Des Moines Police identifies woman whose death was deemed suspicious

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Des Moines Police Department released the name of the woman whose death was deemed suspicious on Thursday.

At around 5:25 p.m. Wednesday the Des Moines Police and Fire Departments responded to a report of a medical emergency in the 1500 block of Capitol Avenue. When first responders arrived on scene they found an adult female in cardiac arrest. The woman was transported to a nearby hospital where she later died.

On Thursday police identified the victim as 52-year-old Suzette Rae Gums from Des Moines.

According to police, Gums’ death was deemed suspicious due to a laceration injury on her leg that caused significant blood loss.

Officers at the scene took 58-year-old Walter Bickham into custody in connection to Gums’ death. According to a criminal complaint, Bickham stabbed Gums during a domestic altercation and didn’t call 911 or provide aid.

Bickham was booked into the Polk County Jail on a charge of second-degree murder for the death of Gums. He remains in jail on a $1 million cash-only bond. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for September 30.

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