Iowa mom’s boyfriend nearly got away with murder — until a zipper changed everything

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Dr. Michael Baden recounts cracking the murder mystery of Ilene Gowan

Forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden describes providing the crucial testimony that led to Ivan "Sam" Brammer’s arrest in the murder of his girlfriend, Ilene Gowan.

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Renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden confirmed a grieving family’s suspicions and put a guilty man behind bars after spotting an unconventional clue that an initial examination had overlooked: a zipper imprint. 

Iowa mother Ilene Gowan was found dead and frozen in a roadside ditch on February 26, 2023. Although police suspected her on-again, off-again boyfriend Ivan “Sam” Brammer, and there were multiple abrasions on Gowan’s body, an initial medical examiner could not determine what caused her death, and police couldn’t charge him with murder. 

Desperate, Gowan’s family reached out to Baden for a second opinion. The first episode of Fox Nation’s “The Baden Files,” titled “The Zipper,” details the pathologist’s involvement in the curious case. 

WATCH ON FOX NATION: THE BADEN FILES

Ilene Gowan, 60, was last seen alive on February 12, 2022. Her corpse was found in a roadside ditch in Council Bluffs, Iowa on February 26.  (Fox Nation)

Gowan, 60, was last seen on surveillance footage leaving her job at Sugar’s Lounge and Diner in Council Bluffs and getting into Brammer’s Ford F-150 on February 12, and then again on traffic camera feeds the next morning. Her body appeared to be awkwardly slumped inside the vehicle.

The woman was wearing the same clothing that she wore in the parking lot footage when her body was found, with the exception of one missing shoe. Her cellphone and purse were also missing. 

According to an affidavit reviewed by Fox Nation, her personal safe, which had about $1,200 inside, was also missing. On February 15 of that year, 61-year-old Brammer deposited $1,200 into his bank account. Ten days later, he took his truck to a salvage yard and had it destroyed.

In March, Council Bluffs Police charged Brammer with theft and abuse of a corpse. 

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Ivan “Sam” Brammer was initially charged with theft and abuse of a corpse. Dr. Baden’s findings led to his additional murder charge in Gowan’s death. (Fox Nation)

Gowan had multiple injuries on her body, including multiple contusions and abrasions of the head, an L-shaped laceration on her head that was not considered life-threatening and a broken tooth. A toxicology report showed only caffeine, nicotine and a prescription drug in her system. Assistant State Medical Examiner Kelly Kruse listed her cause of death as “unknown.”

“I was called by Ilene Gowan’s [son] … [who said] that his [mother] had been murdered and that the prosecutor was very helpful in trying to find out the cause of death and who done it,” Baden told Fox News Digital. 

UNZIPPING THE TRUTH: FOX NATION SERIES REVEALS HOW DR. MICHAEL BADEN’S FORENSICS TURNED CASES ON THEIR HEADS

Fox Nation’s “The Baden Files” looks at three cases that Dr. Michael Baden helped bring to justice. (Fox Nation)

He began poring over photos taken of Gowan’s body and the ditch where she was found. 

“[With] my experience, I was able to see marks on [her] neck that were typical for zipper imprint, the teeth of a zipper, [that left] a certain unique imprint pattern just like a hammer might, or another solid object might leave an imprint on the skin,” Baden told Fox News Digital. “I had seen zipper imprints like this in the past.”

“This tells me what happened. Not who done it – that’s up to the police,” Baden said.

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Pictured is the crime scene where Gowan’s body was found. (Fox Nation)

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Baden determined that the woman had been strangled to death in a chokehold. He explained in court that anything caught underneath the assailants arm while they are choking a victim, like jewelry or a zipper, can leave an imprint behind.

Thanks to Baden’s findings, a murder charge was added to Brammer’s indictment. He was sentenced to a maximum of 50 years in prison, another 10 for abusing a corpse and five years for theft. The 65 years were to be served concurrently.

“It was amazing to me how close the family was and how disturbed they were that harm was done to their mom,”  Baden told Fox News Digital. “And because of their interests, the investigation continued, and the prosecutor listened to the family, and the police listened. And the medical examiner were all very cooperative to be able to bring it to bring the case to trial.”

Christina Coulter is a U.S. and World reporter for Fox News Digital. Email story tips to christina.coulter@fox.com.