Walker man died of ‘sharp-force injuries,’ autopsy reveals

CEDAR RAPIDS - Christopher Bagley of Walker, who was found buried last week in a yard in southeast Cedar Rapids, died of 'sharp-force injuries,” the state medical examiner concluded.

'Sharp-force injuries” could indicate a fatal stabbing by a knife or other sharp object.

Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner on Tuesday confirmed the identification of Bagley and the manner of his death.

Bagley, 31, had been missing since Dec. 14.

No one has been arrested in the case, and the investigation continues, Gardner said.

Bagley's father, Stewart Bagley, who had offered a $25,000 for information on his son's disappearance, told The Gazette on Friday the body was his son's.

Sheriff's investigators have declined to say how the property where the body was found is connected to Bagley or the crime.

The property is in a residential neighborhood in the 4000 block of Soutter Avenue SE, north of Mount Vernon Road SE and west of East Post Road SE.

Bagley, who left his Walker home late in the evening of Dec. 13, told his wife he'd be back shortly and left with someone she didn't know, leaving behind his wallet and his truck, the sheriff's office said in a Dec. 28 news release.

Bagley, a father of two, was seen early the morning of Dec. 14 in the Cedar Rapids area but had not been seen or heard from since.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation assisted in gathering information that led to finding the body, the sheriff's office has said.

l Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com