Crystal Ann Arensdorf is a kind, funny, outgoing, young woman with an infectious smile.

Crystal is a beautiful, genuine person, inside and out. She was kind and would give someone the shirt off her back if they needed it. Crystal is a down-to-earth young woman who loves children, and has an infectious smile. She genuinely cares about people’s feelings and would always try to go the extra mile to help a stranger.

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

Crystal grew up in Dubuque, IA with 6 full and half-siblings, though she did move frequently as a child. Crystal was very close to her family members and truly cherished time spent with them. At the time of her disappearance, Crystal was living in Dubuque, IA with her boyfriend, Tim and was working at a house-cleaning business. At only 20 years old, Crystal had her whole life ahead of her.

“She’s kind of quiet when you first meet her, but once you get to know her, she’s actually just really down to earth, a genuinely nice person. She was always concerned about other people’s feelings and always tried to go out of her way to help people out.” - Shawn Runde, Crystal’s sister.

Crystal vanished from a bar on July 4, 2001.

On the evening of July 4, 2001, Crystal watched a fireworks show near the Mississippi River with her sister, Jennifer, at a friend’s home. After the fireworks ended, Crystal calls her boyfriend, Tim, and the couple reportedly have a disagreement. After, Crystal and Jennifer traveled to Knickers Saloon in downtown Dubuque, IA, where they met up with several friends.

While at the bar, Crystal makes plans with a bartender, Robert Mootz, to share a cab to East Dubuque, IL after his shift ends. However, when he finished his shift around 2:30 am, Crystal was nowhere to be found. Crystal’s friends had already left the bar and Jennifer had taken Crystal’s car with worries of her sister drinking and driving. No one saw Crystal leave the bar and her keys and money were left behind at the saloon. She was officially last seen inside around 2:00 am.

The search for Crystal begins the following morning.

The following morning, Jennifer, Crystal’s sister, worried for her sister when Crystal didn’t come to pick up her car. When they attempted to report Crystal missing, her family was told that they had to wait 24 hours to file the report. While waiting, they decide to go door-to-door to ask if anyone had seen or heard from Crystal.

Around a week after Crystal’s disappearance, authorities conducted a search of an area surrounding Leisure Lake in Iowa. The findings of this search, if any, have not been released. According to an article written by the Telegraph Herald, investigators followed up on hundreds of leads in 2001, searched bodies of water, areas of land, garages, and basements. They even brought cadaver dogs to help search for any sign of Crystal, without luck.

Two persons of interest are identified.

Crystal’s boyfriend, Tim, was cleared as a suspect by authorities in October of 2001. However, in April of 2002, two brothers, Steven and David Peacock, who were at Knickers Saloon on the night of Crystal’s disappearance were interviewed, questioned, and given polygraph examinations. Around this time, David’s car is also searched.

“Back then, they were talked to as suspects. I think when you’re talked to as a suspect, rather than a witness, then maybe you don’t give as much information. It doesn’t mean you’re not a suspect. They’re 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.” - David Randall, Dubuque Police Department Investigator.

In 2015, a cold case advocacy website received a tip.

In July of 2015, Iowa Cold Cases received a tip regarding Crystal’s case. The tipster reported that David Peacock had borrowed his sister’s car on the night of Crystal’s disappearance. The tipster also provided current aliases for both David and Steven as well as the names of their employers.

Where the case stands today.

In 2020, special agents with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted a search of Knickers Saloon, where Crystal was last seen in July of 2001. Whether anything was found during this search has not been released.

“We’re pretty confident that we’ll be able to at some point, maybe not us, but at some point, we’re very confident that this can get solved.” - David Randall, Dubuque Police Department Investigator.

Crystal has remained missing for the past 21 years and authorities remain confident that they will solve her case. If you have any information regarding Crystal’s disappearance or her whereabouts, please contact the Dubuque Police Department at (563) 589-4429 or (563) 587-3813. You can also send your tip in an email to nschloss@cityofdubuque.org or drandall@cityofdubuque.org. There is a combined $12,500 reward for information in Crystal’s case.

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

At the time of her disappearance in 2001, Crystal was described as a 20 year old caucasian woman with strawberry blonde hair and brown eyes. She was 5’6” tall and weighed approximately 115 lbs. Crystal has double piercings in each ear and a mole near her navel.