DES MOINES—Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird announced today (May 22nd) that Robert Davis of Council Bluffs has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for the second-degree murder of Barbara Lenz. Barbara disappeared from Harrison County in 1989. Davis was arrested on March 10, 2025, and was the first arrest made in a case that the Iowa Cold Case Unit helped investigate.
Davis’s trial began March 24, 2026, at the Pottawattamie County Courthouse. The jury returned the verdict in less than four hours. The case was prosecuted by the Iowa Attorney General’s Cold Case prosecutor Scott Brown and Harrison County Attorney Sarah Delanty.
“Today’s sentence ensures Robert Davis will spend the rest of his life in prison,” said Attorney General Bird. “Barbara’s family, including her daughter Lindsy, were able to be heard. They never gave up hope this day would come. I pray this day comes for other families who are waiting for a cold case to be solved. Remember, if you know something about a case, no matter how small it may seem, please reach out to local law enforcement or my office. The smallest tip may put law enforcement on the right path to solve a case.”
Any Iowan who would like to submit a cold case tip can contact the Iowa Attorney General’s office at 1-800-242-5100 or coldcase@ag.iowa.gov.
