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Ilene Gowan was a 60-year-old woman from Iowa whose body was discovered in a roadside ditch on February 26, 2023, two weeks after she went missing. The prime suspect in her murder was her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Ivan “Sam” Brammer.
Following a series of investigations, Brammer was eventually convicted of killing Gowan and leaving her body in a ditch. Investigation Discovery's See No Evil will explore Gowan's case in season 14 episode 6. The episode premieres today, July 8, 2025, at 9 PM ET on the Investigation Discovery channel.
Who is Ilene Gowan, and what happened to her?
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Ilene Gowan was reported missing on February 15, 2023, two days after she had last been seen. On February 26, 2023, her body was found in a ditch near 152nd Street and Old Mormon Bridge Road, near Crescent. She was still wearing the same dress that she had been wearing on video when she left Sugar’s Lounge and Diner with Brammer on February 12, 2023.
Later that day, footage from multiple locations and angles showed Gowan awkwardly slumped in the passenger seat of Brammer's truck. It was likely that she was already dead at that time.
When Ilene Gowan was discovered, her purse, glasses, and wallet were missing. She also had a safe containing $1,200 inside, which was also missing. Brammer had allegedly deposited $1,200 into his account on February 15, the day she was reported missing.
An autopsy was conducted to determine the cause of Ilene Gowan's death, and it was found that she had multiple injuries on her body, including contusions and abrasions on her head. An L-shaped laceration was also found on her head, and she had a broken tooth.
A toxicology report revealed only caffeine, nicotine, and a prescription drug in her system. The autopsy was conducted by Assistant State Medical Examiner Kelly Kruse, who listed her cause of death as “unknown.”
However, Gowan’s family wanted a second opinion on this inconclusive autopsy. This time, the examination was conducted by Dr. Michael Baden, a high-profile forensic pathologist based in New York, who determined that Gowan's death had been caused by strangulation.
Baden noticed marks on Gowen's neck that looked like zipper imprints, leading him to conclude that she had been strangled in a chokehold. The imprint was caused by something caught underneath the assailant's arm, such as jewelry or a zipper, while they were choking the victim.
What was Ivan “Sam” Brammer's role in Gowan's death?
Ivan Brammer, who was 61 years old at that time, was interrogated multiple times by police and allegedly gave varying accounts of the events that day. Moreover, he had destroyed his truck, where Gowan's body was reportedly seen in different camera footage. There was enough evidence against Brammer, and he was arrested, convicted, and sentenced for killing Ilene Gowan.
He was found guilty by a jury in November 2023 of second-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, and second-degree theft. Brammer was sentenced to a maximum of 50 years in prison for murder, 10 years for abusing a corpse, and five years for theft.
With all his appeals exhausted, Brammer is being held at the Pottawattamie County Jail. His earliest parole is decades away, and he will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Catch ID's See No Evil's latest episode today to know more about the case.
