Police in the northwest Iowa town of Sac City believe they’ve solved a nearly five-year old homicide case. A man found in Florida, 54-year-old John Green, is now charged in the death of Mark Koster.
Koster was reported as a missing person in the spring of 2010 by family members who believed he left the Sac City area for a period of time. They became concerned when they hadn’t heard from him in several months and contacted the Sac City Police Department. Koster, who was 58-years-old at the time, was declared dead in 2011. In November 2012, his residence was sold and his decomposed body was found concealed in the basement.
The investigation into Koster’s disappearance and death led investigators to Green, who lived with Koster for a short time in 2009. He was recently located in the Orlando, Florida area. Sac City police say Green admitted during an interview that he killed Koster and buried his body in the basement. Green is charged with first-degree murder and is awaiting extradition back to Iowa.
Jeff Blankman, KCIM, Carroll and Ryan Thompson, KAYL, Storm Lake both contributed to this story.