It was June 18, 2021. Night had settled over the cornfields of Traer, Iowa.
Ryan Cooper, a fourth-generation farmer, was at home with his wife, Karina, and their three children. Ryan had fallen asleep on the living room recliner — not unusual after a long day working the land.
But around 4:30 a.m., Ryan’s brother Aaron, who lived a mile down the road, received a phone call. It was Karina, screaming that there was someone in their house.
Aaron called 911, rushed to his brother’s home, and walked into a nightmare. Ryan Cooper was dead on the recliner, blood everywhere. Karina was inconsolable.
As the investigation into Ryan’s murder progressed, what police thought might be a burglary was revealed to be something much darker.
To find out what happened, watch the full episode “The Farmer’s Wife,” which is available to watch on Peacock now.
You can also watch on the NBC app or listen to the full episode on our podcast.
Plus, watch loved ones remember Ryan as a great friend and dad, whose legacy will live on in his children and the farm he loved.
Then listen to this week’s episode of Talking Dateline, in which Andrea Canning and Josh Mankiewicz take you behind the scenes of the episode.