Becky McCuddin, whose daughter Lisa McCuddin, 23, was shot and killed Oct. 2, 2004, asked for help from the Iowa Central Community College crime scene investigation class to help bring her daughter’s killer or killers to justice.
Students will post fliers throughout the community asking people with information on the murder to call Webster County Crime Stoppers. While not as exciting as handling spent shell casings or looking for latent fingerprints, instructor Mike Burke said that their role is an important part of any criminal investigation.
‘‘Working with the community is also a big part of the investigation,’’ Burke said. ‘‘I think any information law enforcement can receive is helpful and there’s limited things we can do to help.’’
‘‘We’re all here for a specific reason,’’ said student Cory Kokenge. ‘‘We might as well do what we can to help solve the crime.’’
The students aren’t expected to examine evidence or conduct interviews, but investigators said that more public pressure is needed at this stage in the investigation.
Brook Nelsen, a student in the class, said she had heard of the case when the murder happened and knows some of Lisa McCuddin’s friends.
‘‘I’d be willing to do this every day until the killers are found,’’ she said.
McCuddin talked about her frustration as no one has come forward since the murder, which happened just four days before Lisa McCuddin’s 24th birthday.
At about 4 a.m. on Oct. 2, 2004, a fatally wounded McCuddin was driven to the parking lot of the Holiday Inn, 2001 Highway 169, by Fred Murray, of Omaha, Neb. Both had been shot while driving on Kenyon Road. No one has been arrested in the murder.
‘‘It’s been three years of hell knowing that these people are walking the streets of Fort Dodge,’’ she said. ‘‘They didn’t know it was Lisa in the car ... this could have happened to anyone.’’
She hopes a $10,000 reward may be enough to get people who have information on the murder to talk.
‘‘The problem I’ve been running into is that people are scared to talk,’’ she said. ‘‘Getting it out in the public eye will generate more talk and get people to come forward.’’
The reward has already generated tips and calls, said Larry Hedlund of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. With a larger team getting the information out, some aspiring criminal investigators may be able to say they helped bring a killer to justice — even before getting out of school.
Contact John Molseed at (515) 573-2141 or jmolseed@messengernews.net