Authorities in southwest Iowa have concluded their investigation into the death of a woman whose body was found nearly a year ago at an interstate rest stop. Mills County Attorney Marcy Prier says unless someone comes forward with evidence to the contrary, the death of 60-year-old Kaaseem Adall Juanda will be ruled a suicide and the case closed.
The investigation began October 17, 2005, after officials received an anonymous call about the body of a black female under a tree at the I-29 rest stop just north of Glenwood. Investigators initially thought the death was a suicide, but evidence at the scene, including a lack of suicide note and a missing clip from the gun, cast a shadow of doubt on the scene.
A month after the body was discovered, the State Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death as “undetermined.” It was also learned the Kaaseem had started out life as a man, but had undergone a sex-change operation in 2001.