Exploring the case of Paula Oberbroeckling becomes a lot easier if you have the free PDF version of Susan Taylor Chehak’s book. Susan has a website dedicated to Paula. It is filled with information, case details, and you can even see the original autopsy report there.
If you use this link, you can download the book for free in PDF version. Aside from releasing a book, she has made extensive efforts to solve the case. Her blog shows you how much. For example:
“In 2008, I brought a crew to Cedar Rapids with a plan to make a documentary film about Paula and my ongoing independent murder investigation. In the process I conducted interviews with Paula’s family and friends, as well as two homicide detectives who were on the case in 1970, the doctor who was coroner at that time, and others who had been mentioned in the file.”
Paula disappeared on July 11, 1970, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She was 18 years old and dreamed of becoming a model. She had borrowed her roommate’s car to go off on an unspecified errand. Her roommate’s car was found parked in a no parking zone near a grocery store. Her remains were found four months later by hikers.
Police said the body was found draped around a steel pin in the ground, which in the past was probably used as a power pole guy wire.
Paula’s remains were in an advanced stage of decomposition. The skeleton was almost intact and there was no evidence on visual examination of traumatic injury. Paula’s wrists were tied behind her back. Her ankles were tied as well. Used were two types of flexible material: one appeared to be a plastic clothesline and the other a sort of cord.
You can read more about Paula’s case on Jody Ewing’s blog Iowa Cold Cases.
A short overview of the case can be found here as Paula’s case was featured here as Case of the Month in March 2014.