Genetic testing leads to Owatonna man’s arrest, 50 years after Minneapolis woman was found dead in Wisconsin

An Owatonna man is in custody after genetic genealogy linked him to a 1974 murder of a Minneapolis woman found in Dunn County.

Jon Miller, 84, was arrested Thursday for the murder of Mary Schlais, who was found dead in Spring Brook Township on Feb. 16, 1974.

Investigations at the time revealed that Schlais hitchhiked from Minneapolis to Chicago for an art exhibition.

Dunn County Sheriff’s Office officials say they have received numerous tips and leads in the decades since Schlais’ body was discovered. As DNA technology advanced, officials retested evidence found at the scene multiple times.

In collaboration with Ramapo College in Mahwah, New Jersey, genetic genealogy testing identified a suspect, leading to Miller’s arrest Thursday.

Miller is currently in custody and awaiting extradition to Wisconsin.