The man in Iowa arrested 35 years after the woman's disappearance

Des Moines, Iowa (KCG) – an arrest was made in relation to a cold case since 1989.

Barbara Lenz disappeared on May 6, 1989.

Her lover at that time, Robert Davis, who was 26 at that time, said she gave up her apartment in Woodbine, Iowa, earlier on that day.

Davis and Lenz had a three-year-old child and had to visit them in Omaha, Nebraska. However, when he never arrived, Davis reported a missing to the Woodbine Police Department.

Investigators at that time said that Lenz’s house suggested that it was taken against his will.

Over the years, the cold case, as the law enforcement could not find Lenz’s body. However, the new cold case unit in Iowa brought fresh eyes to the investigation.

As a result of the investigation, Robert Davis, 61 years ago and who lived in the Bluffs Council, was arrested on Monday about the case.

A criminal complaint says that investigators have learned that Lenz was assaulted by Davis on several occasions during their two -year relationship. The law enforcement said that Davis admitted that he had assaulted Lenz in the past and had a violent temperament.

According to the complaint, at least two witnesses told investigators that Davis had threatened to kill Lenz if he ever left him.

The complaint also says that there were several occasions when Davis and Lenz came into battles, Davis recognizing that he “suffocated” during the fights.

Davis is now accused of killing the first degree.

It is the first arrest made in a case investigated by the cold case unit in Iowa, which the Attorney General of Iowa Brenna Bird launched in July 2024.

“This arrest is a landmark in ensuring justice for Barbara Lenz,” said the Bird Prosecutor General. “We hope to bring peace and answers to the loved ones of Barbara soon, who waited 35 long years in the dark. I am deeply grateful to my team from the cold case unit in Iowa, the Criminal Investigation Division in Iowa, Iowa state patrol, Harrison County Sheriff, Harrison County Office and the Woodbine Police Department, and continues to work hard to crack the Barbara case. No one should get away from the crime. “