By Caroline Lowe, WCCO-TV

(WCCO) — The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has a new, first-of-its-kind program to track down missing persons.

There are currently almost 800 missing adults in Minnesota and almost 260 unidentified remains and bodies in this state. The BCA has been working with local law enforcement and coroners and medical examiners to try to see how many of them might be matched.

They are providing DNA kits to local police agencies to give to relatives of missing persons to compare with DNA on bodies or remains they find.

The BCA has also started a new system where they will start tracking missing adults once they have been missing 30 days. Minnesota is the first state in the country to take this approach after such a short period of time.

They will collect photos, dental records and DNA so they have that information uploaded into local and national databases.

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New DNA Tool For BCA Beginning To Get Results

It’s been almost a year since the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension began a first of its kind program to try to match missing persons with unidentified remains.

The BCA has worked closely with local police to help them get every unsolved missing persons cases into their data base. BCA superintendent Tim O’Malley says the work is paying off.

“We had about 800 missing persons when we met a year ago about this project. It is down to about 600 and some now, in part because the data base is less cluttered. It has more accurate information now,” said O’Malley.

The BCA has sent out forensic kits to police departments across the state to help collect DNA, dental records, fingerprints and photographs from the relatives of missing people. Those relatives include the daughters of Georgia Smith.

Smith was a 76-year-old grandmother who left her Champlin, Minn. home almost nine years ago this summer. She was headed for her cabin in northwestern Wisconsin. She and her blue Mercedes have never been found.

Daughter Pam Dekok believes she was murdered. She and her sister were among the first relatives to submit DNA to the BCA to keep on file in case their mother’s remains turn up some day. While they doubt she is alive, Smith’s children want to find her remains to finally say goodbye.

As part of the BCA’s program, they have also been working with local medical examiners and coroners to get a master file of all unidentified bodies and remains they have come across in Minnesota. So far, they have recorded 52 cases.

O’Malley expects the number to reach 100. He is convinced it is just a matter of time when the two databases get some matches and provide answers for loved ones. DNA recently helped them identity a man from St. Paul who had committed suicide by jumping off a Mall of America parking ramp.

One still unsolved mystery involves a woman whose skull was in the Ramsey County morgue for several years after it was found in rural Washington County on the shores of Bone Lake in June of 1993. Police found her foot along the Mississippi River a few miles away. The data from the remains was loaded into both state and federal databases, which go back 50 years.

“It is one of the many areas where we can see advancements in both technology and forensics, making a difference in criminal investigation and really in every day life for people in Minnesota,” O’Malley said.

The BCA won’t enter a missing persons case into their database until the person has been gone 30 days.

By Caroline Lowe, WCCO-TV

(WCCO) — Minnesota prisons will soon be flooded with 10,000 decks of playing cards. These are not typical cards but rather ones with the photos of 52 murder victims and missing persons printed on them, along with information about the crimes.

A Florida cold case detective came up with the idea a couple of years ago and it has been getting success in the Sunshine State. So far, at least four cases have been cracked, thanks to inmates who dropped a dime.

Minnesota investigators are excited about the opportunity to have similar success here. The cards have photos submitted by local law enforcement agencies throughout the state which first obtained permission from the victims’ families. The card program is coordinated by the Minnesota Department of Corrections and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

BCA Superintendent Tim O’Malley says it makes sense to go behind bars where there is likely to be information about unsolved crimes — the equivalent of conducting 10,000 interviews at once.

The Minnesota cards are expected to be delivered by the middle of June. We will keep you posted on their success.

By Caroline Lowe, WCCO-TV

(WCCO) — It’s been over 12 years since anchorwoman Jodi Huisentruit was abducted on her way to work at a Mason City, Iowa TV station. There has been no trace of the missing anchorwoman ever since.

In 2005, Jodi’s closest friends from her hometown of Long Prairie, Minn., created a foundation called Jodi’s Network of Hope and have established a Web site with personal safety tips.

Mason City Police are still urging anyone with any information in the case to contact them at (641) 421-3636.

Link to “Nancy Grace: America’s Missing”

Find Jodi Website

By Caroline Lowe, WCCO-TV

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — After being convicted of first-degree murder for the stabbing death of 11-year-old Marcus Potts in North Minneapolis in 1990, Eugene Fort received a sentence of life in prison on Oct. 8, 2007.

Investigators said Fort stabbed Marcus Potts 44 times in the face and neck on Dec. 15, 1990. Police believe the child surprised Fort while he was trying to rob the Potts’ house 10 days before Christmas.

Marcus Potts’ mother found her son’s body in his bedroom around 2 a.m., when she returned from her bartending job.

Police have suspected Fort in the murder for nearly 16 years. A trail of bloody footprints lead police to Fort’s apartment and he was arrested back in 1990. He was later released because of a lack of evidence.

Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar said new DNA testing of the blood samples taken from Fort’s apartment tied him to Marcus Potts’ killing. She said there was also new information from witnesses.

By Caroline Lowe, WCCO-TV

ST. JOSEPH (WCCO) — “No case in the Midwest has changed how we parent our kids” more than that of Jacob Wetterling, said Stearns County Sheriff John Sanner.

It’s been almost 20 years since Jacob, then 11 years old, was abducted from his hometown of St. Joseph, Minn.

He, his brother Trevor and a friend of theirs were biking back home from a convenience store when a masked gunman took Jacob.

A huge search was undertaken to find Jacob, but he hasn’t been seen since his abduction on Oct. 22, 1989.

On his 29th birthday, his family released an age-enhanced photo of what Jacob might look like if somehow he is still alive today.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office at (320) 251-4240.

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By Caroline Lowe, WCCO-TV

LINWOOD TOWNSHIP (WCCO) — It’s been almost 32 years since 17-year-old Jeanine Warden was found almost dead in a ditch near her home in Linwood Township in rural Anoka County.

The high school junior was on her way home from a Future Farmer’s of America awards banquet in Forest Lake. She and a friend accepted a ride as they hitch-hiked home on April 1, 1977. The driver dropped them off close to their homes. The teens split up and ten minutes later a guy found Jeanine fatally injured in the ditch.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Anoka County Detective Jeff Schoeberl at 763-323-5044.

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It’s been almost 32 years since 17-year-old Jeanine Warden was found almost dead in a ditch near her home in Linwood Township in rural Anoka County.

The high school junior was on her way home from a Future Farmer’s of America awards banquet in Forest Lake. She and a friend accepted a ride as they hitch-hiked home on April 1, 1977. The driver dropped them off close to their homes. The teens split up and 10 minutes later a guy found Jeanine fatally injured in the ditch.

Fox six weeks, Warden’s mother Marlys Ostlund kept a vigil at her bedside in Region’s Hospital in St. Paul. But Jeanine never regained consciousness and died in May of that year.

“She was just 17, just at the beginning of her life, so full of life and to be taken away,” said Ostlund.

The death certificate lists her cause of death as “undetermined.”

Another mystery that haunts Ostlund is what happened to the powder-blue formal dress Jeanine carried in a bag with her that night that she wore at the banquet before changing for the walk home. Warden had worn the same dress in her sister’s wedding the year before.

Police investigated the death but couldn’t determine if Warden was pushed or fell from a vehicle that night in April more than three decades ago or if she was the victim of a hit and run.

The case eventually went cold. But Warden’s family never gave up hope for finding answers. They recently contacted WCCO-TV’s Caroline Lowe and Anoka County authorities, asking for help.

The sheriff’s department agreed to take a fresh look at the mysterious death, assigning a detective to the Warden case.

“I want answers,” said Ostlund. “Why? (To) the person that was responsible for her death — why?”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Anoka County Detective Jeff Schoeberl at 763-323-5044.

By Caroline Lowe, WCCO-TV

(WCCO) – Susan Petersen (left) and Susan Rheineck (right) were both found strangled to death in Highland Park in St. Paul two years apart — Peterson in 1983, Rheineck in 1985. Both cases are still unsolved.

It has been more than 25 years since a young woman named Susan was found murdered in St. Paul. On the very same date two years later — May 17, 1985 — another victim also named Susan was killed. Both victims were strangled and sexually assaulted.

For years, police feared a serial killer may have been targeting females named Susan, and staked out the areas where the victims were last seen and later found.

Detectives considered the possibility that the killer died or was in prison for another crime, but in 2009 came a surprising twist: DNA evidence submitted to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension determined two separate killers were to blame for the Susans’ deaths.

The DNA results were entered into the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s national database to see if there is a link to any other cases. But so far, there have been no “hits,” or links to killers currently in prison.

St. Paul cold case investigators are still following up on possible leads in the cases authorities now recognizes as discrete crimes.

If you know anything about either case, contact the St. Paul Police Department’s homicide office at 651-266-5650.

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Surprise Twist in ‘Susans’ Murders

There is a startling development in a suspected serial killer case that has baffled St. Paul police for more than 25 years. Two women with the same name were found murdered in the same neighborhood, on the same day, two years apart.

For years, investigators wondered if a serial killer was connected to both murders or if the brutal deaths were just a bizarre coincidence.

On May 17, 1983, police found 28-year-old Susan Petersen strangled and sexually assaulted in an alley in the upscale Highland Park neighborhood.

The same day, two years later, 16-year-old Susan Rheineck was also sexually attacked, killed and tied to a tree just a few blocks away by the Mississippi River.

Both victims wore similar raincoats and were last seen in the same part of town the day before they vanished.

“We believe that it’s not likely somebody knew them. These women were both women who were what I would call easy victims. They were people that had difficulties in their lives,” said Sgt. Anita Muldoon, who supervises the St. Paul Police Department’s cold case unit.

Several months ago, Muldoon gave evidence from both crime scenes to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension lab for DNA tests.

“There was a lot of thought that they were killed by the same person,” said Muldoon.

The BCA’s forensic scientists were able to uncover DNA from both of the Susans’ cases. And that led to a surprising conclusion: two different killers were to blame.

“It is a little more alarming that it’s two different people because they were so similar,” said Muldoon.

The DNA results were entered into the FBI’s national database to see if there is a link to any other cases. So far, there have been no hits, which means the killers are not currently in prison.

The “Susans” murders inspired a novel by former WCCO investigative producer Julie Kramer called “Stalking Susan.” It’s about a serial killer targeting women with that name.

St. Paul cold case investigators are still following up on possible leads in the “real” Susans’ murders. If you know anything about either case, call the St. Paul Homicide Office at 651-266-5650.

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Cold Case Unit To Look At 2 Eerily Linked Murders

Two young women, both named Susan, were found murdered in St. Paul on the same date in May, two years apart. The similarities don’t stop there. No one has ever been caught for the crimes which police have long suspected were the work of a serial killer who targeted victims named Susan.

These cases will get a fresh look in June by detectives in the new cold case unit at the St. Paul police homicide office.

Recently retired homicide investigator Rich Munoz has looked into the murders of Susan Petersen and Susan Rheineck in the past. He hopes to focus on the cases again if he comes out of retirement next month for the assignment. (The police union has challenged the assignment of retirees to the cold case unit.)

“The similarities are really striking,” said Munoz, who was a patrol officer in the 1980s when the two Susans disappeared from a poor part of University Avenue. “When you actually see the items of evidence, it really takes you back.”

Susan Petersen was 28. Dressed in a trench coat, she was last seen on May 16, 1983. Early the next morning, she was found strangled and sexually assaulted in an alley in the predominately upscale Highland Park neighborhood.

On that same day, in 1985, the body of Susan Rheineck was found tied to a tree several blocks away. The street-smart 16-year-old was also sexually assaulted and wore a similar coat.

Although some details of their crimes were different, Munoz said, “You almost assume there’s got to be a connection. We actually think these two Susans may have crossed paths.”

After the second murder, police feared a serial killer was targeting women named Susan. For the next several years, on May 16 and 17, detectives staked out University Avenue and the Highland Park neighborhood, prepared for a killer to strike again.

Police didn’t share their suspicions of a serial killer publicly until 1998. That’s when WCCO-TV first profiled the two murders and the original investigator on the case, Jim Frank, took reporter Caroline Lowe to the crime scenes.

Frank was then the Washington County Sheriff. During an interview that year, Frank said he couldn’t forget the young women’s killings, especially during May.

“You’d like to know what you missed,” he said. “How did you miss it? What should you have done better? What can you learn from? And I think you really do look for the families.”

Susan Rheineck’s parents told Lowe in 1998 that they remembered her as a troubled teen who hoped someday to become a nurse.

If the two murders were connected, police wonder now why they apparently stopped. Did the killer die or go to prison? What did the name Susan mean to him? What of the date: May 16? What was his connection to the neighborhoods where the victims were last seen — and found?

Tim Lynch, the St. Paul Senior Commander in charge of the police department’s homicide unit, hopes to some day have answers for the victims’ families. Beside the murders of the two Susans, the new cold case unit will focus on more than 140 cold cases.

“Murders are never closed cases,” said Lynch, who is confident their experience, along with forensic tools like DNA, can crack some cases.

Rich Munoz cleared out his desk in the homicide office when he retired a couple of weeks ago. If things can be worked out with the union, he hopes to jump back in to focus on unsolved cases-with the murders of the two Susans at the top of his list.

“It would be great thing to solve these cases,” Munoz said.

Dave Titus, the president of the police union, called the cold case unit a “spectacular idea,” but he said he wants current cops to be assigned to the cases, not retirees.

If you have any information on who murdered Susan Petersen or Susan Rheineck, call the St. Paul police tip line at 651-266-5956.

By Caroline Lowe, WCCO-TV

ST. PAUL (WCCO) — UNSOLVED: It’s been nine years since a 7-year-old St. Paul boy died in a hit-and-run sledding accident.

It was a snowy November afternoon when Long Thao and his older brother were sledding down the icy hill behind their house in St. Paul.

A truck hit Long and took off, leaving him to die in the street.

Police have a suspect in the case but not enough evidence to file charges. Anyone with information should call Sgt. Rick Klein at the St. Paul Police Department at 651-291-1111.

By Caroline Lowe, WCCO-TV

(WCCO) — Kristin O’Connell was a college student when she was brutally murdered during a visit to upstate New York in the summer of 1985. She was studying hotel and restaurant management and hoped to someday work in Hawaii.

O’Connell was barefoot and alone late at night when she left a party at a trailer in Ovid. She wanted to take a walk. She never returned.

Two days later, searchers found her body in a cornfield. Her throat had been slashed.

Furthermore, two people who were seen walking behind Kristin have never been found.

From the start, it’s been a tough murder to solve. It rained the night of her murder, which washed away a lot of evidence at the crime scene.

Now, a famed Dutch husband-and-wife forensic team with a track record of solving cases involving touch DNA would be willing to test Kristin’s clothes at their lab in Amsterdam.

Richard and Selma Eikelenboom are willing to take the case, there are still some hurdles getting approval from New York State Health Department. The cold case detectives hope health department officials will grant a one–time exemption in this case to allow the testing by the internationally recognized forensic team, even though they are not certified in New York.

Minnesota’s U.S. senator Amy Klobuchar, a former prosecutor, is helping on the Kristin O’Connell case. She has personally called N.Y. officials to urge them to give the green light for the DNA testing in Amsterdam.

A $10,000 reward is being offered by the Seneca County District Attorney’s Office for information.

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Famed DNA Team May Help Solve MN Woman’s Murder

Phyllis O’Connell has been writing the same murder mystery for nearly 25 years.

“It sounds like a dime store novel,” said the Burnsville woman.

But her book is not fiction. It’s a true crime story about her frustrating journey to find justice for her daughter Kristin.

Kristin O’Connell was a college student when she was brutally murdered during a visit to upstate New York in the summer of 1985. She was studying hotel and restaurant management and hoped to someday work in Hawaii.

“They took away my life, my grandchildren, my dreams,” said Phyllis O’Connell.

She writes in an office just across the hall from her daughter’s bedroom. That room looks the same as did when she went to New York to visit a friend she met on a spring break in Florida.

“It just helps me to be close to her, to remember,” said the grieving mother. “I really didn’t want her to go.”

Kristin O’Connell was barefoot and alone late at night when she left a party at a trailer in Ovid. She wanted to take a walk. She never returned. Two days later, searchers found her body in a cornfield. Her throat had been slashed.

Two people who were seen walking behind Kristin have never been found.

“Somebody came out of nowhere and killed our daughter,” said Phyllis O’Connell.

Kristin O’Connell’s younger brother Kyle was just 15 and home alone in 1985 when New York Police called with news that his sister was missing.

“I just lost the air out of me. Cause she wasn’t the type of person to go missing,” he said.

Nearly 25 years later, Kyle O’Connell can’t forget his mom’s reaction when she got home and got the news.

“Dad had told her and the shrill scream that she let out … She knew, she knew that she was gone,” said the 39-year-old, now an only child.

Over the year, Phyllis O’Connell has kept in close contact with New York state investigators assigned to the case. She has even flown out there a couple of times to make appeals for help to both the media and police.

From the start, it’s been a tough murder to solve. It rained the night of her murder, which washed away a lot of evidence at the crime scene.

Last Christmas Eve, a New York investigator called with some good news. Jeff Arnold, who is assigned to the New York State Police cold case unit, told Phyllis O’Connell a famed Dutch husband-and-wife forensic team with a track record of solving cases involving touch DNA would be willing to test Kristin’s clothes at their lab in Amsterdam.

Richard and Selma Eikelenboom were recently included in a CBS 48 Hours Mystery report on their role in testing evidence that led prosecutor’s to dismiss charges against a man charged with murder in Colorado.

While the Eikelenbooms are willing to take the case, there are still some hurdles getting approval from New York State Health Department. The cold case detectives hope health department officials will grant a one–time exemption in this case to allow the testing by the internationally recognized forensic team, even though they are not certified in New York.

Minnesota’s U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a former prosecutor, is helping on the Kristin O’Connell case. She has personally called N.Y. officials to urge them to give the green light for the DNA testing in Amsterdam.

Phyllis O’Connell is frustrated with delays getting approval, but she is also grateful for the support of Klobuchar and detectives like Arnold, who has spent many working hours on the investigation.

As the Burnsville mother continues to wait for answers, she keeps writing her book about the murder and hoping she will someday reach the final chapter.

“This has been my goal: to get it solved before I die,” she said.

By Caroline Lowe, WCCO-TV

(WCCO) — Earl Lorenzo Farley was killed in a hit-and-run accident in St. Paul on Oct. 7, 1999.

He left behind four sons who were just 2 to 8 years old at the time. Farley, whose friends called him “Sco,” was born in Chicago, Ill. on Oct. 13, 1970.

His case is still cold 10 years later and his mother and children seek answers.

Each year on his birthday, his family holds a fundraiser in his memory. The proceeds go to children struggling with the sudden loss of a loved one.

Farley’s family and friends remember him as a loving dad who enjoyed being around his family and making other people laugh.

Police have received a lot of tips in the case, but say the stories didn’t match up, so no one has been arrested.

Farley’s mom prays that someday someone will call the St. Paul Police Department with information on who struck him in 1999.

By Caroline Lowe, WCCO-TV

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Raymond Wingo, Jr. was gunned down on Feb. 19, 2004 while driving on Interstate 94 with a friend on his way home from a downtown Minneapolis nightclub.

Before the two left the club, they got into an argument with several guys from Minneapolis because Wingo was wearing a shirt that indicated he was from St. Paul.

St. Paul Police have two investigators actively working on the case, along with help from Minneapolis detectives. They say they have a good idea who was involved in the shooting but need more evidence to finally solve it.

Anyone who has information on who shot Raymond Wingo, Jr. on Feb. 19, 2004 should call St. Paul Police Homicide Office at 651-266-5850.

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Mom Wants Answers In Fatal Freeway Shooting
It has been more than six years since a young St. Paul man was gunned down in a freeway shooting. Raymond Wingo, Jr. and a friend were driving on Interstate 94 by the Fairview exit in St. Paul when more than a dozen bullets from an SUV riddled Wingo’s car.

Wingo died a day later. His passenger survived.

The victims were on their way home from a downtown Minneapolis nightclub. They had gone there to celebrate Wingo passing three GED tests. Before they left the club, they got into an argument with several guys from Minneapolis.

Police say a dispute over where the men were from sparked the confrontation. Wingo wore a shirt with his St. Paul zip code, 55104, on it.

“He was playing tough guy and think that’s what got him killed,” said Kellie Miller, Wingo’s mother.

The argument continued into the bar’s parking lot and then, police say, the men followed Wingo and his friend onto the freeway.

“It was all because this group of kids were from St. Paul and they didn’t like that they were hanging out at a Minneapolis club,” Miller said.

Six years after losing her only child, Wingo’s mother finds some comfort in her many memories of a son who loved playing basketball, hanging out with his friends and music.

She often listens to a rap song her 23-year-old son recorded just before he was gunned down.

Miller hopes sharing her story now prompts someone to come forward to help solve her son’s killing.

“Help me at least get some closure,” said Miller. “It’s just so devastating. If it happened to them I don’t think they could do it to someone else.”

St. Paul Police have two investigators actively working on the case, along with help from Minneapolis detectives. They say they have a good idea who was involved in the shooting but need more evidence to finally solve it.

Anyone who has information on who shot Raymond Wingo, Jr. on Feb. 19, 2004 should call St. Paul Police Homicide Office at 651-266-5850.

By Caroline Lowe, WCCO-TV

(WCCO) – It’s been almost 10 months since Paul Fisher’s girlfriend found him gunned down in a stairwell at their apartment building at 53rd Street and Chicago Avenue in south Minneapolis.

Police say they believe robbery may have been the motive for murder on July 25. They hope someone will contact them to help solve the killing.

The girlfriend, Andrea Hintz, and his family have set up a website to share their story and to solicit donations for a reward fund to get information to lead investigators to his killer. So far, the reward is at $10,000.

Anyone with information on who fatally shot Paul Fisher should call Minneapolis Homicide Sgt. Chris Thomsen at 612-673-3577 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

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Shooting Victim Found In Stairwell Identified

A man found dead in a Minneapolis stairwell Saturday morning has been identified. The shooting has prompted police to begin investigation on the city’s 8th homicide of the year.

Just after 2:00 a.m. on Saturday neighbors heard gunshots at an apartment complex on the 5300 block of Chicago Avenue South. They said the gunshots took the life of 27-year-old Paul Fisher.

“They asked if we heard anything? I said it sounded like firecrackers,” said Tamarra Sweats, who lives in the building.

Bullet holes in the wall near the back stairwell of the building mark the spot where the crime was committed. Neighbors think Fisher was just getting home when he was shot.

They said he died in the third floor stairwell near the apartment where he lived with his girlfriend, who found him and called police.

“He was a nice person. It’s awful to see him go. He had a girlfriend too and I feel sorry for her now too,” said Sweats.

Police have some leads, but have not made any arrests. Until they do neighbors said they will be on the look-out.

“It is kind of creepy. Bullets fly through walls so it’s not a good thing to have going on around here,” said neighbor Camille Norman.

Neighbors said up until recently Fisher was the caretaker of the building.

As part of the leads they are following, police may be looking for a gold SUV with rims in connection with this shooting.

By Caroline Lowe, WCCO-TV

ST. JOSEPH (WCCO) — Oct. 22 marks 20 years since 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling was abducted at gunpoint near his home in rural St. Joseph, Minn. He has never been found.

Jacob was riding his bike home from a convenience store with his brother and his best friend. Two decades later, Jacob’s family still waits for answers to what happened to him. They have never given up hope he may come home some day. If Jacob is alive, he would be 32 years old as of July 2010.

As Jacob’s family waits for answers, they also reach out to help make the world better for kids. His mother, Patty, is a nationally-recognized child safety advocate and works as a sexual violence prevention educator for the Minnesota Department of Health. Jacob’s three siblings are now all married. His brother, Trevor, has a son named Jacob.

Anyone who might have information on what happened to Jacob Wetterling should call the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office at 320-259-3700.

The Wetterling family hosted a “Celebration of Children” concert on Oct. 17, 2009.

By Caroline Lowe, WCCO-TV

FALCON HEIGHTS (WCCO) — Harold Schroetter, 58, of Falcon Heights, Minn., went missing on Feb. 26, 2009.

It’s been 18 months since Harold Schroetter went missing from his Falcon Heights, Minn. home.

Police, and his family, believe he was murdered and they believe they know who did it. They hoped a Spotlight on Crime $50,000 reward and billboards put up last February, on the anniversary of his disappearance, would help solve the case.

But six months later, his family is still waiting to find him.

Anyone with information on the case should call the St. Anthony Police Department at 612-782-3350.

By James Schugel, WCCO-TV

NEW BRIGHTON (WCCO) — Ten years ago, a couple stumbled upon a woman’s body in a Twin Cities park. Despite a plethora of leads, police still can’t say who she was or who killed her. Now, a tiny clue just two centimeters long and crushed to near nothingness could help police finally crack a cold case.

“A lot of work over a lot of years, and we’re really no closer now than we were back then,” said Detective Gary Sykes with the New Brighton Police Department.

He remembers the 911 call that September 2000 afternoon. He investigated the case back then, and he’s still investigating it now.

The woman was found dead, likely murdered, Sykes said, in Long Lake Regional Park near Rush Lake. She was in a swampy area and Sykes believes she might have been there up to five years.

He’s compared her to some 350 missing women. He’s examined dental records and every other lead that’s come in. But now today, a decade later, he still doesn’t know who killed her. He doesn’t even know who she is.

“That’s what the crime scene looked like,” he said, as he showed WCCO’s James Schugel pictures of the scene and the woman’s body. “There was virtually nothing left of her — other than skin and bones.”

So decomposed, he’s got no fingerprints and very little physical evidence.

“We both at the time said, ‘It’s a body! It’s a body! It’s a body!” recalled Jennifer Leach and her husband Nathan.

The two were in high school that September day. Rollerblading through the park, they rolled up on a shoe still tightly tied and no one was around.

“It seemed really odd. It didn’t add up to us,” said Nathan.

They walked up a nearby deer path, and that’s when they found the woman’s body.

They called 911, and New Brighton Police showed up and started their investigation. But the investigation, now a decade later, is at a dead end.

“Any case where you can’t get to the conclusion that you want to get to is tough,” Detective Sykes.

He’s now hopeful he might be able to solve the case with what’s called Familial DNA. The new science is giving Sykes new hope.

At the Minnesota Bureau of Apprehension in St. Paul, forensic scientists have two ways they can find out who the woman is with her DNA. First, they could take her DNA and match it to someone in the public who comes forward claiming they could be a relative. They could also take her DNA and enter it into a national database of convicted criminals, hoping she’s a relative of one of them.

“As more samples get added, every day a new search is done, so every day we get more matches, so, hopefully, one day we’ll get a match to all these missing persons,” said Jim Iverson with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Forensic scientists described the process of Familial DNA. They’ll take a bone or possibly a tooth from the woman, completely clean it and cut off a two centimeter piece of it. They’ll put that bone or tooth sample inside a freezer mill, which is filled with liquid nitrogen. The machine will pulverize it into a small amount, less than a gram, and from that, scientists can extract the woman’s DNA.

Testing could take a few weeks or months. And it can’t come soon enough for everyone involved.

“It would definitely be nice to see closure,” said Jennifer.

Sykes hopes his plea is paid attention to. He needs help solving one of the hardest crimes he’s investigated in his 31-year career.

“I think that there’s somebody who knows how she got there and what happened to her,” said Sykes. “She deserves better than what she’s got.”

Police never found a murder weapon, but they think the woman might have been stabbed.

Sykes may have one of her teeth tested, too.

He urges anyone who might have known the woman or how she died to call the tip line and leave a message at 651-288-4137 or, during business hours, call 651-288-4100.

By James Schugel, WCCO-TV

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Detectives in a Twin Cities suburb say that solving the case of who hit and killed a Minnesota hockey mom eight years ago all depends on the public’s help.

Back on Feb. 20, 2003, Becky Nelson had just parked her car at the Maple Grove Community Center. Her son was going to hockey practice that night.

Nelson was walking across a side street, heading towards the front door, when a car hit her and drove off.

Detectives never found anyone who saw that fatal hit and run happen. There are no outside cameras at the community center, so detectives have no pictures or video of the incident.

They’re offering a $1,000 reward for information that will help find who killed Nelson. They just put up big posters at the community center to remind people about the fatal incident.

“We’re hoping that somebody seeing the signs, seeing the posters — it’s going to stir somebody’s memory where they can provide a tip for us so we can hopefully come to some sort of conclusion for the Nelson family so we can so we can figure out what happened to Rebecca that night,” said Detective Tanya Petz with the Maple Grove Police Department.

Throughout the years, detectives have passed out fliers in the community. They’ve also visited local car body shops, believing that the person who hit and killed Nelson might have front-end damage and have taken in their car to get it fixed.

Just this week, detectives sent out a new crime alert hoping to spark some interest in this case.

Nelson’s husband, Jim, told WCCO how badly he wanted answers when we talked with him three years ago.

“We’re all real curious to know what happened, just what caused this,” he said during that interview. “The family, the kids and I would like answers. We would like to know. If we have answers to this, Feb. 20 becomes a little bit easier.”

Detective Petz wants you to call her directly if you can help her solve this case. Her number is 763-494-6211. You don’t have to give her your name when you call. You can also email her directly by clicking here.

By Caroline Lowe, WCCO-TV

MASON CITY, Iowa (WCCO) — It has been more than 15 years since Mason City, Iowa anchorwoman Jodi Huisentruit vanished as she was heading to work at KIMT TV. Her photo is on my desk cold case wall on my desk at work and I often think of Jodi.

I hope a recent segment on Nancy Grace revisiting her case will generate some leads to finally get answers to what happened to Jodi.

I just read a draft of a book by a former Minnesota anchorwoman, Beth Bednar, called Dead Air: The Disappearance of Jodi Huisentruit.

It is a very compelling look inside the investigation and another great avenue for keeping the spotlight on this unsolved mystery.

I will update with more information on the book once I hear of a firm publication date.

Find Jodi Website

By Caroline Lowe, WCCO-TV

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — As Caroline Lowe prepares to start a new adventure at KSBY in California, she’s spending the next couple of weeks revisiting cold cases she’s profiled over the past several decades as a crime reporter for WCCO.

Lowe keeps a wall of photos of the victims next to her desk so she’ll never forget them. When she clears out her desk for the last time, Low said she’ll put the photos in an album to take with her to California.

Many of the victims’ relatives have contacted her in recent days and before she departs, Lowe will be sharing their stories.

Mary Kathleen Schlais was an artist and honors grad from the University of Minnesota when she was murdered in February 1974.

Schlais left her Uptown Minneapolis apartment to go to an art show in Chicago. She never made it.

Her body was found several hours later in a snow bank off a rural road 90 miles away in Dunn County, Wis. She had been stabbed more than a dozen times.

A witness called police to say he saw a man drop off her body and then take off. Her purse and coat were never found.

Dunn County detectives have repeatedly revisited the crime scene, chased down clues and even exhumed Schlais’ body a few years ago.

But 37 years later, Mary Schlais’ killer has not been caught. Her family waits for answers, hoping someone watching a news report or reading her story will come forward.

“I don’t really have any more anger after all these years. I just want to look him in the eye and say ‘What are you thinking? What were you doing? What happened?’” said Schlais’ brother Don.

“Sometimes it makes me extremely sad. I miss Mary a lot,” he said.

Don told Lowe he has one wish: “If they are still alive, they have to face the toll of their actions and come forward and be an adult.”

Anyone with information should call the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office.

By Caroline Lowe, WCCO-TV

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — As Caroline Lowe prepares to start a new adventure at KSBY in California, she’s spending the next couple of weeks revisiting cold cases she’s profiled over the past several decades as a crime reporter for WCCO.

Lowe keeps a wall of photos of the victims next to her desk so she’ll never forget them. When she clears out her desk for the last time, Lowe said she’ll put the photos in an album to take with her to California.

Many of the victims’ relatives have contacted her in recent days and before she departs, Lowe will be sharing their stories.

It has been 34 years since 17-year-old Jeanine Warden was found near death in a ditch a few blocks from her rural Anoka County home.

She never regained consciousness and died at a hospital six weeks later. Her case is still a mystery.

It was a rainy Friday night in April of 1977 when Warden and a friend got a ride from a stranger when they hitchhiked home from a school banquet in Forest Lake.

The girls split up after they were dropped off. Minutes later, Warden was in a coma, when a guy driving by saw her and called police.

“We definitely would like to know what happened,” said Charmaine Schodde, Warden’s older sister. “It makes me sad. My children will never get to know my sister.”

It’s been two years since WCCO last reported on Warden’s case and interviewed her mom and sister. The pain was still so strong when Schodde spoke on Tuesday about her loss, not knowing what happened to Warden and who was responsible.

“We have lived with it for more than 30 years now. It is like a burden, a scar you have on your soul and it is just there, all the time,” said Schodde.

Anyone with information on the case should contact the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office.

Caroline Lowe’s Original Report

By Caroline Lowe, WCCO-TV

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — As Caroline Lowe prepares to start a new adventure at KSBY in California, she’s spending the next couple of weeks revisiting cold cases she’s profiled over the past several decades as a crime reporter for WCCO.

Lowe keeps a wall of photos of the victims next to her desk so she’ll never forget them. When she clears out her desk for the last time, Lowe said she’ll put the photos in an album to take with her to California.

Many of the victims’ relatives have contacted her in recent days and before she departs, Lowe will be sharing their stories.

It has been more than 25 years since a 20-year-old Burnsville college student was murdered in upstate New York, where she was visiting friends. Her mother, Phyllis O’Connell, has fought hard to keep her case in the spotlight to help solve the killing. She now has hope a break could come soon.

Kristin O’Connell left a party on a rainy August night in 1995 to take a walk. She was barefoot and alone. She never returned. Two days later, her body was found in a nearby cornfield in Seneca County. Her throat had been slashed.

Police received an anonymous call several days later about a mysterious car. The caller said, “Do you want that guy that killed tha girl? If you open the trunk, you will find what you want.”

So far, that tip has not panned out but Kristen’s mother and New York investigators never gave up.

“She was my daughter and I will never ever let it go. Never,” Phyllis said during an interview Wednesday at her Burnsville home. “They robbed the family and me of their heritage.”

Since WCCO’s last report on the unsolved mystery almost two years ago,  a Dutch husband and wife forensic team has received Kristin’s clothing for “touch” DNA tests. The team has had success solving other high-profile cold cases.

“They should be coming up with something shortly,” said O’Connell.

And what does that mean for the family?

“Closure. Closure. I mean it has been 25 years and I have had to fight it all the way,” she said.

O’Connell hopes the DNA tests conducted by Richard and Selma Eikelenboom will finally point investigators to her daughter’s killer.

“They have people they feel could have possibly done this,” said O’Connell.

Caroline Lowe’s Original Report