The Unsolved Murder of Corinne Perry: Creston, Iowa’s Forgotten Cold Case

In April 1983, 17-year-old Corinne Perry disappeared from the small town of Creston, Iowa. What began as a missing teenager investigation would later become one of Iowa’s most haunting and enduring unsolved murder cases. Decades later, questions still outnumber answers and Corinne’s name remains absent from the justice she deserved.

This is the story of Corinne Perry.

Corinne Perry was a teenager on the edge of adulthood. Friends and family described her as a typical high school girl with plans, routines, and relationships that anchored her to her world. She had an immense love of theatre, was incredibly intelligent, and cherished the relationships she had with her friends and family. She had connections, responsibilities, and a life that suggested she was not someone who would simply walk away without telling anyone.

Which is exactly why her disappearance felt immediately wrong.

When someone vanishes without their belongings, without warning, and without explanation, investigators are taught to look for what doesn’t fit. In Corinne’s case, there were several things that didn’t fit at all.

Corinne was last seen in Creston, Iowa, at a local laundromat between 8:30 and 9:00pm in the spring of 1983. At some point after she was last confirmed to be safe, she vanished.

Her car was later located abandoned.

Nearby, investigators discovered something that continues to unsettle those who learn about this case decades later: Corinne’s clothes had been neatly folded.

Not discarded. Not torn. Not thrown aside.

Carefully folded.

It suggested that she made it safely back to her car after finishing her laundry, but she was taken immediately after.

Despite the alarming circumstances, Corinne was initially considered missing. Searches were conducted. Leads were followed. But as time passed, the trail grew colder.

19 months after her disappearance, the investigation took a devastating turn: Corinne Perry’s remains were discovered.

The discovery confirmed what her loved ones had feared most. This was no longer a missing person case. This was a homicide.

Yet even with that confirmation, the case did not resolve.

No arrest. No conviction. No justice.

The years continued to pass.

Like many small-town cold cases, Corinne Perry’s murder slowly faded from headlines. Without constant media attention, without viral documentaries, and without the machinery that powers modern true crime coverage, her story became one of the many unsolved cases that quietly collect dust.

But obscurity does not mean insignificance.

Cold cases like Corinne’s often suffer from:

• Limited forensic technology at the time of investigation

• Lost or degraded evidence

• Witnesses moving away or memories fading

• Leads that were never fully pursued

These are not failures of victims. They are failures of systems.

And they are precisely why these stories still deserve to be told.

True crime should never be about entertainment alone. At its core, it should be about memory, accountability, and justice.

Corinne Perry was not a headline. She was a daughter. A friend. A teenager with a future that was stolen.

Her case matters because:

• Someone out there knows what happened

• Someone out there may still hold information that could change everything

• Public attention has solved cold cases before

History has shown us that renewed visibility can reopen investigations, inspire new tips, and lead to breakthroughs even decades later.

Silence protects perpetrators.

Stories protect victims.

At The Book of the Dead Podcast, I focus on cases that have slipped through the cracks of mainstream coverage. Not because they are less tragic—but because they are often more vulnerable to being forgotten.

Corinne Perry’s name deserves to be spoken. Her story deserves to be heard. Her life deserves to be remembered.

If nothing else, telling her story keeps her from vanishing a second time.

How You Can Help

Even if you live far from Iowa, there are meaningful ways to support cases like Corinne’s:

• Share her story on social media

• Talk about her case with others

• Support platforms that highlight cold cases

• Advocate for attention to unsolved crimes in small communities

Awareness is not justice—but it is often the first step toward it.

Final Thoughts

The murder of Corinne Perry remains unsolved. There are no easy conclusions. No clean endings. No courtroom closure.

Only a name. A story. And a responsibility to remember.

Because every victim deserves to be more than a footnote.

And every cold case deserves another chance to be seen.