The Deck Rose Burkert and Roger Atkison (9 of Diamonds, Iowa)
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Feb 4, 2026 Chief Deputy Todd Sauerbrey, an Iowa County law enforcement official who led the reinvestigation and DNA testing, walks through the nearly 50-year-old double homicide. He describes strange crime-scene details, the suspected weapon and unusual soap message. They cover timeline oddities, multiple suspects and decades-later DNA work that may finally move the case forward.
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Maid Finds Brutal Double Homicide
- Housekeeper Ida Block discovered two bodies in room 260 under a blood-soaked comforter after finding clothes on the floor earlier that day.
- The victims, Roger Atkison and Rose Burkert, were brutally lacerated on the backs of their heads and had defensive wounds on their hands.
Staged, Personalistic Crime-Scene Clues
- Investigators noted many odd staged details beyond the killings, like two chairs facing the bed and a towel-covered chair by the victims' heads.
- The killer also shredded a cashier's check and pulverized a bar of soap, then wrote "this" on the bathroom door with soap.
Couple Used Alias; Unknown Caller
- The couple checked in under the alias "Roger Burkert," combining Roger's first name and Rose's last, concealing identity.
- Rose placed calls from the room that evening, and at 9 p.m. a man called the hotel asking specifically for Rose.