Two men were sentenced Monday to a combined 45 years in federal prison for their roles in the 2019 death of an 18-year-old Nebraska woman whose body was never found, with a U.S. District judge stating he believed one of the men intentionally killed her before covering up the crime.
Background
Sunny Sramek disappeared over Easter weekend in 2019 after telling friends and family she was going on what she believed would be a day trip to Omaha, Nebraska, according to trial evidence. Federal prosecutors said Floyd Clifford Coates Jr., then 48, arranged a methamphetamine resupply journey that extended far beyond the simple outing Sramek had been promised.
Prosecutors presented evidence at an 11-day federal trial showing Coates convinced an Iowa woman to drive him from Blair, Nebraska, to Kansas City, Missouri. Meanwhile, Coates traveled separately to Blair with Sramek, who prosecutors said apparently had no idea the trip would continue beyond Omaha.
When the woman arrived in Blair to pick up Coates, she found Sramek motionless inside Coates' wife's white Ford Explorer, according to witness testimony. The witness described seeing fluids running from the teen's mouth, one bare foot propped on the dashboard, and the vehicle's front window shattered from the inside.
The Investigation
According to prosecutors, Coates told the woman he had given Sramek methamphetamine and claimed she had overdosed. Instead of continuing to Kansas City as originally planned, Coates directed the woman to drive to a rural Iowa home near the Missouri River belonging to Dennis Lawson, 60, who is Coates' former brother-in-law.
Witness testimony indicated that both men disappeared together for a period after arriving at Lawson's property. When they returned, Sramek's body was gone.
Federal prosecutors said forensic testing found Sramek's DNA inside the Ford Explorer, along with evidence suggesting she struggled inside the vehicle. An FBI geologist testified the broken window was consistent with being kicked from inside the SUV, while a medical examiner said the convulsions described by witnesses were consistent with a fatal methamphetamine overdose.
Investigators never recovered Sramek's body. However, prosecutors said Coates later gave conflicting accounts of what happened—at times claiming Sramek overdosed and at others telling fellow inmates he killed her after raping her. In both versions, according to authorities, he allegedly said he disposed of her body in the Missouri River.
The Charges
Coates was convicted of drug trafficking, firearms and obstruction-related offenses. Lawson was convicted of threatening a key witness. Neither man was convicted of murder.
U.S. District Judge Leonard T. Strand made clear at Monday's sentencing that he believed Coates was responsible for Sramek's death despite the lack of a homicide conviction.
"Coates intentionally caused the death of Sunny Sramek" and then "covered up the crime," the judge said, according to prosecutors.
According to trial evidence, Coates later boasted, "No body, no case," and asked another person whether one could be charged with murder if there was no body.
Key Takeaways
- Floyd Clifford Coates Jr., 48, was sentenced Monday to 35 years in federal prison for drug trafficking, firearms and obstruction-related offenses.
- Dennis Lawson, 60, received a 10-year sentence for threatening a witness who had helped clean out the SUV after Sramek's death.
- Neither man was convicted of murder; prosecutors pursued other charges given the absence of a body.
- DNA evidence matching Sunny Sramek was found inside the Ford Explorer, and an FBI geologist testified the shattered window was consistent with being kicked from inside the vehicle.
- Judge Leonard T. Strand stated at sentencing that he believed Coates intentionally caused Sramek's death before covering up the crime.
What's Next
Both men will begin serving their sentences immediately in federal prison. Investigators have not recovered Sunny Sramek's body, and the investigation into her death remains open. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Iowa indicated that while Monday's sentencings bring some closure to the case, they hope the resolution provides comfort to Sramek's family and friends who have waited more than seven years for accountability.
"Seven years and three months after Sunny Sramek left home, a thuggish coward and a cowardly thug are going to prison for their roles in her death," U.S. Attorney Leif Olson said following the sentencing.