James had a violent past, including a prison sentence and a history of abusing his children. His daughters reported his cruelty, including the abuse of pets and them. Despite this, Iva stayed with him for many years. Eventually, she left him, but he showed up at her work on the night she disappeared. His daughter, Rena, feared for their lives. Iva, however, reassured Rena.

Later that night, Iva called Rena and said she was coming home. She never arrived. James claimed he dropped Iva off at home, but her children didn’t believe her disappearance was voluntary—she left all her belongings behind.

Police investigated, noting James failed a lie detector test, and also his brother and daughter reported that he had bragged about killing her. Despite this, they couldn’t gather enough evidence to charge him. To this day, Iva’s disappearance is unsolved and foul play is suspected.