(Emmetsburg)– The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is applying new technology to an unsolved, 30-year-old murder case in Palo Alto county.
Before the Iowa DCI moved to its new location last year, they went through boxes of old evidence and unsolved crimes in the state. One of those cases was the October 1976 murder of Deb Laubenthal of Bancroft and Ray Henkins of Emmetsburg.
Norma and Nile Smith were put on trial for shooting the couple to death on October 23rd, 1976 near Depew, Iowa. They were both acquitted by a Dickinson county jury in April of 1977. The trial was moved to Dickinson county because of pre-trial publicity.
The Palo Alto County Sheriff and the Iowa DCI have now reopened the case, using updated laboratory technology that was not available in 1976, including a new lab analysis of the physical evidence, and a nationwide DNA database.
Both agencies aren’t sure if or when the new effort will bring answers regarding the deaths of Laubenthal and Henkins.
Because there is not a statue of limitations for murder cases in Iowa, the case has remained open over the last 30 years.
(Story from Danielle Hitchings of sister station KUYY in Spencer.).
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