Bachmurski Trial: Day 3

DECORAH — The third day of the trial of James Bachmurski began with the continuation of the testimony of Special Investigator Holly Witt of the Iowa Department of Public Safety, which had been cut short the previous day due to time constraints. 9:01 a.m. — Two audio clips that could not be played the previous day due to technological issues were presented in their entirety. The recordings featured what sounded like LaDawn Colvin speaking to Jade about coming to live in Iowa with Bachmurski. Witt testified that the last text sent by Jade was at 12:15 a.m. March 30, 2017, to Bryan Bachmurski during his shift and break at the Decorah Walmart. She noted the significance was that the phone Jade used to text Bryan was Bachmurski's phone. The next text sent by the same phone was from Bachmurski to Kimberly Barta later that morning and into the afternoon. Bryan subsequently attempted to text the phone, asking, "Are you ok?" Witt testified it was unclear if Bryan was texting Jade or Bachmurski, but concluded it was a "natural continuation of the conversation with Jade." A response text replied, "Yes." Witt noted that by this point, there was evidence Bachmurski had the phone. On March 31 at 7:17 a.m., Joey "Rain" Murphy sent a text to the phone asking, "Is this James?" At 2:52 p.m., Bryan sent a Facebook Messenger request to Jade. At 7:19 p.m., LaDawn also sent messages to the phone. Witt presented photographs of Bachmurski's home from April 1, 2017, noting the house had been cleaned, contrasting with its unkempt condition in earlier photos. She also noted a stuffed bear in one photograph that had been recovered from the same storage unit as the phone. On April 1, LaDawn sent texts to Bachmurski's phone asking him to let Jade know she loved her and was "working through problems with DHS." Later that day, LaDawn sent another text telling Jade she "loves her very much" and not to ignore her. The same message was sent April 2. On April 2, Bryan sent a text to Bachmurski's phone asking, "How are you guys holding up?" There was no response. Bachmurski texted LaDawn at 6:55 p.m. telling her, "Maybe I should have never gotten involved." Witt also presented evidence of an approximately eight-minute outgoing phone conversation. On April 2, a Facebook conversation occurred between Murphy and Jason Nolte. Murphy asked Nolte if he knew where Jade was. Nolte claimed he did not. Murphy left her phone number with Nolte and noted that Jade's phone was either "dead or out of signal, but still connected to AT&T." Murphy asked Nolte to alert LaDawn if possible. Witt noted this "amps [the situation] up" if a phone goes straight to voicemail. As of April 3, Bachmurski attempted to contact Murphy and eventually received a message from her telling him she didn't think they should contact police yet. Murphy texted him, possibly under the impression someone had "helped her," asking if Jade still had a Verizon phone. The prosecution asked Witt if she found evidence that Bachmurski had attempted to contact police. Witt responded, "No." She testified that around this time, Bachmurski began ignoring texts from LaDawn and Murphy. The agent presented photographs found on the phone showing the end of Bachmurski's driveway with tire tracks, sent from the phone between 8:41 a.m. and 8:49 a.m. These photos had since been deleted. Another photo taken by the same phone of Bachmurski's bedroom on April 1 showed the bed had apparently been moved or removed and the room had been cleaned. Witt presented a photo from June 5 where the room had reverted to its "normal state," with objects strewn about and the bed in disarray. On June 20, Nolte messaged Jade on Facebook multiple times with no response. Witt reiterated that Jade had no digital footprint and had not communicated with anyone after March 30, 2017. During cross-examination, Defense Attorney Leigha Lattner asked if there was extensive damage to the phone when found in "storage." Witt clarified the "storage" was actually a barn and noted she was not the forensic examiner of the phone. When asked if some information may have been left unextracted, Witt responded it was possible that "not 100% of the information" had been extracted. She stated Jade's phone has not been recovered. Lattner asked if Jade had ever responded to voice messages left by LaDawn on Bachmurski's phone. Witt stated, "She did, on Facebook to other people," but based on LaDawn's other recordings from the phone, they were likely having some form of communication. Lattner noted a time zone error in the presentation regarding UTC time. Witt admitted the error was her mistake. Lattner also questioned Witt about cellular tracking methods. "Cell tower data is in some part, directional, is that fair to say?" Lattner asked, which Witt confirmed was correct. "I know [Jade's phone] pinged more than once in Decorah," Witt stated. Lattner noted that Bryan Bachmurski appeared in photos cleaning the house on March 27, the same day photos of Bryan and Jade were allegedly taken at Pizza Ranch, as well as a photo of Bryan "holding deer antlers" on March 28. Lattner also presented messages from LaDawn to be relayed by Bachmurski to Jade. When asked if she could digitally determine when LaDawn left Bachmurski's residence, Witt stated she could not, but was using the date of the last photo of LaDawn taken on the phone as the departure date. Witt was asked if it was possible to determine when information was deleted from a phone. She stated it was sometimes possible, but not in this instance. Lattner questioned whether Witt had evidence that Bachmurski had searched for things like "How to get away with murder and get away with it" or "how to clean up blood." Witt stated there was no evidence of Bachmurski searching for anything like that. The court then went into recess at 10:20 a.m. 10:39 a.m. — Bryan Bachmurski, son of defendant James Bachmurski, testified about his interactions with missing teenager Jade Colvin during her time at their Decorah farm. Bryan, who now lives in Phoenix, Arizona, testified he lived in New York until age 12, when he and his father moved to the farm "just outside of town" on Skylineview Road. He stated he did not have a relationship with his mother that he could remember. The witness testified there were times he was in foster care between ages 12 and 18, with conversations with his mother during this period mostly amounting to "pleasantries." Bryan attended Hawkeye College in Waterloo briefly, then moved to Sioux City for less than a year before returning to Decorah. He lived at the farm with Bachmurski briefly before finding "another place with friends." He testified he "eventually had to get a job at Walmart," working 40-hour weeks for "eight months to a year." Bryan testified he met LaDawn Colvin "a few months before Jade showed up at the farm." He confirmed LaDawn was in a relationship with Bachmurski and spent "a lot of time at the farm." During that time, Bryan lived in an apartment above Odd Fellows and visited the farm frequently. The witness described cell service at the farm as "abysmal," noting he had used both U.S. Cellular and Verizon at the location, with Verizon working slightly better. Bryan confirmed he contacted Jade before she came to the farm, discussing common interests. He testified he was unaware Jade was 15 years old at the time. He stated he first met Jade in person at the farm for the expressed purpose of meeting her. When shown photographs by the prosecution, Bryan confirmed they depicted Jade. He confirmed bonfire photos and photos of the pair at Pizza Ranch were taken on different days by his father, James Bachmurski. He could not recall why Bachmurski had been taking photos and confirmed that to his knowledge, Jade and Bachmurski had been in contact prior to her arrival at the farm. Bryan described Jade as "bubbly and happy" and an "easy person to talk to." He stated Jade had a cellphone, but it was disabled when she was in Decorah. Bryan confirmed March 30 was the last time he saw Jade, who had been in the vehicle with his father when Bachmurski dropped him off for work that evening. He testified he had a texting conversation with Jade, who was using his father's phone during his work shift. He stated he expected her to text him back during his lunch break or "when she got to wherever she was going." Bryan stated he believed Bachmurski and Jade were traveling together but was unsure where. Bryan confirmed he sent a text to Jade reading, "You ok?" and received no response until, the prosecution alleges, Bachmurski texted a reply to Bryan's question. When asked if he had been worried about Jade, Bryan replied he was aware of a plan to get her a new identity, but his feelings shifted to "worried." Bryan confirmed the usual state of the farmhouse was "unclean" and it would be unusual for it to be clean. He stated there was Wi-Fi at the home, but it was "weak or non-existent." He testified he and Jade would play video games in the room Bachmurski used as his bedroom. Bryan stated he attempted to speak to his father "countless times," trying to get information about Jade's whereabouts after her disappearance. He confirmed Murphy had contacted him after Jade's disappearance. According to Bryan, Bachmurski left the farm a year after Jade's disappearance to move to Georgia. He confirmed he remained in contact with Bachmurski and visited him "a couple of times" to get answers about Jade. Bachmurski told Bryan "a bunch of explanations," calling Jade a "cam girl" or pornographic actress in an attempt, Bryan claims, to stop him from "asking questions." Bachmurski also told Bryan she had moved to Tennessee, going so far as to nickname her "Tennessee." Bryan stated Bachmurski was the only one to call Jade that. He claimed he was unaware of Bachmurski going by a different name in Georgia. Bryan testified that Bachmurski asked him whether he believed he had killed Jade. Bryan testified he responded with "just a look." Bryan stated that to this day he was unsure whether Bachmurski had killed her, saying, "I don't know." Bryan also stated all of Bachmurski's stories were hard to keep straight. During cross-examination, Defense Attorney Les Blair III questioned Bryan about his memory of Jade and Bachmurski's accommodations at the house. Bryan confirmed his understanding was that Jade was to live at the residence temporarily and was planning to "find a new family" or "receive a new identity." Blair asked if Bryan ever saw Jade packing. Bryan did not recall seeing her pack luggage. Blair asked about Jade's demeanor when Bachmurski and Jade dropped him off at Walmart. Bryan claimed there was no change in her usual demeanor. Blair approached the bench and presented photos, which Bryan stated showed him cleaning the living room of the farmhouse on March 27. Blair submitted the photos as "Exhibits W and X," but the prosecution objected to the dates of the photographs being March 27. Blair presented the photos to the court, noting the file name contained the date March 27. Blair asked if Jade was going by a different name while she lived at the farm. Bryan told Blair she was going by Jade or "Jenny." Blair asked if Bryan assisted with setting up online dating accounts for Bachmurski and whether Bachmurski had been using the name "Bob Sage" in relation to those accounts. Bryan confirmed that was the case. Court was dismissed for lunch break at 11:58 a.m. 1:07 p.m. — Winneshiek County Deputy Sheriff Detective Chris Wuebker testified about his investigation into the disappearance of Jade Colvin and the remote farmhouse where she was last seen. Wuebker told the prosecution he was the only deputy who retains the detective role in the Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office. He confirmed he has worked with outside agencies such as DCI and the U.S. Marshals Service, and worked with Detective John Turbett on this case. The detective was first made aware of the case in May 2022 by the U.S. Marshals Service and Inspector Scott Cannon, who were specifically working on Jade's case. He stated their interest was "in Bachmurski and the Bachmurski farm." Wuebker testified he was aware Jade had gone missing on March 30, 2017, but was unaware of the case until May 2022. During the initial investigation, Wuebker was aware of DHS involvement with Jade and reviewed that information. The detective stated the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children had been made aware of Jade's disappearance and was aware of "missing posters" of Jade made by the center for public awareness. Wuebker described the farmhouse location as "extremely remote. It's down in a valley... There are neighbors, but they're a distance away." The prosecution presented Wuebker with aerial photos of the property showing the driveway and a bridge over a creek just ahead of the residence, as well as a barn and silo the family utilized. Wuebker noted it was difficult to make out the topography of the landscape. He noted the house where Bachmurski resided was no longer there, having been burned down by the current landowner, according to Wuebker. Wuebker testified he investigated the house before it was destroyed with permission from the landowner and described the layout, retracing his steps throughout the property. "The house was pretty much stripped to the two by fours; it had been extensively remodeled," Wuebker recalled. The detective used a bodycam to capture video of the drive to the property in February 2025 at the prosecution's request. The video begins as he turns off Middle Calmar Road, continues to the property, then shows him backing out and leaving via the same route. The approximately six-minute video contained no audio and was shown to the court in its entirety. Wuebker stated he checked his cell service and confirmed it "got way down there" while in the valley. A building recently constructed on the property was shown in the video that was not present in the aerial photos. Wuebker confirmed the building had been built too recently to have been captured in those photos. Wuebker testified he interviewed Bachmurski's neighbor Tim Wiltgen at Wiltgen's residence. According to Wuebker, Wiltgen had attempted to return property belonging to Bachmurski, including two cellphones, with no response from Bachmurski. Wuebker then obtained a search warrant to search the property and found the phones as well as other property belonging to Bachmurski. He turned the Samsung phone belonging to Bachmurski over to Special Agent Holly Witt. Wuebker stated he was aware of who Bachmurski was before taking on the case. "It definitely helps to have them look at it," Wuebker stated, regarding Witt's agency. When asked if he searched for a "pattern of life" in Jade's case, Wuebker confirmed he did, explaining that a "pattern of life" is a study of a person's habits, whereabouts, and interests. He explained that a cellphone can tell law enforcement a significant amount about an individual's pattern of life. Wuebker explained various ways law enforcement tracked Jade's movements between Decorah and Arizona. He confirmed he interviewed Murphy and Tina McLaughlin in Oklahoma. The detective testified he had limited contact with Bryan Bachmurski but had other DCI agents interact with him. He also contacted James Bachmurski Jr., Bachmurski's older son. Wuebker confirmed he and other agents went to Georgia to interview Bachmurski. The detective utilized search warrants for related social media accounts, with data turned over to Special Agent Witt. He investigated what was described as "financials" and was unable to recover any information after March 30, 2017. He confirmed he had not made contact with Jade after that date. Wuebker was incredulous about the potential for Jade to have willingly disappeared or obtained a new identity. "She didn't even have the resources to come back to Iowa," Wuebker stated. The detective noted he believed a white Ford Explorer, allegedly owned by Bachmurski, was destroyed in April 2017. Wuebker testified law enforcement had exhausted all potential leads claiming Jade was alive and confirmed Jade's last known whereabouts were with Bachmurski at his residence. Court was dismissed at 2:07 p.m. for an afternoon break. 2:25 p.m. — With Detective Wuebker's continued testimony, he was asked about a phone call between Bachmurski and someone named Susan Dudley in which Bachmurski stated that Jade was not alive anymore. Wuebker confirmed that was the content of the phone call. During cross-examination, Defense Attorney Lattner asked Wuebker about police reports from Des Moines and Ames stating Jade had "run away" multiple times and was potentially going by different names such as "Cara Stevens" or "Samantha Hollis." Wuebker confirmed that was correct. Lattner asked about messages between Jade and a friend where Jade stated, "If something happens to me, don't think I abandoned you." Wuebker stated the next line referred to the DHS statement and inferred the conversation was referring to that, not "something worse." Lattner then pointed to another line where Jade stated that if "something happened" to her, all she would have is her SD card. Wuebker reiterated it seemed to fall in line with the context of the earlier message. Lattner asked about messages between Jade and a friend in which Jade stated, "If something happens to me, don't think I abandoned you." Wuebker testified the next line referred to the DHS statement and inferred the conversation was referring to that, not "something worse." Lattner then pointed to another line where Jade stated that if "something happened" to her, all she would have is her SD card. Wuebker reiterated that it seemed to fall in line with the context of the earlier message. Lattner asked about cadaver dogs used at the farm, noting they found no human remains on the property. Wuebker confirmed that was the case. She also questioned him about evidence found on the farm, including a .22-caliber rifle. Wuebker testified he did not believe they found a rifle on this farm. He noted the report presented by Lattner was from a different case but had also been sent to the DCI for testing in relation to this case. When asked about the teddy bear found in the barn, Wuebker stated there was no matching blood or DNA found on the bear. "After seven years, no, there was no DNA on it," Wuebker said. Lattner asked about Wuebker's search of Bachmurski's financial records. Wuebker testified he found nothing but bank records, and the search did not employ a search warrant or subpoena. Wuebker confirmed he was unaware if law enforcement had used facial recognition software to attempt to locate Jade, stating he used DPS Intel. He also noted that multiple people had owned the house since Bachmurski and had started renovations, but the current state of the home was the result of the current homeowner's work, not Bachmurski's. After cross-examination, the prosecution asked Wuebker about the cadaver dogs. Wuebker related a time when cadaver dogs had not found a body even when a body was present. "Unfortunately it happens," Wuebker said. Court was dismissed early at 2:57 p.m. as the prosecution believed the next witness would take considerable time.