After Watching A Fireworks Show On The 4th Of July And Heading To A Bar, This 20-Year-Old From Iowa Vanished, Leaving Her Keys And Money Behind

City of Dubuque - pictured above is Crystal
City of Dubuque - pictured above is Crystal

Crystal Ann Arensdorf of Dubuque, Iowa, was known to be a genuine, down-to-earth young woman who adored children and had a contagious smile.

“She was kind. Even if you did something that could be upsetting, she never really said bad things about people,” her childhood friend, Dawn Walsh, said.

“She just generally was a kind person, loved kids, genuinely just sweet, beautiful. Her smile was infectious, and we would just lay there and laugh for hours.”

Crystal did frequently move as a child. But, she grew up with six full and half-siblings and was very close with her family.

Then, by the time she turned 20-years-old, Crystal moved in with her boyfriend, Tim, in Dubuque. At the same time, she started working for a home cleaning business and had her entire adult life ahead of her.

But, on July 4, 2001, everything changed for Crystal and her family. That evening, the 20-year-old and her sister, Jennifer, attended a fireworks show at a friend’s house– which was located near the Mississippi River. Then, once the show ended, Cyrstal reportedly called her boyfriend, Tim, and the couple got into an argument.

Afterward, Crystal and Jennifer decided to visit the Knickers Saloon in downtown Dubuque to meet up with a group of friends. While at the bar, the 20-year-old also began speaking with a bartender named Robert. And while talking, the pair planned to share a cab back to East Dubuque after Robert’s shift ended.

By the time Robert finished bartending at about 2:30 a.m., though, Crystal had vanished. Her friends had already left the bar earlier that evening, and her sister, Jennifer, had taken the 20-year-old’s car. Apparently, Jennifer had been worried about Crystal drinking and driving.

Still, no other patrons remembered seeing Crystal leave the bar. She also left behind both her keys and money and was officially last seen at about 2:00 a.m.

City of Dubuque – pictured above is Crystal

After the 20-year-old never arrived home the next morning to pick up her car, Jennifer started to become worried. She ended up heading to the police station to report Crystal missing but was ultimately told by authorities that there was a 24-hour waiting period before a missing person report could be filed.

So, in the meantime, Jennifer and the rest of Crystal’s family decided to hit the streets. They went door-to-door, asking community members if anyone had heard or seen Crystal since the night before.

About a week later, investigators also joined the effort– conducting a search of the region surrounding Leisure Lake.

The details surrounding this search have not been released, though, so it is unclear what, if anything, was found in the area.

The Telegraph Herald also reported that in 2001, investigators followed up on hundreds of leads– searching various land areas, bodies of water, basements, and garages. Cadaver dogs were also integrated into these searches, although they had no luck.

In October of that year, Crystal’s boyfriend, Tim, was also interviewed and cleared as a suspect. By April of 2002, though, two other men who were at the Knickers Saloon on the evening of Crystal’s disappearance entered the picture.

Two brothers by the name of Steven and David were interviewed and questioned by investigators. They also underwent polygraph tests, and David’s car was searched.

“Back then, they were talked to as suspects. I think when you’ve talked to as a suspect, rather than a witness, then maybe you don’t give as much information,” Dubuque Police Department Investigator David Randall said.

“It doesn’t mean you’re not a suspect. They are definitely people we still want to talk to, and maybe they have some information yet to give that they didn’t have in the original investigation.”

By July 2015, a tip regarding the brothers in connection with Crystal’s case was also submitted to Iowa Cold Cases.

The tipster alleged that on the evening of Crystal’s disappearance, David had borrowed his sister’s car. They also provided aliases used by both David and Steven, in addition to the names of their employers.

It appears that not much resulted from this tip, though. However, the 20-year-old’s disappearance continues to be investigated.

Most recently, in 2020, special agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation conducted a renewed search of Knickers Saloon. It is unclear whether or not anything was found during this effort, though, as that information has not been released.

Still, David Randall with the Dubuque Police Department claimed that he is “pretty confident” that “at some point,” Crystal’s case would be solved.

In the meantime, the young woman has remained missing for over 21 years, and her family has been left reeling.

“She had a legacy, and she was only just getting started in life. I mean, she was 20-years-old,” Crystal’s brother, Michael Beam, said.

At the time Crystal vanished, she was five foot six, weighed about 115 pounds, and had strawberry-blonde hair and brown eyes. If you have any information regarding her disappearance, you are urged to contact the Dubuque Police Department at (563) 589-4429.

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Katharina Buczek graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Digital Arts. Specializing ... More about Katharina Buczek

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