Search for late father claims to be serial killer has found no evidence

A three-day search in southwestern Iowa, following a woman's claims that her late father was a serial killer, has turned up no evidence, state officials said Thursday.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety said in a statement that the search involved an array of experts to excavate, collect and examine soil samples from a site identified by a reporting party. The department said no evidence or other items of concern were recovered after exhaustive efforts.

Lucy Studey has claimed that her late father, Donald Dean Studey, was a serial killer who buried bodies around his property in Thurman, according to Newsweek, which first reported the story. The authorities have confirmed they are investigating the claims.

Her sister, Susan, said Thursday that the claims are absolutely not true. I love my sister very much, but somewhere in her life she got misguided, Susan said in a phone interview. She said her late father's name has been cleared.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, which is under the public safety department, did not respond to a request for comment, including whether authorities think the claim is credible or whether the dead man's name has been cleared.

Lucy Studey stood by her claims on Thursday.

My full siblings and I know what actually happened and I am the only one speaking the truth, she said. She said at the beginning that the investigation is a marathon and not a sprint. The public safety department said last month it was working with federal and local authorities to corroborate the report of multiple historic homicides in rural Fremont County, which has a population of 6,600.