A 50-year-old murder mystery is solved: the now 84-year-old man is arrested and confirms his involvement

A 50-year-old murder mystery in Wisconsin was finally solved using genetic genealogy, leading to the arrest of an 84-year-old Minnesota man. 25-year-old Mary K. Schlais was found dead near an intersection in Spring Brook, Wisconsin, USA on February 15, 1974.

Investigators determined she was hitchhiking to an art exhibit in Chicago when she was killed. Her death was ruled a homicide. But despite years of efforts by multiple law enforcement agencies, no viable suspects have been identified — until now, CNN reported.

The suspect, Jon Miller of Owatonna, Minnesota, was arrested on November 7th. Dunn County Sheriff Kevin Bygd said that Miller, now incarcerated in Steele County, Minnesota, had “confirmed his involvement” in Schlais' murder. Authorities are working to extradite him to Wisconsin for further proceedings.

Sheriff Bygd said solving this case was a “huge victory” for his department because it was the first time it had used genetic genealogy.

Over the years, the evidence from the case has been examined repeatedly, but traditional methods alone have failed to produce conclusive leads.

However, when the Dunn County Sheriff's Office began working with genetic genealogists from Ramapo College in New Jersey, they used DNA evidence to determine Miller's identity.

Genetic genealogy combines DNA analysis with family history research to identify suspects in unsolved cases. The process can be complex and costly, but the university has provided valuable assistance, Bygd said.

He also noted that Miller's adoption complicated the search for the family's lineage. But the team managed to overcome the challenge and eventually got Miller to acknowledge his role in Schlais' death.

“…someone with a conscience”

“I think it must even be a relief for him after living with it for 50 years. It must have been on his mind almost every day. You would think that this would be the case for anyone with a conscience. So I think he personally had enough of fighting it,” CNN quoted Sheriff Bygd as saying.