Johnny Ray Dixon

How they died

Suicide

According to police, Johnny Ray Dixon slipped inside his ex-girlfriend's house sometime around 2 a.m. on September 27 and held her captive. She escaped shortly before noon and ran for help. Believing Dixon was still inside, Waterloo police surrounded the home for hours. They fired tear gas into the house, but Dixon was gone when they entered. For the next three days, police responded to sightings of Dixon, but didn't find him. Then at about 12:30 p.m. on September 30, police got a tip that Dixon was on the bike trail near Lookout Park. They located Dixon at about 1:30 p.m. and he reportedly threatened to harm himself when officers tried to get close. Police said that officers had been talking with Dixon in a wooded area for about two hours when he shot himself. Dixon died overnight at a hospital. Afterward, police said Dixon had likely been involved in the kidnapping of a mentally challenged man on Labor Day. Investigators initially were skeptical when David Foote, 49, said a man with a gun made him drive around the city on pointless errands, and then left him bound on his bed. Foote was found hanging September 10 in his home, a victim of suicide, police said.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Johnny Ray Dixon, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources