Angela Bradbury, Nathan Gilmore
A 23-year-old man from Osage, Iowa, who stands accused of murdering Angela Nicole Bradbury, 29, in April 2021 was allegedly found to have drawn a “satanic goat’s head in the shape of a pentagram” on a whiteboard along with a series of numbers that investigators view as significant.
According to the criminal complaint dated Aug. 19, authorities believe Nathan James Gilmore committed first-degree murder “on or about April 6th, 2021,” the day Bradbury was last seen. In July 2021, authorities said, a teen found a human skull at Greenbelt River Trail Park, “located just south of Mitchell, Iowa.” Investigators said that they only confirmed at the time that the skull belonged to a female.
In February 2022, the Cerro Gordo Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook that Bradbury was considered a missing person after she was reported as such at the beginning of the month.
“On February 2, 2022, the family of Angela Bradbury reported her as a missing person, to the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office (CGCSO),” authorities said in the Gilmore complaint. “The family reported that they had not had contact with Bradbury since April of 2021. Bradbury’s family also provided DNA samples and dental records for Bradbury to law enforcement, which were subsequently provided to the DCI Lab and IOSME, respectively.”
According to the complaint, investigators determined on Feb. 11, 2022 that the skull was Bradbury’s. After “additional remains” were found in the park the next month, Bradbury’s “manner of death” was found to be “homicide,” authorities said.
Featured prominently in the complaint was a detail about Snapchat messages Gilmore allegedly wrote to a friend of an ex-girlfriend threatening that man he’d “be lookin like the body they found outside Mitchell boy.”
Gilmore also said the sound a dying person makes when stabbed in the neck and bleeding out “makes me hard.”
“Wanna see a dead body?” the suspect allegedly asked — after the skull was found in July 2021 but before additional human remains were found.
Authorities said that they interviewed the suspect on Aug. 19, 2022, and that his story changed at least twice.
“During the interview, Gilmore described being present in the park the day that the skull was discovered and stated that he spoke with law enforcement who were present at the scene. Gilmore provided an accurate description of the skull,” the complaint alleged. “Gilmore initially attributed his knowledge of the found remains to media reports and information around town but climbed that he did not know specific information about the remains, or about the woman who the remains were ultimately identified as being.”
Investigators claimed that the suspect eventually admitted “picking up a woman near the Cerro Gordon County Jail” on April 6, 2021 — the day Bradbury was last seen — while he was “at the jail for a court hearing.”
“Gilmore said that the woman had been in jail for trespassing. Gilmore said he took her to a house in the southern part of Mason City and initially said that Bradbury remained at the house and he left, going back to work in St. Ansgar,” documents said. But the suspect’s story changed again, authorities alleged.
Gilmore allegedly said he left the house with Bradbury and dropped her off five blocks away — never to see her again.
“Gilmore stated that he went and had lunch at his parent’s house in St. Ansgar, before returning to work and finishing out his day, working the remaining 5 hours of his shift,” the complaint said. “Gilmore stated that he went home after work and didn’t go angrier the rest of the night.”
But that’s not what GPS records show, investigators said.
“GPS records obtained from Gilmore’s Facebook account showed that on the evening of April 6, 2021, Gilmore’s Facebook account was active in an area northwest of Greenbelt River Trail Park at approximately 7:21 pm and active in an area southeast of the Greenbelt River Trail Park at approximately 8:37 pm, before records show his account active back in the St. Angsar area,” the complaint continued.
A search of the suspect’s Osage home on the day that authorities interviewed him revealed even more incriminating evidence, the complaint said.
“[A] drawing was found affixed to a whiteboard in Gilmore’s living room. This drawing depicted a satanic goat’s head in the shape of a pentagram with what appeared to be blood spatters drawn on it. Written on the drawing, next to the goat head, were the numbers ‘o4-06,’ ‘0590,’ and ‘43.3, -92.8.'”
Investigators took those numbers to mean the following: 04-06, the date Bradbury was last seen alive; 0590, a possible Urban Dictionary acronym meaning “someone is tired of living”; 43.3, -92.8, numbers “appear[ing] to coincide with an abbreviated GPS coordinate for Greenbelt River Trail Park.”
Family said in Bradbury’s obituary said that their loved one was “taken from us too soon, but we believe has found her peace and comfort in the arms of Jesus.”
“She enjoyed growing up on the farm in Nora Springs and graduated from Central Springs High School in Manly in 2010. Angela had a special place in her heart for animals, especially her beloved Chihuahua, Batman. She was always kind to the ‘underdogs’ among us and those who knew her were blessed by her hugs, beautiful smile and special little giggle. She will be sadly missed by many family and friends,” the obituary said, noting that Bradbury is survived by her parents, siblings, and many extended family members.
[Images via Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office, Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office]
Follow Law&Crime:
