Unsolved case in Wisconsin: Minnesota man Jon Miller charged with murder of hitchhiker Mary K. Schlais in Spring Brook, Dunn County

OWATONNA, Minnesota — An 84-year-old southern Minnesota man has been charged with murder in a 50-year-old Wisconsin unsolved case once thought to be the work of a notorious serial killer and former Green Bay Packer.

On February 15, 1974, Mary K. Schlais was found dead at an intersection in Spring Brook Township, Dunn County, according to the sheriff’s office. Police said it was a murder.

Schlais was from Minneapolis, and police believed he was hitchhiking to Chicago for an art show.

Decades passed as investigators followed leads, conducted interviews, and examined evidence. The Dunn County Sheriff’s Office said it used genetic evidence to locate and arrest Jon Miller of Owatonna.

Authorities charged Miller with first-degree murder Thursday, according to court records. He remains in custody and awaits extradition to Wisconsin.

How did authorities identify Miller as a suspect?

The charges filed Thursday state that investigators found a stocking cap near Schlais’ body in 1974 and collected hair from it.

Years later, investigators used these hairs to create a DNA profile of the suspect. It joined forces with Ramapo College in Dunn County, New Jersey, which specializes in genetic genology. Authorities were led to Miller after interviewing multiple potential relatives and collecting DNA, the criminal complaint states.

Before speaking to Miller, authorities went to his daughter and took her genetic profile. The investigation showed that the hair on the sock belonged to her biological father. Investigators say the fact that Miller was adopted made it difficult to find him initially.

On Thursday, investigators interviewed Miller, who initially denied knowledge of Schlais’ murder. When told about the DNA evidence, Miller admitted to picking up Schlais while hitchhiking and asking for “sexual contact,” the complaint states.

The suspect allegedly told investigators that when the woman said no, he took a knife he had put in the car and fatally stabbed her in the back.

Schlais had multiple stab wounds, including defensive wounds to his hands, when he was found dead, according to the complaint.

Miller said he tried to get off the highway and hide Schlais’ body in a snowbank, but was frightened when a car passed and left the area, according to the complaint.

Miller also admitted that the sock found at the scene belonged to him, the complaint states. Following an interview with investigators, he was arrested and is being held in the Steele County Jail.

“We were sitting at the kitchen table last night and we got a call,” said Mary Dodge, who lives with her husband, Jack, near the wooded area where investigators found Schlais’ body. Their neighbor, Denny Anderson, was walking by Miller, who allegedly left Schlais’ body in the snow, and alerted authorities.

“Denny said he just looked at her as he passed her. He said he’ll never forget the look on his face,” Mary Dodge said.

Previous suspected serial killer accused of former Green Bay Packer

In 2009, Schlais’ body was exhumed, and DNA testing allowed investigators to identify a suspect two years later: Randall Woodfield, once drafted by the Green Bay Packers and later known as the I-5 killer.

Authorities have linked Woodfield to dozens of murders along Interstate 5 from Washington to California in the 1980s. He is in prison in connection with a murder but has not confessed to any murders.

Authorities determined Woodfield was traveling from Portland to Green Bay around the time Schlais was killed and matched a witness’ description of the suspect. Woodfield was never linked to or charged with Schlais’ murder.

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