Triple Homicide

Sarah Lee Link, 41 YOA
Justin Alfred Hook, Jr., 20 YOA
Tina Marie Lade, 19 YOA

 

Drakesville, IA and Eldon, IA (Wapello County)
Case # 8401854
April 13, 1984

Case summary by Jody Ewing

On Friday, April 13, 1984, the body of 20-year-old Justin Hook, Jr. was found outside near his burned-out mobile home two miles outside Drakesville in southeast Iowa after firefighters finished extinguishing a fire that destroyed the trailer. Hook had been killed by blows to the head.

The body of Justin Hook Jr. was discovered near the burned-out mobile home he occupied in rural Drakesville in 1984. His murder, as well as the murders of his mother and girlfriend have never been solved. Ottumwa Courier file photo.

When police went to tell Hook's mother -- Sarah Link, 41, of Farmington -- about her son's death, they discovered her missing.

The following Monday, April 16, a farmer found Mrs. Link's body on a hilly wooded section of his land just north of Eldon. She, too, had died from blunt force trauma to the head.

Authorities then launched an intensive search for Hook's fiancee, 19-year-old Tina Marie Lade of Ottumwa, to whom he'd recently become engaged. Hook had given her an engagement ring the week before for her 19th birthday. Lade, however, also had gone missing.

Then on Wednesday, April 18, trained police dogs discovered Miss Lade's body in a ravine about a half-mile from where Mrs. Link's body had been found. Lade had died from blows to the head as well.

Authorities believed all three victims were killed at about the same time, but the exact time and location of the slayings wasn't known.

Eight Division of Criminal Investigation agents were sent to Wapello County to investigate the murders, and hundreds of leads were followed.

Drakesville residents -- who'd known Hook only casually -- referred to him as "polite" and a "nice boy."

One year after the murders and despite some initial "strong suspects," then-Wapello County Sheriff Bud Erwin said there had been no new breaks and no new leads for months. Erwin said though police continued their investigation, so far they had been unable to determine a motive for the bludgeoning deaths. No murder weapon was recovered, and tests showed no traces of drugs in the bodies.

The case remains open today.

If you think you have information that could help solve these cases, please send your information to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation at any of the following links:

For Justin Hook
For Sarah Link
For Tina Lade

Sources and References:

Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation: Justin Hook
Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation: Sarah Link
Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation: Tina Lade
Oelwein Daily Register, Tues. April 17, 1984
Oelwein Daily Register, Wed. April 18, 1984
Oelwein Daily Register, Thurs. April 19, 1984
Oelwein Daily Register, Fri. April 20, 1984
Oelwein Daily Register, Tues. May 8, 1984
Waterloo Courier, Tues. June 5, 1984
Oelwein Daily Register, Tues. June 5, 1984
Oelwein Daily Register, Tues. April 16, 1985
Searching for Answers - Ottumwa Courier, January 8, 2007

Page last updated: December 13, 2009