Roger Alan Brown was 55 and lived in a trailer in the 200 block of Eighth Street Southwest in Dayton, Iowa. Neighbors remembered him as a kind, gentle handyman who enjoyed leatherwork, woodworking and tending his garden. Concern grew when he failed to attend a scheduled appointment on September 29, 2015; two women who went to check on him found him deceased inside his home with an apparent gunshot wound.

The Webster County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation responded and the state medical examiner performed an autopsy that led authorities to rule the death a homicide. Investigators asked the public for any information about unusual activity in the days before Brown’s body was discovered, but no suspects have been publicly identified or arrested.

The case grew cold and remains unsolved, leaving family and the small community without answers about who killed a man described as a free spirit who was always willing to help others. If anyone knew Roger or has information about his death, please come forward.