Federal, state authorities to investigate exhumation of possible Iowa serial killer's burial grounds

Both federal, state and local law enforcement officials will meet soon to discuss the possibility of exhuming the suspected burial grounds of an Iowa man whose daughter has alleged he was a prolific serial killer. 

Local authorities in Fremont County, Iowa, have been aware since 2007 of the possibility of bodies being buried on rural property in the county. The sheriff's department says Lucy Studey approached deputies that year claiming that her father Donald Dean Studey had killed many people years before and had used her to help bury the bodies. 

Police have been unable to verify those claims, but officials recently paid a visit to the alleged burial ground with cadaver dogs; while there the dogs indicated the presence of possible bodies, the sheriff's office said. 

Deputy Sheriff Tim Bothwell this week told local station WHO13 that, with renewed interest being paid to the allegations, "Federal Bureau of Investigation and Iowa’s Division of Criminal Investigation will be meeting with Fremont officials next week," according to the news network.

"All three agencies will discuss the best way to move forward, which could be an excavation with funding help from the state and federal entities," the network said. 

The exhumation of the alleged burial plots has been estimated at around $300,000, roughly one-sixth of the county's law enforcement budget.