In July 1975, 21-year-old Diane Marie Schofield was found dead in the trunk of her own car near the Des Moines airport.
At first, the case seemed to center on one haunting discovery: a tan 1966 Rambler parked behind Warren’s Steak House, an odor noticed by a parking lot sweeper, and a young mother found bound and strangled inside the trunk.
But Diane’s story does not begin there.
In the days before she was killed, Diane was moving into a new place, working, getting gas, buying cigarettes, and telling someone she was going to be late for work. Early reporting later revealed that investigators had to revise the timeline after witnesses placed Diane alive three days later than originally believed.
This episode of A Heavy Weight looks closely at Diane’s final known movements, the questions surrounding her work and personal life, the address book investigators reviewed, and a later report that raises the possibility that Diane may have been asked to provide information related to drugs.
That detail is important, but it is not an answer. The public record does not prove Diane was an informant, and officers connected to the investigation said they had no knowledge of it. But if Diane had been asked to provide information, or if someone believed she had, it raises serious questions about risk, pressure, and who may have seen her as a threat.
Diane was 21 years old. She was a mother. She had a five-year-old daughter. Her family has spent decades asking for answers.
This episode is about the timeline that changed, the details that still matter, and the question that has followed Diane’s case for more than 50 years:
Who killed Diane Schofield?
Listen to the full episode of A Heavy Weight wherever you get your podcasts.
