Michael Schappert, 64, Charged in 43-Year-Old Iowa Murder After DNA Match

Found Bound in His Own Home

Ronald Lee Novak was discovered inside his Iowa home in 1983 with his hands bound behind his back. He had been beaten, shot in the chest, and left. He was dead. For 43 years, no one was charged with his murder.

On May 28, 2026, Michael Schappert, 64, was arrested in Oregon and charged with first-degree murder in connection with Novak’s death. The identification that led to his arrest came through genetic genealogy.

The Evidence That Waited Decades

Investigators with the Linn County Sheriff’s Office spent more than a decade testing and retesting DNA recovered from Novak’s clothing and from a hammer believed to have been used in the attack. The DNA itself had been preserved in evidence for decades. What changed was the technology available to interpret it.

Genetic genealogy - a process that compares unknown DNA samples against profiles voluntarily submitted by relatives to genealogy databases - allowed investigators to narrow the suspect pool and eventually identify Schappert. According to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, the method ‘assisted in Schappert’s identification’ as the primary suspect.

What Investigators Believe Happened

The investigation revealed that Schappert and at least one other person ‘likely went to Novak’s home with the intent to rob him of money and marijuana,’ according to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office. Novak was killed in the course of that robbery. The case has remained open since 1983, and investigators say they believe at least one more suspect was involved - meaning this arrest does not close the investigation entirely.

Schappert was living in Fairview, Oregon at the time of his arrest. He is currently held in the Multnomah County Detention Center in Portland, Oregon, pending an extradition hearing to return him to Linn County, Iowa.

The Technology That Made It Possible

Genetic genealogy has become one of the most significant tools in cold case investigation over the past decade. The technique was used to identify the Golden State Killer in 2018 and has since been applied to dozens of cases across the country. In Iowa alone, the approach has contributed to multiple cold case breakthroughs, including Novak’s.

The method works because people who voluntarily upload DNA to consumer genealogy platforms create searchable family trees. Investigators can upload unknown crime scene DNA, find relatives of the unknown contributor in those databases, and then build out a family tree to identify who the crime scene DNA most likely belongs to.

43 Years

Ronald Lee Novak was killed in 1983. The people who knew him then are in their 60s, 70s, and older now - or have died themselves. The case remained active because investigators kept the evidence and kept testing it. The answer came when the technology caught up to the question.

Schappert has been charged but not convicted. The charges are allegations pending a hearing and, if extradited, a trial in Iowa. The case that began with a man found bound in his home four decades ago is now in the hands of prosecutors.

References: Iowa Cold Case Cracked More Than 40 Years After Young Man Was Killed Following DNA Breakthrough | Man Arrested in 40-Year-Old Rape and Murder Case After Forensic Genealogy Investigation