Lawrence Steiger Sr.

On a cold winter day in Winner, South Dakota, two lives were brought to a violent and sudden end, leaving a case that has puzzled investigators and haunted a community for decades. On Sunday, February 2, 1975, Lawrence Steiger Sr., a 71-year-old male, and a 36-year-old woman named RaNae June Uithoven were found shot to death inside Steiger’s mobile home. The residence was located in the Piska Trailer Court at 322 Harding Street in the small prairie town. The shocking double homicide marked a moment of darkness for the community and began a long, frustrating search for justice that remains unresolved.

Lawrence Steiger was a known figure in the area, having previously run a beer and pool hall in the nearby town of Kennebec. RaNae Uithoven, originally from Kennebec, had reportedly come to Winner seeking refuge at Steiger’s home. Sources from the time indicated she was trying to escape an abusive relationship and that Steiger was providing her with a safe place to stay. It was a gesture of kindness that may have placed them both in the path of a killer. Their relationship was described by some as platonic, simply a friend helping another in a time of desperate need.

The investigation into the brutal slayings began immediately. Suspicion quickly fell on Francis “Sonny” Peck, then 37, of Pierre, who was known to have been in a volatile relationship with Uithoven. It was reported that Peck had a reputation for abusing Uithoven and had threatened to kill her if she ever left him. According to Stan Whiting, who was the deputy state's attorney at the time, the investigation uncovered that Peck had traveled to Winner on the night of the murders. Witnesses stated that he had stopped at the all-night Westside Café and even asked police for directions to Lawrence Steiger's home.

Based on this information and a witness report of a man resembling Peck entering the trailer carrying a wrapped object that could have been a rifle, an arrest warrant was issued. Peck was arrested for the double murder and held in the Tripp County Jail on a $100,000 bond. The case seemed to be moving toward a resolution. However, in a turn of events that baffled many, the charges against Peck were abruptly dismissed before the case ever went to trial.

The decision to drop the charges was made by State's Attorney Tommy Drake Tobin and then-Attorney General Bill Janklow, who had taken control of the case. The official reasoning provided was perplexing. According to Whiting's recollection, the prosecutors believed that if Peck were released, he would eventually get drunk, brag about the murders, and incriminate himself to undercover agents. This investigative strategy, however, never yielded a confession or any new evidence to re-arrest him. Francis "Sonny" Peck was set free, and no one else has ever been charged in connection with the murders of Lawrence Steiger and RaNae Uithoven.

Decades have passed since that winter day in 1975, but the case has not been forgotten. The double homicide is still listed as an active unresolved case by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation. Cold case investigators periodically review the file, hoping that advances in forensic technology or a witness finally coming forward with new information might break the long stalemate. For the families and the community, the lack of answers leaves a wound that cannot fully heal.

The murders of Lawrence Steiger Sr. and RaNae June Uithoven remain a stark and tragic chapter in Winner’s history. As of today, the case is an open and active cold case investigation. There is no statute of limitations on murder, and authorities maintain hope that justice, however delayed, may one day be served.