Cardinal Crimes
At Cardinal Crimes, we want "true crime" to have a purpose.
Here, we aim to raise awareness of cases, deepen understanding of various types of crime and the psychology driving them, and explore ways to prevent future crime—whether through individual actions, community efforts, societal change, or policy reform.
We do this by speaking with survivors, victims, experts, policymakers, offenders, and more to learn all that we can about crime and how to stop it.
Cardinal Crimes
MISSING: Jesse Leopold, Last seen October 13, 2016 in Jewell, Iowa
On October 13, 2016, Jesse Leopold, 23, left work during the middle of his shift and was never seen again. Days later, his truck was found abandoned at Ledges State Park in Iowa. While multiple searches have been conducted at the Ledges State Park, the current Sheriff openly questions the efficacy of and quality of those previous efforts.
Over the last nine years, Jesse’s father Jerry has worked tirelessly to find answers to what happened to his son. Jerry’s own investigation suggests foul play was involved, a theory law enforcement seems to disagree with.
If you have ANY information at all on the disappearance of Jesse Leopold please contact the Boone County Sheriff’s Office at 515-433-4786 or send tips to the Iowa Cold Case Unit at cold case@ag.iowa.Gov.
A search for Jesse Leopold will be held on March 22, 2025, organized by Boone County Search & Rescue. If you are able and interested in volunteering please go to their Facebook page to find more details!
Boone County Search & Rescue Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057368750076
Sources:
- Boone County Search & Rescue Press Release, February 27, 2025
- https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/data.html#:~:text=Suicide%20rate%20disparities&text=The%20suicide%20rate%20among%20males,but%20nearly%2080%25%20of%20suicides.
- https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/missing-iowa-man-mark-riesberg-found-dead-calhoun-county-rockwell-city/524-f84c6287-7b85-422e-b279-afcc9c61cb15
- https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/language-clues-suicide-between-men-women-differ
- https://popcenter.asu.edu/content/missing-persons-0#:~:text=For%20missing%2Dperson%20cases%20where,attractive%20or%20less%20sympathetic.2
- https://iowacoldcases.org/case-summaries/jesse-leopold/
- Mike Kilen, Living with the missing: Decades-old wounds remain for families, August 30, 2018, Iowa City Press-Citizen
- Celia Brocker, Search continues for Jesse Leopold as Iowa rallies around recent cold case interest, November 14, 2023, Ames Tribune
- Alyssa Gomez, Search for Jesse Leopold continues seven years after disappearance, November 5, 2023, KCCI
- Biong M. Biong, Volunteers asked to help find missing Iowan, November 1, 2023, The Des Moines Register
- Mike Kilen, Pain never leaves families of Iowa’s missing, September 2, 2018, The Gazette
- Missing, September 5, 2018, The Indianola Tribune
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Theme Song: Shrouded Lament by james.lfo, William Claeson