Ch. 7 -Cornfields and Conundrums - The Unresolved Story of Donna Tompkins

Welcome back, lovers of mystery, suspense, and true crime!

Get as comfy as you can as we descend back into this tantalizing paradox, this journey into Spoon River, a rustic valley and prairie plane where whispers of scandal filter through the rustling cornfields and linger in the quaint, hushed churches.

Let’s continue uncovering the mind-blowing case of Donna Tompkins, shall we...?

All right, let’s take a little walk through the wilds of America, where the sky goes on forever like you’re looking into a never-ending dream, and in this case, a nightmare unfolding right smack dab in the middle of the heartland, smack dab, between Chicago and St. Louis. Here we find a beautiful land, cradled by the strong arms of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. A land colored in a patchwork of maize, rye, and crazy tall Indian grass—once said, “You can barely see before the tip of your own nose, even perched on horseback!”

Below that big blue sky is a slice of heaven, with fields full of mooing cattle, more churches than you can shake a stick at, and a kind of peace that makes you feel like you’ve bumped into the divine.

The folks living here are as genuine as they come.

You take what you get—it’s as simple as that.

An absolute must-see around here is the annual Scenic Drive every late October.

And this drive has got it all: 100 miles of gorgeous scenery, vibrant fall colors, cute flea markets, carnival eats, and some really cool, if not odd, locally made art.

Trust me, when those maple leaves start to change, you gotta see it to believe it.

Now, once again, let’s take that trip back in time, all the way back to 1992—

Picture Donna Tompkins, living her best life on the back of Terry Haynes’ motorcycle, grinning ear to ear, autumn colors whizzing past her, as every twist and turn of the road in the Spoon River Valley delivers a rush of adrenaline and a feeling of pure joy.

But, somewhere between the scenic views, a corndog stop or two, and a few cold beers at Crossroads biker bar, Donna looks down and realizes she is her signet ring is gone. Donna loved all her jewelry, but this ring was a gift from her late mother and was irreplaceable. The discovery and loss are a gut punch to Donna, plunging her from cloud nine into the pits of despair in mere seconds.

We already know that Donna is far away from her family, who live back east, and she has been grieving her mother’s death alone, and we now learn that this ring was her safety blanket, so to speak.

Now, she finds herself exposed to the world.

Even her sister, Susan, thought it was crazy how Donna never took off her jewelry, even sleeping with it at night. Susan remembers her sister Donna visiting her at the University of Illinois in Champaign, sleeping on a pile of comforters on the floor, yet still rocking those shiny rings.

This annoyed Susan and drove her up a wall, but she got it—those rings meant the world to Donna.

Seeing Donna devastated, Terry would make a kind gesture to ease her pain a few days later. He heads up to Reichert’s Jewelry on the square in Canton and spots a class ring from 1938 with the initials CJH engraved inside.

Of course, it could never replace the keepsake, but Terry’s gesture means everything to Donna. And she slips it on and wears it daily, cherishing the new symbol of her mother’s love.

As we all know, Donna was born into a tight-knit family, moving away from home to attend college in Wisconsin and then to Canton, a quiet midwestern town—indeed, a significant change.

Donna spoke fondly of her big Catholic family, often painting such vivid pictures or familiar warmth it could make anyone feel homesick. And it seems like Donna was constantly in this state of longing.

When Donna moved to Canton in 1984, she had made a brave move considering she only had one aunt in town. And her dad worried about his adventurous daughter, who seemed to have dropped out of college to chase what might as well have been a bohemian lifestyle in San Francisco.

But, in reality, Donna was a graduate, choosing to settle down in the midwestern town, which streets were lined with more churches than bars.

Donna is a total sweetheart; she didn’t smoke, drink, or do drugs, as far as her family knew. And as far as the bigwigs at the Community Bank of Canton were concerned, as she quickly landed a job there as a secretary to the president—a testament to the high standards expected of her.

Expectations she took in her stride as she aspired to fulfill the vision her father had instilled in her, pursuing the dream of success with all her glorious might.

At work, Donna bumps into David Haynes, a good 10 years her senior, who’d just graduated from law school and found himself once flat broke, strolled into the bank on his first day in town and wanted to open an account for the bankroll he’d hoped would trickle in at the local law firm that had hired him on.

David thought Donna was the prettiest thing he’d seen since he rolled into town and asked her out, and they had a good time, but as mentioned before, there was not quite the magic they had hoped for.

So, they settled into being buddies, as David had told us in his interview a few chapters back.

Rumors start swirling at the bank that Donna is seeing a man named Kenneth Owens, who turns out to be the bank director and a crazy 30 years her senior.

(24 to 54: a picture for your head.)

Their relationship kicks off in the fall of ’85 when Kenneth takes her on a tractor ride across his farm. Although there are shovel loads of whispers and sideways looks from bank colleagues, they openly and shamelessly enjoy their time together.

On the surface, Donna isn’t really one for the wildlife—not into drugs or booze, as mentioned—but with Old Ken, of course, she doesn’t say no to a tumbler of Jack, a splash of water, or a glass vino at dinner nor down on the farm.

Rural life seems to take to Donna and her to it, and Kenneth is also quite smitten with her—comparing her figure to that of a Playboy model with a forte for Italian cooking.

Kenneth is dealing with a long, troubled divorce at the time, and his wife is none too thrilled about his new, younger girlfriend. So much so that one day, she storms into the bank demanding to know where “Ken’s latest conquest” is—and things kind of fall apart afterward.

Around the same time, Donna starts seeing another wealthy guy from Chicago, with the last name, Jirocco—first name unknown.

And she also dates a farmer her own age who raises pigs and sheep near Cuba, IL.

When the Community Bank shuts down its trust department in ’88, Donna reaches out to her old friend David. Realizing things weren’t working out practicing law, David had moved on to work as a trust officer for the National Bank of Canton, and Donna wanted to know if it’d be awkward if they worked together.

He said, “Are you kidding me? It wouldn’t be a problem at all—come on down!”

Literally, the trust department is officed in the basement of a building just a block off the town square.

Soon, Donna is David’s right-hand woman, a role she absolutely loves.

But only some are thrilled with her rapid promotion.

Regardless, Donna is happy and finally feels she has gotten her foot in the door for a chance at success—climbing that corporate ladder and making her dad proud.

Now, if only she can settle down and get married, her father holds hope.

Though Donna enjoys luxurious weekends in the big city with Mr. Jirocco, she feels that downhome pull for local pig farmer Jon Tompkins who sees what stands before him and wastes no time popping the question.

Life down on the farm is a massive shift for Donna, but she dives right into the dirt. Out goes the skirts; in comes the plaid shirts, stonewashed jeans, and a conservative bob. And some large 80s glasses, and we see a nuanced portrait of prime American Gothic.

Then, boom—Donna is pregnant!

She gave birth to Justine Nicole Tompkins on September 4th, 1989, and motherhood is excellent.

But Donna finds herself suddenly trapped in the loneliness of a rural farmhouse and decides to return to her bank job—Jon is often away on the farm anyhow.

And this new adjustment doesn’t leave Donna much time with Justine, and their new roles as parents strain the relationship.

To top it off, Jon seems to think that Donna is resisting her role as the farmer’s wife and sees her as a 90’s gal, a career woman of the new decade.

Also, Donna wants to get her master’s degree, but Jon insists she cut back on work, let alone go back to school, and accuses her of not wanting to spend time with the family.

He makes fun of her for talking to her sick mom so often on the phone, even suggesting her mother’s cancer is all an act, a pretense she is putting on so she doesn’t have to spend time with her husband.

I would have left the idiot right there and then; just saying.

They begin to argue about disciplining Justine properly, and Donna feels like she is raising their daughter alone—Jon only plays the dad card when it is convenient.

And when Donna decides she doesn’t want any more kids—for good reason—their marriage starts heading downhill pretty fast.

Jon becomes more and more aggressive, his temper with a short fuse. By this point, they can barely talk to each other, and by the time Donna starts her night classes, Jon’s constant lying and lack of support when Donna’s mom passes away cause a huge blow-up.  

I might add that the Tompkins are a well-known family in Fulton County, landowners big on farming and producing grade-A track stars. But Jon’s glory days from high school have long faded by now, and the pressure of adult life is catching up. Also, the farm could be doing better, money is tight, and his family relationships could be better, to say the least. And things hit the fan when an aunt catches Jon doing something inappropriate with one of the animals, which crosses a line for the family—as it should have.

In 1991, the couple attempted to get some help from Pastor Mike Boyle, but without fully committing to the process, the counseling failed to make a positive difference.

In the middle of all this tragic drama, Jon thinks it would be a good idea to ask Donna to sign a $100,000 note for a new hog confinement building.

And as rumors of his unsavory behavior with the animals spread and debates over who should care for the sheep heat up, Jon’s father decides it is time for him to leave the farm.

This leads to a massive fight between Jon and Donna, which gets physical. And in April of 1992, Donna has had enough and leaves Jon, taking Justine with her to Canton to reclaim her life and a sense of sanity.

Donna is looking forward and more determined than ever to live out her dream life. She wants to make her father proud, but even more than that, she wants to live to the fullest, especially now that she has a taste of how short life can be due to her mother’s untimely death.

Donna, no doubt, as an adult, knows that actions have consequences—something she tries to impress upon Justine. And as she juggles motherhood, societal expectations, and her personal ambition, she has no idea she is setting the stage for some dark stuff to happen, to say the least.

Once again, we find ourselves with plenty of theories to delve into, such as the rabbit hole of Jon’s erratic behavior due to his financial stress and, no doubt, the sinister impulses accompanying desperation, greed, and public humiliation.

But to what degree does Donna’s own sense of societal pressures contribute to the marriage’s downfall?

Has Kenneth’s influence played a role in Donna’s progression in her field?

What about David and that mysterious Mr. Jirocco – could he have had an ulterior motive that would grind that progress to a sudden halt?

In such a small-town setting, how have the rumors and gossip impacted Donna’s relationships and career?

But one thing is clear: everyone has secrets, and in a small town, they have a way of coming out.

As we close this chapter, let’s remember that this case isn’t just another story—instead, it’s a look into the life of a woman who dared to dream, faced adversity head-on, and sought to live on her own terms. And in the small town of Canton, amid whispers, rumors, and the shroud of mystery draped about such tragic events, Donna Tompkins emerges as a symbol of resilience and ambition.

As true crime enthusiasts, we’re drawn to these mysteries not just for the thrill but to understand the human story behind the headlines. As we keep exploring, let’s remember to honor the real people involved, their lives, dreams, and struggles.

Until next time, keep your detective hats on and remember those keys that unlock the mysteries are often the smallest, most tarnished, and insignificant looking of the bunch lying at the back of the drawer.

See ya next time, sleuths!

Cheers, and safe travels,

Tati