The gruesome murder of Michelle Martinko at the Westdale Mall in Iowa took 40 years for the case to be solved. Martinko’s body, covered in stab wounds and bloodstains, was discovered outside the mall in December 1979.
During the investigation, the Cedar Rapids Police Department concluded that she might have been killed by a stranger. However, investigators found no clear motive or long-standing feud. She wasn’t robbed or sexually assaulted, despite having $186 with her to shop for clothes.
Martinko was already nervous while going to the mall. A friend revealed her feelings about going out to the mall by herself to 48 Hours. She had told someone that she felt like she was being followed.
The Calendar of Crime presents: The Murder of Michelle Martinko. 40 years cold, solved by DNA. Subscribe: https://t.co/3acoR0Bs3J Read more: https://t.co/bfVFv04D5h pic.twitter.com/lbWwLxvUjE
— Paddy McGough (@paddymcgough) December 19, 2025
The case went cold after there was no DNA evidence to link to the killer. But in 2006, the investigators found found a male’s blood sample that would later lead investigators to Jerry Burns.
When her body was discovered, the investigators noticed several defensive wounds on her hands. Moreover, the murderer had worn rubber gloves, though investigators later recovered blood evidence. Investigators initially considered her boyfriend a suspect, but he had an alibi.
After three decades, cold case detective Doug Larison noticed no one had checked on the results for the blood samples taken from her car’s gear shift. This helped in connecting to the killer along with the blood found on her dress.
Today we take a moment to remember Michelle Martinko.
On December 19, 1979, an 18-year-old girl named Michelle Martinko vanished from the living world. Her body was discovered around 4:00 a.m. on December 20 in her family’s tan 1972 Buick Electra. pic.twitter.com/3gNRikLlAP
— Notes on Iowa (@notesoniowa) December 19, 2025
The police were able to identify 3 possible suspects using familial DNA, which compared different profiles on the public ancestry databases for comparison. The male DNA was found to match Burns’ family. They were able to collect DNA from them and ultimately identified Jerry Burns as the killer.
Martinko’s killer was arrested in 2018, 39 years after she was killed. He was convicted of the murder in 2020. Although he denied committing the murder, the DNA evidence was enough for his arrest and conviction. Burns appealed in court, saying his DNA was taken in violation of his rights. But his appeal was denied, and he is in Anamosa State Penitentiary.
