Following a lengthy cold case investigation led by the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Polk County Cyber Audit and JFACT and Winneshiek County Attorney’s Office, on August 12, 2024, the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office charged James David Bachmurski, age 65, of Emanuel County, Georgia with Class “B” Felony Murder in the Second Degree.
In early spring of 2017 Jade Marie Colvin, age 15, was brought from Arizona to Iowa by her mother to live at the James Bachmurski farm in rural southern Winneshiek County.
Five years later, in May of 2022, the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office was first made aware by the US Marshal Service, working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, that Jade had not been seen or heard from since two days after her arrival at the Bachmurski farm in 2017. Upon receiving this information, the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office immediately launched a full-scale investigation. Following an over two-year, multi-agency investigation spanning several states, the case facts led to James Bachmurski being responsible for the murder of 15-year-old Jade Marie Colvin.
Bachmurski was previously extradited from Emanuel County Jail in Georgia to Winneshiek County on a probation violation arrest warrant for firearm crimes. James Bachmurski remains incarcerated in the Winneshiek County Jail and is being held without bond.
This case remains an open and active investigation with the possibility of additional charges and arrests. No other details of this case will be released at this time.