Bio

Ethel Mae Franken was born on June 30, 1950.

She lived in Aplington, Butler County, Iowa.

As an adult she was married to Darrell J. Franken. They had three children: Troy Vance, Valerie May, and Dustin Jon.

Murder Story

On January 18, 1983, Ethel Mae Franken, 33, shot her husband and three children in Aplington, Iowa, and then killed herself the same day.

Her husband was Darrell John Franken, 37. Their children were Troy Vance, 13; Valerie May, 11; and Dustin Jon, 7.

Butler County Medical Examiner Dr. Garry Teigland said the scene was compatible with her having shot her husband and the children. He said she was closest to the gun. He said the mother was lying in bed with the gun on the bed. He said the father was lying within eight to ten feet of the bed.

Teigland said all of the bodies were in bedrooms. One child was in bed in one room. Two others were in an adjoining room on the floor.

The five bodies were found about noon after a friend went to the house and the three children failed to show up for classes at the elementary school across the street. Police Chief Tom Lines said he discovered the bodies.

Teigland said the deaths could have occurred Monday night because all of the victims were in night clothes. He said Darrell had gone to work at the John Deere plant in Waterloo on Monday and had taken Tuesday off.

Taigland said each had been shot with a small-caliber handgun. Autopsies were scheduled at Allen Memorial Hospital in Waterloo.

A close friend, Dalene Tjabring, said she had planned to take Mrs. Franken to an appointment with a psychiatrist. Acquaintances said Mrs. Franken had been under psychiatric care for several weeks and had been hospitalized for several days at a time.

Gerald Shanahan, chief of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, said investigators and a lab crew were gathering clues at the family's home. Neighbors said residents of Aplington were shocked.