Iowa is not typically associated with high crime rates; however, there have been instances where deplorable acts have been committed. One example of these cases is the disappearance of teenager Jade Colvin, who was 14 when she went missing on June 10, 2016. Colvin had a rough childhood; she would flee to get away from her abusive dad, Kevin, and her mother, LaDawn, who had struggles with substance abuse, schizophrenia, and PTSD from her children’s father. This left Jade without a strong support system. According to 48 hours and direct messaging with Jade’s sister, she was placed in foster care at 13, and had been in nine different placements, but every time, she would run away because she wanted to be back with her mom. Even though prior escape attempts were deemed successful, circumstances were very different the last time she ran away. She had fled from the Iowa youth shelter where she was staying and went to Arizona. Some months later, LaDawn had come to get her. She took Jade to a farm in Decorah, Iowa, in Winneshiek County. LaDawn planned to get legal custody of her daughter, and if that failed, she would have Colvin hide out at the barn until she turned 18. While she was in hiding, she was still communicating with her family. Unfortunately, this didn’t last long. According to The Charley Project, the last time she contacted her loved ones was March 30, 2017.
The owner of the barn and land Jade was staying on was James Bachmurski. He was aware that the 14-year-old was staying on his land and would do things to help her, like when he bought Jade new clothes and undergarments from Walmart. Bachmurski and Colvin had a history prior to Jade staying on the farm. They had dated for several months and formed a strong bond. According to the Charley Project, Jade’s phone didn’t have service at the barn, so she would use Bachmurski’s phone to send messages. Before she disappeared, she was texting Bachmurski’s son, Bryan. Jade told him that his father was going to take her somewhere else that she could stay, and that she’d get a new identity. Jade promised Bryan that she would text him as soon as she got to where she was going, but she didn’t; Colvin simply vanished. According to Bryan, his father gave him many different explanations as to what happened to Jade, one of which was that she had moved to Tennessee and she became a “cam girl” or an actress in adult films. One of Bachmurski’s other sons noticed that Jade’s suitcase was still on the farm, even though she “left.” Bachmurski moved to Georgia and took the alias “Bob Sage” after selling the farm, around a year after Jade’s disappearance. James did not report Jade as missing because he didn’t want to admit to hiding a runaway. But what he is facing now is far worse than harboring a runaway.
After years of unanswered questions and the case going cold, Jade’s case became active once again in 2022. In Aug. of 2024, James Bachmurski was charged with second-degree murder involving Jade. This adds to Bachmurski’s lengthy criminal record. He pleaded guilty to assault, child endangerment, and harassment in 2012, on top of admitting to abusing his own children. In one instance, he threatened their lives with guns. He was convicted in September 2025 for the murder of Jade Colvin. He was sentenced in Oct. and received a maximum of 50 years in prison. Bachmurski will be eligible for parole in 2059. Jade Colvin was murdered by the man who was supposed to support and take care of her. She was doing what she was told to do in order to be back with her loved ones.
