Man Charged in Case of Missing Woman's Skull Found on Stick in Public Park

An Iowa man was charged with first-degree murder on Friday in connection to the 2021 murder of a woman whose remains were discovered on a public hiking trail.

Nathan Gilmore, 23, was arrested on Friday in connection to the murder of Angela Bradbury whose decapitated skull was discovered in July 2021 by a teenager at the hiking trail in a public park, according to court documents acquired by WHO13 News.

The skull was determined to belong to a woman, but it was not confirmed to be Bradbury until family members reported her missing and submitted DNA samples in February 2022.

During the search, investigators discovered more of Bradbury's remains at another location in the park.

Murder Around the World

Data collected by the FBI found that in 2019, 88 percent of offenders (for whom gender was known) were male, with 28 percent of victims being murdered by someone they knew other than family, including neighbors, friends, significant others, and acquaintances.

Nearly 10 percent were killed by complete strangers, according to the FBI.

According to the United Nations Global Study on Homicide, men make up about 80 percent of all homicide perpetrators worldwide, with nearly 60 percent of women intentionally killed worldwide being murdered by an intimate partner or family member.

In the United States, male homicide rates are 10 times higher than females, with males between the ages of 15 to 29 facing the highest risk globally.

Data has also shown that more than half of homicides worldwide are committed with a firearm, with the number reaching closer to 74 percent in America.

The Crime

During an interview in April 2022, Gilmore told investigators he was at the park when the skull was discovered but said he was alone.

Later Gilmore told police he met up with a woman he'd never met on April 6, 2021, the last day Bradbury was seen alive.

During questioning, Gilmore told police he dropped her off after five blocks but later changed his story and said he dropped her off in a nearby city, according to court documents obtained by WHO 13 News.

'Satanic Drawings'

When investigators searched Gilmore's residence on Friday they discovered "satanic" drawings inside. One drawing in the living room depicted a "satanic goat's head in the shape of a pentagram with what appeared to be blood splatters drawn on it," police said.

Written on the drawing were the following numbers, "04-06," "590," and "43.3, -92.8." Investigators said the first number coincided with the date Bradbury went missing, April 6, 2021, and "590" coincides with an Urban Dictionary acronym for "someone is tired of living."

Investigators said the last numbers on the drawing depicted the coordinates of the park Bradbury's skull was discovered. He was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

He is being held on a $1 million cash-only bond and is scheduled in court for August 30.

Newsweek reached out to the Mitchell County Sheriff's Office for comment.

Other Murders

In North Carolina, police discovered the decomposed body of an infant buried in a couple's backyard. According to sources, the infant's parents were cousins and "panicked" when they found out they were pregnant.

On August 6, a Florida couple was arrested after allegedly beating their 6-year-old son to death for drinking out of the toilet.

In California, a man was arrested after he allegedly live-streamed himself fatally shooting his father and stepmother.