The man accused of murdering a teenager, last seen in northeast Iowa in 2017, may have had a “relationship” with the girl prior to her disappearance.
A criminal complaint filed Tuesday (08.13) comes a day after the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) said 65-year-old James Bachmurski has been charged with second-degree murder for the death of 15-year-old Jade Colvin. Investigators determined she was brought to Bachmurski’s home in the 2000 block of Skyline View Drive in Decorah in March 2017.
Authorities say the last known text messages sent by Colvin and received by anyone occurred in the early morning hours of March 30, 2017. Colvin has not been spoken with or seen by any family or friends since.
Authorities say Bachmurski had been in a relationship with Colvin via electronic messaging for about 20 days before she went to stay at his home. During an interview with law enforcement in 2023, officials said Bachmurski was shown an image of Colvin taken several days before her death and was asked if he remembered it. He allegedly responded, “I do. I’m not gonna lie, I do. As a matter of fact, I’ll guarantee you I’m getting myself in a lot of trouble. I want to tell you the truth.”
Law enforcement said numerous statements by Bachmurski and others implicated him in Colvin’s disappearance and death. That included his son Bryan, who told investigators he saw Colvin’s empty suitcase at his father’s farmhouse, where her bedroom was also empty.
WCSO said the two-year investigation spanned several states and involved multiple agencies, and led investigators to determine Bachmurski “did cause the death of Jade Colvin on or about March 30, 2017.”
He remains in the Winneshiek County Jail, held without bond.
The criminal complaint also notes that Colvin was initially missing to the Des Moines Police Department in June 2016, when she was 14.
