The Silent Case of Naomi Cheney — Sioux Falls, 1943

The Silent Case of Naomi Cheney refers to the unsolved 1943 murder of Lt. Naomi Kathleen Cheney, a 25-year-old Women's Army Corps (WAC) officer stationed at the Army Air Forces Technical School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. On October 5, she finished her duties, walked her usual route home after dark near Gate No. 3, and was found dead the next day by children in a wooded path—beaten to death with blunt force trauma causing multiple skull fractures. Victim Background Naomi, an Alabama native and recent Florida college graduate, had briefly taught high school before enlisting in the WAAC (later WAC) to support World War II efforts. She trained at Fort Des Moines, Iowa, earned her commission that summer, and transferred to Sioux Falls in September 1943. No boyfriend or enemies were known locally. ​ Crime Details Her body lay on her back in her intact uniform, purse untouched with money inside, and no signs of struggle, robbery, or sexual assault. An autopsy confirmed massive head trauma, not a hit-and-run as one expert suggested—her uniform showed no vehicle damage. Investigation and Suspect Police arrested a 31-year-old transient farmhand from a nearby tourist cabin with blood on his clothes and matching evidence; he had a wife in Iowa and rumored girlfriends in town. Wartime Army priorities led to his quick release for enlistment before full forensics (FBI samples sent but inconclusive then). He died overseas in WWII; his name was never publicly released by Sioux Falls PD, which still holds files despite FOIA denials. Legacy It's Sioux Falls' oldest cold case and one of South Dakota's earliest unsolved murders. In 1993, Capt. Mark Thorstenson theorized modern forensics would have convicted the suspect. No new leads emerged despite interviews in Cheney's hometowns.