Law enforcement has announced they have made an arrest in connection to the September death of a Webster City woman. Thirty-two-year-old Zackery Nelson Basset, of Webster City, was arrested Wednesday in St. Joseph, Mo. on a warrant for first-degree murder, a class A felony. On Sept. 22, the Webster City Police Department responded to a report from Basset that his girlfriend, 50-year-old Andrea Sokolowski, was unresponsive and not breathing. She was transported to the Van Diest Medical Center in Webster City where she was pronounced dead. The Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office in Ankeny determined her death was suspicious, but they are not releasing the manner or cause of death at this time. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) headed the investigation, with assistance from the Webster City Police Department, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and Hamilton County Attorney’s Office. Multiple out-of-state agencies also assisted, including: the St. Joseph, Mo. Police Department, Elwood, Kan. Police Department, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Doniphan County Sheriff’s Office and Doniphan County Attorney’s Office. Arrangements are being made for Bassett to be transported to Iowa to make an initial appearance. If found guilty of the charge, Basset faces a mandatory life sentence without the possibility for parole.
