SIOUX CITY  – The man accused of killing a young woman in Sioux City over 40 years ago has entered a plea and he now has a jury trial scheduled. KTIV-TV in Sioux City reports court documents show 62-year-old Thomas Popp pleaded not guilty to the first-degree murder of Terri McCauley, who was killed in 1983. Popp entered his plea on Thursday, March 27, and the court has set his jury trial for Tuesday, June 3.

In January 2025, a Woodbury County grand jury indicted Popp on the murder charge, which began the process of bringing him to Woodbury County to face trial. After being indicted, Popp was taken into custody and held in Washington State before being extradited to Iowa.

In 1983, the 18-year-old McCauley met with some friends in downtown Sioux City during late September and never came home. On Oct. 1 of that year, McCauley’s mother contacted the Sioux City Police Department and filed an “attempt to locate” report to find her daughter.

With no success, McCauley’s mother filed an official missing person report on Oct. 5. McCauley’s body was found less than 24 hours later. Investigators say she had been shot point-blank with a 20-gauge shotgun. The gravel road where her body was found no longer exists in Sioux City, it has since been paved over.