathlynn remains missing. The scaled back searches are because officials will be focusing on rough terrain that will be dangerous for volunteers. This indicates that they are searching for remains. Hopefully they find what they are seeking soon.
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First time reading this thread. Horrible. I sure hope they find her! We w/probably never know if he was involved in the other Horrific case.

(CBS/AP) IOWA CITY, Iowa - An Iowa police chief says investigators searching for Kathlynn Shepard, a 15-year-old girl, are focusing on the movements of the man suspected of kidnapping her and a friend in the hours after they were taken last week.

Dayton Police Chief Nick Dunbar said investigators from several agencies met Tuesday to compare notes on the search for Kathlynn and to discuss how to proceed. He says searchers are planning to recheck some areas that have already been searched, and are also going out to new areas in the region.

Dunbar says analysts are trying to "come up with a definitive path" traveled by Michael Klunder, who authorities say committed suicide hours after kidnapping Kathlynn and a 12-year-old friend. The 12-year-old escaped at a hog confinement where the girls were taken.

Last week, authorities found Kathlynn's blood on Klunder's truck and at the hog confinement site, so the hopes of finding the girl alive have been diminished, investigators have said.
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Authorities plan to resume their search by river for a teenager in central Iowa abducted last month.

Dayton Police Chief Nick Dunbar says the state Department of Natural Resources will deploy boats on the Des Moines River this week to search for 15-year-old Kathlynn Shepard.

The Des Moines Register says ( [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] the search will include new and old areas in the investigation.

Authorities halted their search for Kathlynn last week, which included more than 250 square miles in the Dayton area. Flooding also affected their efforts.

Police suspect Michael Klunder abducted Kathlynn and her 12-year-old friend on May 20 in Dayton. The younger girl was able to escape. Klunder was later found dead. Some of Kathlynn's blood has been found, dampening hopes of finding her alive.
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This poor girl and her family and friends....

A news conference regarding the search for Kathlynn Shepard is planned at midnight Friday in Boone, state and local authorities said tonight.

Kathlynn was kidnapped May 20 in Dayton in southern Webster County.

Follow along live: Register reporters covering news conference on Twitter

Michael Klunder abducted Kathlynn and 12-year-old Dezi Hughes on May 20 after they got off the school bus to go home in Dayton, officials said. Hughes escaped, but Shepard has been missing since the abduction. Klunder, a registered sex offender, committed suicide hours after the abduction, officials said.

An intensive search went on for about a week. Last week, Dayton Police Chief Nick Dunbar said investigators were trying to pin down the “definitive path” that Klunder traveled after he abducted Shepard and Hughes.

Police said Klunder lured the girls into his vehicle and took them to a hog confinement building where he worked, tying the girls’ hands with zip ties. Hughes broke free and ran through the woods to safety when Klunder took Shepard to another part of the property.

Investigators said Shepard’s blood was found on the grounds of the hog facility and on Klunder’s truck, dampening the hopes of finding her alive.

Hundreds of police officers and volunteers covered 220 square miles in three counties for Shepard before the search was scaled back.

Klunder, 42, was released from prison in 2011 after serving nearly 20 years for the 1991 kidnappings of a 21-year-old woman he tried to assault and two 3-year-old girls who were left in a trash bin. He had recently been married and bought a house in Stratford.
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Via twitter, read from bottom up:
Katherine Klingseis @Katkling
News conference is over. #iasearch #kathlynn
1m
Emily Schettler @eSchettler
Presser is over
2m
Emily Schettler @eSchettler
DCI: no comment on cause of death; recovery site quite a ways down river
2m
Katherine Klingseis @Katkling
Location down river. Search suspended. Recovery sight quite a distance down river #iasearch #kathlynn
New Tweets
17sEmily Schettler @eSchettler
Presser is over
40sEmily Schettler @eSchettler
DCI: no comment on cause of death; recovery site quite a ways down river
41sKatherine Klingseis @Katkling
Location down river. Search suspended. Recovery sight quite a distance down river #iasearch #kathlynn
1mKatherine Klingseis @Katkling
Investigation still ongoing. #iasearch #kathlynn
2mKatherine Klingseis @Katkling
Area had not been searched before. #iasearch #kathlynn
2mEmily Schettler @eSchettler
DCI: this area of river had not been searched yet
3mEmily Schettler @eSchettler
Boone Co. Sheriff: this is about Kathlynn now but let's not forget Dezi (other girl) also
4mKatherine Klingseis @Katkling
Boone County sheriff says investigation continues, extends gratitude. #kathlynn #iasearch pic.twitter.com/v59ICLeitk
Emily Schettler @eSchettler
Boone Co. Sheriff now thanking volunteers
ReplyRetweetFavorite
1m
Emily Schettler @eSchettler
Stubbs: we were robbed of innocence, we'll never be the same

Emily Schettler @eSchettler
Sheriff Stubbs speaking; thanks volunteers who searched, brought food, etc. pic.twitter.com/GyEGq9U2jA

Katherine Klingseis @Katkling
Medical examiner will confirm if body is #kathlynn Shepard tomorrow. #iasearch

Emily Schettler @eSchettler
Webster Co. Sheriff Stubbs: obviously outcome not what looking for but brings closure
ReplyRetweetFavorite
1m
Katherine Klingseis @Katkling
Zip ties found with body. Same as other girl. Clothing consistent with clothes #kathlynn last seen in. #iasearch
Expand
1m
Emily Schettler @eSchettler
DCI: clothing consistent with what Kathlynn was wearing, zip ties also found

Emily Schettler @eSchettler
DCI: body believed to be that if Kathlynn, medical examiner will confirm tomorrow
ReplyRetweetFavorite
44s
Katherine Klingseis @Katkling
6:59 pm 911 call. Body in DSM river. Under Kate Shelley bridge. Body covered by debris. Believe to be #kathlynn Shepard #iasearch
Expand
1m
Emily Schettler @eSchettler
DCI: body found around 7 pm near Kate Schelle bridge by fishermen
Expand
2m
Katherine Klingseis @Katkling
Officers walking in. #iasearch #kathlynn pic.twitter.com/pZIybDM76k

Des Moines, IOWA — The Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner with the assistance of the Iowa Department of Public Safety's Division of Criminal Investigation have confirmed the identification of the body discovered in Boone County on Friday, June 7th, 2013, as that of Kathlynn Shepard.
Following an autopsy on June 8th, 2013, Dr. Julia Goodin, Chief State Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be multiple sharp and blunt forced injuries. The manner of death will be certified as homicide.
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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The family of an abducted Iowa teenager has released a statement after authorities confirmed the 15-year-old’s death.

Kathlynn Shepard’s father said Sunday that the teen’s family has “lost part of its soul,” but that Kathylnn is now in a better place and safe from predators. Kathylnn was described as an innocent, caring and fun-loving child.

The State Medical Examiner and Department of Criminal Investigation said Sunday that had an autopsy had confirmed that a body found Friday night in Boone County was Kathylnn’s.

Kathylnn was found dead in the Des Moines River weeks after she was abducted while walking home with a 12-year-old friend. Authorities say Michael Klunder abducted the girls and took them to a hog confinement facility, where the 12-year-old escaped. Klunder was found dead later that day.
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Few people can understand the grief that comes from having a child kidnapped and killed, but it’s something Heather and Drew Collins of Evansdale know all too well.

“It was excruciating to get the news, but it was a relief because we knew where they were,” Heather Collins said Saturday of the December day when the bodies of her daughter Elizabeth, 8, and her niece Lyric Cook, 10, were discovered by hunters.

They had been missing since July 13 when they were abducted from Evansdale while riding their bicycles.

Heather and Drew were on their own bike ride Saturday — a benefit ride for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. As they rode, they said they were thinking not just of Elizabeth and Lyric, but Kathlynn Shepard and her family as well.

Heather Collins was at a graduation party Friday night when she heard authorities had breaking news in the Shepard case.

“Just in my gut, I knew it wasn’t going to be good,” she said. “It brings it all back to the day we found out our girls were found.

“I feel for those families and pray they stick together and hold on to their faith,” Collins said. She and her husband have reached out to Kathlynn’s parents to let them know they’re available to talk and provide support, she said.

The couple hopes to attend Kathlynn’s funeral and continue their crusade for tougher prison sentences for kidnapping and sexual assault convictions.

Kathlynn’s parents and others in the Dayton community have already spoken out about the need for tougher sentences on violent criminals. Klunder was a registered sex offender with a violent history that included convictions for kidnapping and assault.

“He never should have been let out, and he should not have been able to plea bargain,” Collins said. “Kathlynn didn’t get to plea bargain for her life.”
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Drew Collins, left, and wife Heather, right, hug family and friends at the visitation before The Life and Love of Elizabeth Collins celebration at Heartland Vineyard Church at Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012, in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The celebration was held on the five month anniversary cousins Elizabeth Collins and Lyric Cook-Morrissey went missing in Evansdale.

The family of Kathlynn Shepard finally has some answers as to what happened to her.
Sunday morning, state authorities released the autopsy results on the body found in the Des Moines River Friday night near Boone.
Officials confirmed the body is the previously missing 15-year-old. The Webster County teen was abducted on May 20th after getting off the school bus near Dayton.
Friday evening, fishermen found Shepard’s body caught in a log jam under the Kate Shelley High Bridge over 15 miles downstream in Boone County.
The state medical examiner says Shepard died from multiple sharp and blunt force injuries.
The manner of death is considered a homicide.
Investigators believe that registered sex offender Michael Klunder kidnapped Shepard and her 12-year-old friend.
Fortunately her friend was able to escape.
Authorities believe Klunder killed Shepard, dumped her body in the Des Moines River before taking his own life.
The confirmation provides little comfort to the Shepard family other than finally offering official word of what happened to their daughter.
The family released a statement through the Dayton Leader saying, “Our hearts are broken at the loss of Kathlynn. Her beautiful smile, laughter, song and love of the Vikings will be forever missed.
“The hole in our hearts will never be completely healed. As we move forward on getting the laws changed, we ask for your continued support, dedication and conviction. This is for the safety for all children across America.”
Kahtlynn’s parents are referring to how Michael Klunder was ever allowed out of prison.
He was convicted after attacking a young woman when he was a teenager. Later he kidnapped and assaulted a woman and then kidnapped two three year olds and left them in a dumpster.
He received a 41 year prison sentence but only served 19 of those after being released in 2011.
Dayton mayor, Richard Travis described how he hopes a tree lighting ceremony on Monday at 8:30 p.m. will help be a catalyst for the community to get those laws changed, “We welcome everyone to attend, again we’re treating the ceremony as a tree of hope and that`s how were going to continue this movement to get the law changed.”
That tree lighting had originally been planned before searchers found Kathlynn.
The tree is located on the northwest corner of Dayton near the Casey’s general store.
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BOXHOLM, Iowa -- Hundreds gathered inside a middle school gymnasium Thursday to remember a 15-year-old Iowa girl whose body was found in a river after she had been kidnapped and gone missing.


A Minnesota Vikings jersey sent and signed by running back Adrian Peterson adorned the pulpit. The Vikings was Kathlynn's favorite team.
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OMG!

DES MOINES, Iowa —Their daughter was kidnapped and killed two months ago. Now their fury turns into a fight to keep repeat predators off the streets.

The family of Kathlynn Shepard is already meeting with lawmakers to start gathering support.

Before Michael Klunder kidnapped Kathlynn Shepard and Desi Hughes in Dayton on May 20, he was convicted in three kidnappings.

KCCI is learning more about an unusual twist in the cases that kept him from being locked up longer.

On a stretch of Highway 18, right on the Floyd County/Cerro Gordo County line, Michael Klunder found one of his first kidnapping victims. It was December 15 1991. A 21-year-old woman named Lori was driving alone.

“Mr. Klunder flagged her over and said she had some sort of equipment violation. I believe she got out of the car to check it out, he grabbed her, concealed her in his car and fairly quickly, before he could do whatever he planned to do, she was able to get away. In that process, he assaulted her and she was able to flag down somebody. It is my understanding he took off and ended up somewhere down in Texas,” said Cerro Gordo Assistant County Attorney Steve Tynan.

Law enforcement eventually caught up to him. They charged him with third-degree kidnapping and assault.

“I was in the office at the time the Klunder case was prosecuted,” said Tynan.

Tynan did not prosecute Klunder's specific case, but remembers plenty of conversations about it. He remembers well the disappointment of not being able to charge him with first-degree kidnapping so they could put him away for life.

“We didn't even have probable cause to argue they were serious injuries,” said Tynan

The 21-year-old victim on Highway 18 did not have horrible physical injuries.

“Her injuries I think came down to a few scratches or something like that,” said Tynan.

But that also meant Klunder only faced third-degree kidnapping and 10 years in prison instead of first-degree kidnapping and the rest of his life behind bars.

That wasn't the only disappointment for prosecutors. Documents show the jury in this case had the option of finding Klunder guilty of third-degree kidnapping with the intent to commit sexual abuse or the lesser charge of kidnapping with assault causing bodily injury.

The jury chose the lesser charge, saying there was no sexual link to the crime.

“He grabbed her, pulled her in the car, must've had something in mind and then he assaulted her,” said Tynan. “I don't want to say anything to criticize the jury. The jury did their job. It was a little frustrating though.’

Also a little frustrating, a few months after the court case, Klunder reached a plea deal on the kidnapping of two 3-year-old girls. For all three kidnappings, he'd be sentenced to 41 years in prison but serve just 18 due to good behavior.

The outcomes of the two cases ended up coming into play when Klunder was released from prison in 2011. There is something called the state's multidisciplinary team that could have decided to send Klunder to a high-security treatment facility in Cherokee that's strictly for sex offenders at highest risk of reoffending. But because there was no sexual crime, Klunder was released from prison with no restrictions, and two years later, lured Kathlynn Shepard and Dezi Hughes into his truck.

Shepard's body was found 18 days later in the Des Moines River.

"If we can help protect just one child in Iowa or the nation, then this tragedy, as bad as it was, can mean something," said Michael Shepard.

Kathlynn's family is now fighting for tougher laws on kidnappers and anyone with crimes against children. They feel like the system failed her, and even seasoned prosecutors can't help but think that something needs to improve.

“Looking back, yeah,” said Tynan. “I thought that we did what we could.”

Specifically, Tynan would like to see a law enacted that if a child is kidnapped that is purely enough to raise it to first-degree kidnapping and life in prison. Right now, that child would have to be seriously injured in the process to raise it to first-degree kidnapping.
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