Waterloo kidnapper and child molster dies in prison from Covid-19 complications

IOWA CITY – A Waterloo kidnapper and child molster has died in prison from Covid-19 complications.

Dale Dean Viers was pronounced dead, likely due to complications related to COVID-19 and other preexisting medical conditions at approximate 4:40 a.m. on Sunday, December 20, 2020 at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Originally housed at the Iowa State Penitentiary, he had been taken to the hospital several days earlier for more advanced care as his medical condition began to worsen. Viers was 58 years old at the time of his death.

Viers had been serving a life sentence for Kidnapping 1st Degree from Black Hawk County. His sentence began on March 30, 1995.

The Waterloo Courier reported that “Authorities said Viers approached a 13-year-old girl as she rode her bike to the library on July 4, 1994. He threatened to break her neck and kill her, grabbed her and took under the railroad bridge on Independence Avenue where he sexually abused her. According to Courier archives, Viers had a prior conviction for raping another teen while she was out delivering newspapers in 1985.”