Menomonie, WI (KROC-AM News) - A Wisconsin judge has sentenced an Owatonna man to life in prison for a murder that occurred more than 50 years ago.

Dunn County Wisconsin authorities announced last November that a "cold case" investigation had led to the arrest of 84-year-old Jon K. Miller for the murder of Mary Schlais. A news release indicated her body was discovered at a rural intersection near Menomonie in February 1974.

The Work of a DNA Genealogy Team Led to His Arrest Last Fall

According to the news release, the initial investigation indicated Schlais had been hitchhiking from Minneapolis to Chicago when she was killed. The witness reported seeing a person and a vehicle that were suspected of being connected to the homicide.

The Dunn County Sheriff's Office says DNA samples collected at the crime scene were eventually submitted to the Ramapo College Genetic Genealogy team in New Jersey, and working alongside law enforcement, the investigation led to the identification of Miller as the young woman's suspected killer.

Wisconsin Court records show he was arraigned on a first-degree murder charge in Dunn County Court in December. Miller entered a "no contest" plea to the charge this afternoon and the judge in the case sentenced him to life in prison.

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