January 6 committee to discuss potential criminal referrals at Friday meeting, and if they didn’t receive referrals before Nov. 15, they were told to contact the DA or the Attorney General’s office.
“We don’t want anyone to be victimized, but it’s very obvious that these people are predators and we have to be proactive about notifying them,” Dorn said.
On Thursday, the department held a hearing on the matter where both state attorneys general presented their plans to combat sexual assault. The department approved the plans and forwarded them to the Board of Commissioners.
State Rep. John Hucker, who represents the district where Bynum lives in east Des Moines, submitted a letter urging the commissioners to adopt all of the recommendations.
A woman who answered the phone at Bynum’s home in her office on Thursday afternoon said the house was vacant when police arrived and would not give her comment.
She had been told a report is due in the next few weeks. She referred all questions to the county attorney.
“It’s just been a roller coaster of emotions for the family,” said Lori Hildenbrand, who described herself on Thursday as Bynum’s mother-in-law. “Now that things have slowed down, it’s hard to tell the story I want to tell the public and what I’ve been through.
“I’m just so excited for this next phase of what we’re doing.”
More information about the work, including statistics from the national center for missing and murdered women, is available online.
