Iowa police charge man with death of a 15-year-old girl who's been missing since 2017

A man has been charged with second-degree murder in connection to a missing 15-year-old girl, who was last seen by her mother when she dropped her daughter off at the man's Iowa farm seven years ago.

Jade Colvin of Ames had gone missing two days after her mother brought her to live at James David Bachmurski’s farm south of Decorah in rural Winneshiek County in March 2017, according to a news release from the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office. Bachmurski, 65, who now lives in Emanuel County, Georgia, was charged with Colvin’s murder Monday.

It is unclear whether Colvin's body has been found or her cause of death. A spokesperson for the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment on those details.

The case is an unusual one with a lot of unanswered questions and ties to several jurisdictions in Iowa.

Colvin was last heard from on March 30, 2017, when she used Bachmurski’s phone to send a text message, according to court records.

She originally was reported missing to Ames police in June 2016 when she was 14. Police said she may have been a runaway teen. A few days later, Ames police put out a tweet stating she had been found in Des Moines, according to past Register reporting .

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But nearly a year later, on March 23, 2017, she was reported missing to the Des Moines Police Department and added to the Missing Person Information Clearinghouse, a week before her last known communication. It's not clear why she was reported missing to a police department more than 200 miles away from Bachmurski’s farm or why the report was made before her last known contact.

Court documents say, however, Bachmurski told investigators Colvin did not have cell phone service when she was at the farm and had used his phone to message friends with his permission. She "was cut off from the world," the complaint alleges.

Police say Colvin's mother took her to Bachmurski's farm in March 2017. The news release and sheriff's office officials did not describe the relationship between Colvin, her mother and Bachmurski.

But court documents allege Bachmurski had participated in a “one-on-one” relationship with Colvin though electronic messaging for about a month before her arrival at his farm. Bachmurski allegedly told investigators Colvin’s mother did not know about them messaging and he used some of his own money to help get her there.

It's unclear what happened with the investigation next. But the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office said the U.S. Marshals Service notified them of the case in May 2022 and they launched a full-scale investigation, the news release said.

According to the criminal complaint filed Monday, investigators in 2023 showed Bachmurski a photo of Colvin "taken several days prior to her death." When asked if he remembered the photo, Bachmurski allegedly responded: "I do. I'm not gonna lie, I do. As a matter of fact, I'll guarantee you I'm getting myself in a lot of trouble. I want to tell you the truth."

Bachmurski allegedly told investigators he had thought about contacting authorities that a runaway girl was in his residence but decided not to as “it would not have turned out good for him," the complaint said. He also allegedly admitted that he lied and told others Colvin had gone somewhere after her last text, "while the investigation showed she was no longer alive," according to the criminal complaint.

According to the complaint, Bachmurski made statements to several people, including investigators, that implicated him in the disappearance and death of Colvin.

More: Missing Iowan Jade Colvin's story to be featured on Investigation Discovery TV show

The investigation found Bachmurski was the last person to see Colvin alive, court documents say. Bachmurski's son also allegedly told investigators he saw Colvin's empty suitcase and other belongings at the farm several months after she was last heard from. He told investigators the suitcase was is in father's room and what had been Colvin's room was empty.

Bachmurski was previously extradited from Emanuel County Jail in Georgia to Winneshiek County on a probation violation arrest warrant for firearm crimes, the news release said. Bachmurski made an appearance in Winneshiek County Court on Tuesday and remains incarcerated in the county jail without bond.

According to the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier , Bachmurski owned more than 400 acres of farmland and woodland around his home on Skyline Drive south of Decorah and operated Tranquility Corn Maze at the location. He sold it in 2018 and moved to Georgia the next year, the newspaper reported.

José Mendiola is a breaking news reporter for the Register. Reach him at jmendiola@dmreg.com

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa police charge man with death of a 15-year-old girl who's been missing since 2017