MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF: Rowena Wilkinson Zapalac
For decades, police said Rowena Wilkinson Zapalac died via suicide by masturbation. But her family always believed there was more to Rowena’s death than met the eye. Could she have been the victim of a serial killer passing through Texas, or could her case be connected to two other women who died in the same small Texas town – all linked to one local man?
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Rowena Wilkinson Zapalac
Courtesy: Joleta Wilkinson
Rowena and her younger sister Joleta
Courtesy: Joleta Wilkinson
Rowena Wilkinson Zapalac
Courtesy: Joleta Wilkinson
Rowena and her husband, Thomas
Courtesy: Joleta Wilkinson
Rowena and her son, Brandon
Courtesy: Joleta Wilkinson
Rowena riding her horse at a rodeo.
Courtesy: Joleta Wilkinson
Timeline:
Cooper Cherry’s first wife, Rhonda Stahl, dies in a single-car rollover crash. No autopsy is performed; death is ruled accidental.
Melody Ann Bush, 26, argues with her husband at the Antlers Inn. She leaves barefoot and walks to the Stag Club.
Melody’s body is found a few miles north of Flatonia. The medical examiner lists the cause of death as acute acetone poisoning. Her death is ruled a homicide.
Rowena and her neighbor and friend Ruby Cherry go out with a group of friends and end up at the Stag Club.
4:00 am
After a night out, Rowena and Ruby return to their apartments above the saddle shop.
Later that day
Rowena Wilkinson Zapalac is found dead in her Flatonia apartment. Fayette County Sheriff’s Office later rules her death a suicide by autoerotic asphyxiation.
Rowena’s sister, Joleta Wilkinson, and their father clean Rowena’s apartment and find a broken acrylic nail with blood, scattered pennies, and water still in the shower.
The case is closed the same day it opens; investigators cite no forced entry and no signs of sexual assault.
Autopsy notes sperm and hairs from another person, bruises consistent with being gripped from behind, and scratches on Rowena’s neck.
Cooper Cherry and friend Bart Moore are arrested for marijuana possession.
Colorado authorities receive a letter from serial killer Robert Charles Browne confessing to multiple murders and describing a killing in “Flatonia, Texas” around 1984–85. Texas Rangers later linked the description to Melody Bush’s case.
Robert Charles Browne writes investigators again with the words “Flatonia / Ether / Ice Pick.”
Texas Rangers contact Joleta Wilkinson to ask if her sister Rowena knew Melody Bush, suggesting a possible link between their deaths.
Rowena’s case remains officially ruled a suicide.
Joleta Wilkinson receives a call to meet with the Texas Rangers and Texas Attorney General’s Office to discuss re-opening Rowena’s case.
Muldoon, Texas
The town near where Cooper Cherry’s first wife, Rhonda Stahl, died in a fatal car accident between Muldoon and Flatonia.
Rowena’s Apartment
The former location of Rowena’s studio apartment and the scene of her suspicious death.
Antler’s Inn Motel/Stag Bar
The former location of the motel and adjacent in Flatonia bar where both Rowena and Melody Ann Bush were last seen alive.
Flatonia, Texas
The small Texas town where Rowena Wilkinson Zapalac and Melody Ann Bush spent their final nights.
Additional Info:
Fayette County Sheriff’s Office
If you have any information about the deaths of Rowena Wilkinson Zapalac or Melody Ann Bush, please contact the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office at (979) 968-5856 or email us at [email protected].
Petition
Click HERE to view and sign Joleta’s petition asking Fayette County to change Rowena’s manner of death on her death certificate to homicide.
We’d love to speak with you and see how we can support.
If you’re a law enforcement agency or family member of one of the people we mentioned in this episode, or if you’re looking for more coverage on a case, please reach out. You can email us at:
Episode Source Material
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Victoria Advocate (Victoria, TX): Sheriff Gives Details of Investigation, by Staff. Published September 25, 1984. Accessed October 27, 2025 via newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/439294237/
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Victoria Advocate (Victoria, TX): Investigation Continuing in Flatonia Case, by Staff. Published October 16, 1984. Accessed October 27, 2025 via newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/439256741/
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El Paso County, Colorado (2005, February). Robert Charles Browne [Arrest affidavit]. El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
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Various Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, Justice of the Peace, Medical Examiner, Texas Department of Public Safety documents. Accessed April – November 2025.
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Daniel DR, McAnalley BH, Garriott JC. Isopropyl alcohol metabolism after acute intoxication in humans. J Anal Toxicol. 1981 May-Jun;5(3):110-2. doi: 10.1093/jat/5.3.110. PMID: 7265921.
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Michaud, S. G., & Price, D.M. (2007). The Devil’s Right Hand Man: The True Story of Serial Killer Robert Charles Browne. Berkeley Books.
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Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Robert Charles Browne. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 19, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Charles_Browne
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Hinkle, J., & Barer, D. (n.d.). Body of evidence: A medical examiner’s missteps [Investigative article]. KXAN Investigates. Retrieved November 19, 2025, from https://media.psg.nexstardigital.net/kxan/story/body-of-evidence/index.html
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Anderson, J. (2011, October 4). Twist a Beads!. Like Totally 80s. Retrieved November 19, 2025, from http://www.liketotally80s.com/2011/10/twist-a-bead/
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Gainesville Sun. (1984, July 23). [Fashion’s twister beads can be mixed, matched]. Retrieved November 19, 2025, from https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1320&dat=19840723&id=9pkRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2-kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2669,2262343
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Byard, R. W., & Bramwell, N. H. (1988). Autoerotic death in females: An underdiagnosed syndrome? The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, 9(3), 252–254. https://doi.org/10.1097/00000433-198809000-00014
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Ancestry.com. (n.d.). Texas, U.S., Divorce Index, 1968–2010 [Database]. Ancestry. Retrieved November 19, 2025 from https://www.ancestry.com
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Smith Funeral Home — Flatonia. (2023, June 26). Cooper Dale Cherry, Sr. Retrieved November 19, 2025, from https://flatonia.smithfuneraltx.com/obituaries/cooper-cherry-sr
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Victoria Advocate (Victoria, TX): Woman Dies After Accident, by Staff. Published July 31, 1980. Accessed October 27, 2025 via https://www.newspapers.com/image/437170918/
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The Houston Chronicle (Houston, TX): Cherry by Staff. Published July 31, 1980. Accessed October 27, 2025 via https://www.newspapers.com/image/1202248071/
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Fayette County (1980). Rhonda Annette Cherry [Death certificate]. In Texas, U.S. Death Certificates, 1903-1982. Ancestry.com
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