Summary
Overview
Crime Junkie investigates the 1984 death of Rowena Wilkinson Zappalack in Flatonia, Texas, which was ruled a suicide by authorities but her family believes was murder. After receiving a case submission from Rowena's sister Jolita, the podcast team conducted their own investigation and discovered disturbing connections to two other women's deaths in the same small town, all potentially linked to one local man named Cooper Cherry rather than the suspected serial killer Robert Charles Brown.
Rowena's Death and Initial Investigation
In 1984, 20-year-old Rowena Wilkinson Zappalack was found dead in her studio apartment in Flatonia, Texas. Authorities immediately ruled it a suicide by autoerotic asphyxiation, citing a rope around her neck and sex toy on the bed. However, when Jolita and her father cleaned out the apartment the next day, they found evidence that was never documented: scattered pennies, a broken acrylic nail with blood, water still in the shower, and a broken kitchen window with glass on the floor. Despite these red flags, the investigation was closed within a day.
- Rowena died in her studio apartment over a saddle shop in Flatonia, Texas, initially ruled as suicide by masturbation
- When Jolita and her father cleaned the apartment, they found pennies on the floor, a broken acrylic nail with blood, water in the shower, and a broken kitchen window
- The investigation was extremely short with the case closed basically the same day
- The family couldn't bear to push for a deeper investigation due to the embarrassing nature of the ruling and the social climate of 1980s small town Texas
" My parents did not want to stir the pot because her past may embarrass the family and her three-year-old son. So I told them after they pass, I would dig into the truth. They have now passed, and I feel it's time to really investigate her death, being as there are so many coincidences, discrepancies, and I hate that my nephew has lived the past 40 years believing his mom accidentally killed herself masturbating. "
The Case File Revelations
When Jolita filed a records request years later, she discovered critical evidence that was completely omitted from the sheriff's report, including the pennies, fingernail, and broken window she had personally seen. However, the autopsy report contained shocking details the family never knew about: Rowena's missing fourth fingernail, scratches on her neck, blood on her hand, and most disturbingly, symmetrical bruises on both upper arms suggesting she had been gripped from behind. The bed contained blood stains, sperm, and hairs that didn't belong to Rowena, yet investigators ruled out sexual assault.
- The sheriff's report made no mention of the pennies, fingernail, or broken window that Jolita had witnessed
- Autopsy revealed Rowena's fourth right fingernail was missing and there were scratches on her neck
- Rowena was found nude except for a thick twist-a-bead necklace with a nylon rope around her neck attached to the bed frame
- Bedsheets had diluted blood stains and sperm, with sperm also found inside Rowena's body
- Rowena had a .07 blood alcohol level and zero marijuana despite a roach in the ashtray
" Symmetrical linear bruises are present on the inner aspect of both upper arms. The size and aspects of the bruises suggest that they were the result of the subject being gripped from behind, and the tips of fingers produced the four separate symmetrical bruises on each side. "
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