A case resolved after five decades. An 84-year-old man has just been arrested for the murder of Mary K. Schlais, a 25-year-old woman, found dead in Wisconsin in 1974, CNN reported this Friday, November 8.
Jon K. Miller, originally from Owatonna, Minnesota, was arrested Thursday by local police after “admitting his involvement” in the death of the young woman 50 years ago, the sheriff’s office detailed in a press release. of Dunn County, in charge of the investigation. The octogenarian is currently incarcerated in his home state awaiting extradition to Wisconsin.
“This is a great victory for our unit. This is the first time we’ve used genetic genealogy to solve a case,” Dunn County Sheriff Kevin Bygd said at a news conference Friday. “I think it’s even a relief for Jon K. Miller after having lived with this for 50 years. He must have thought about it almost every day. You would think that would be the case for anyone with a conscience,” he continued.
Since the body of Mary K. Schlais was found in the hamlet of Spring Book on February 15, 1974, several investigators had been tasked with the investigation over the years, without success. No progress had made it possible to conclusively trace a suspect, despite numerous successive analyzes carried out as scientific progress progressed.
But in recent years, the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office has begun working collaboratively with genetic genealogists at Ramapo University in New Jersey. Genetic genealogy used for forensic purposes can generate leads for cold cases by analyzing the DNA of suspects, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Kevin Bygd, however, did not discuss in detail the research process which made it possible to trace the 84-year-old suspect. Ramapo University is scheduled to hold a press conference this Monday to provide further details on the analyzes carried out. The sheriff admitted, however, that the analyzes had given them a hard time because Jon K. Miller had been adopted.
Mary K. Schlais’ family expressed relief and thanks to local authorities, Dan Westland and Jason Stocker, the two investigators who worked on the case, said at the news conference.
