DES MOINES, IA — A team of investigators solved the murder of Jade Colvin, an Iowa teenager who disappeared in 2017, after discovering crucial photographs on an old cell phone that led to the conviction of James Bachmurski Sr.
The breakthrough came in 2022 when Des Moines Police Detective Cheryl Nablo, Deputy U.S. Marshal Justin Wallace, Detective Chris Wuebker, and Special Agent Jon Turbett reopened Colvin’s cold case under Operation Homecoming, a statewide effort to find missing children. Bachmurski, now 67, was sentenced to 50 years in prison in September 2025 for second-degree murder after a complex investigation that spanned multiple states and relied heavily on social media evidence and digital forensics.
Jade Colvin was 14 when she was reported missing in June 2016 after running away from a shelter for troubled youth. The Iowa Department of Human Services had placed her in foster care in September 2015 when she was 13, after her mother LaDawn lost custody due to substance abuse issues. For nine months, Jade cycled through different facilities and foster homes, frequently running away. “Jade is doing what some other kids do. She’s running away from the system. She’s not wanting to be placed in a stranger’s home,” Detective Nablo explained. Her mother had limited access due to the custody arrangement but wanted more contact with her daughter.
The investigation revealed Jade had spent several months in Arizona before her mother arranged for her to stay at Bachmurski’s farm near Decorah, Iowa in March 2017. Court documents show Bachmurski had engaged in electronic messaging with Jade for about a month before her arrival, using his own money to help get her to the farm. LaDawn Colvin had been dating Bachmurski, whom she met online, for several months. In voice messages recovered by investigators, LaDawn told Jade she would live at the farm “until you are probably 18 and able to get out of the system.” Bachmurski owned more than 400 acres of farmland and operated Tranquility Corn Maze. The last confirmed message from Jade came on March 30, 2017, exactly one week after she arrived at the farm.
Detective Nablo’s breakthrough came through obtaining search warrants for Jade’s social media accounts, where she found Instagram messages from March 2017 showing Jade’s location in Arizona and plans to return to Iowa. “You can see where her mom is coming to get her in Arizona,” Nablo said, referencing messages where Jade wrote “I’m in AZ right now” and “I should be back in Iowa today or tomorrow.” The investigation led them to Bachmurski’s farm after discovering Facebook messages mentioning Decorah and someone named James. When investigators interviewed Bachmurski’s son Bryan, he confirmed Jade had been at the farm and showed them photos of lunch they shared at a local Pizza Ranch restaurant. However, Bryan’s account raised suspicions when he claimed Jade suddenly stopped responding to text messages after midnight following their last meeting.
The case turned when investigators found photographs on an old cell phone during their search of the property. Bachmurski initially told police he last saw Jade when leaving to run an errand and that she was gone when he returned. He claimed he didn’t report her disappearance because he believed harboring a runaway could get him in trouble. However, investigators said Bachmurski later made statements to several people, including law enforcement, that implicated him in Jade’s disappearance and death. “That was the last time that she ever had any from Facebook, from Instagram, from Snapchat. She never had another digital footprint again,” Detective Wuebker noted about the unusual cessation of all social media activity for a teenager. Jade’s body has never been found despite extensive searches of the 400-acre property.
Bachmurski sold his farm in 2018 and moved to Georgia the following year, but investigators tracked him down and arrested him in 2024. He was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to serve at least 35 years before becoming eligible for parole, meaning the earliest possible release would be in 2059 when he would be 100 years old. He is currently serving his sentence at Anamosa State Penitentiary. The conviction brought closure to family members and friends who had spent years posting birthday messages and pleas on social media, hoping Jade would respond. “Every year, I’d go on Facebook, ‘Happy birthday, Jade, please call me,'” said family friend Jamee Koopman, who had known Jade’s mother.
The investigation highlighted the challenges of finding missing children who don’t want to be found. “When somebody goes missing, they want to be missing. They don’t want you to know where they are, it’s hard to track ’em down,” Detective Nablo explained. Friends described Jade as “a sweet little ray of sunshine” despite her difficult circumstances, with friend Dainlynn Greer noting, “She didn’t hold any of it. She just accepted it for like what it was and dealt with it and didn’t let it get to her negatively.” The case received renewed attention when family members realized something was wrong after Jade failed to contact anyone when she turned 18 and would have been free from the foster care system.
The case is featured in a CBS “48 Hours” episode titled “Jade Colvin is Missing,” which aired April 18, 2026, and streams on Paramount+. The episode examines how the multi-agency investigation unfolded and includes interviews with investigators, family members, and friends who never gave up hope of finding answers about Jade’s disappearance.
