BELLEVUE, IOWA – An Iowa man is behind bars after a long investigation into the vicious stabbing death of another man.
On Sunday, December 25, 2016, the Bellevue Police Department (BPD) was called to the residence of James Michael Remakel located at 606 South Riverview Drive. Upon arrival, law enforcement found a door which appeared to have been forced open. Once inside, Remakel was found deceased in his residence. Bellevue Police requested assistance from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) with the suspicious death investigation.
An autopsy of Remakel was conducted on Tuesday, December 28, 2016, at the Office of the Iowa State Medical Examiner in Ankeny, Iowa. Results of the autopsy showed Remakel sustained multiple sharp force wounds throughout his upper torso, neck, face, and head area, which lead to his death. The death was ruled a homicide.
As the investigation unfolded, Drew Alan Mangler, age 23 of Dubuque, Iowa, became a suspect and an arrest warrant was issued on May 17, 2018. On Friday, May 18, 2018, authorities took MANGLER into custody without incident. MANGLER has been charged with Murder in the First Degree in violation of Iowa Criminal Code Sections 707.1 and 707.2(1). He is currently being housed in the Jackson County Jail. A First Degree Murder conviction carries a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole.
The multi-jurisdictional investigation included the Bellevue Police Department, Iowa Department of Public Safety’s Division of Criminal Investigation, Division of Criminal Investigation Criminalistics’ Laboratory, Dubuque Police Department, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson County Attorney’s Office and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.
