TITLE:
A Preliminary Geographic Analysis of the Paula Oberbroeckling Case
AUTHORS:
Stan Weeber
KEYWORDS:
Unsolved Murders, Geographic Analysis, Criminology, Paula Oberbroeckling
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.4 No.12,
December
28,
2017
ABSTRACT: Paula Jean Oberbroeckling, age 18, left her Cedar Rapids apartment on July 11, 1970, and never returned. She supposedly left to run an errand but did not come back. Her body was found along the banks of the Cedar River in late November 1970. After 47 years, Paula’s family still does not know what happened to her between the time she left her apartment and the time when her body was found. In 2017 the case remains an open, unsolved homicide. This paper employs environmental criminology as a tool to identify individuals linked to the case that may be able to supply authorities with more information. Three hundred and six potential persons of interest were identified from the available documentation. A social and geographic data analysis elevated the profiles of eleven potential persons of interest.