NJ Students Crack Case Of Hitchhiker Killed 50 Years Ago

NORTH JERSEY, NJ — After killing a female hitchhiker and getting away with it for 50 years, an 84-year-old man is behind bars thanks in part to Bergen County students, say officials.

Students and faculty at Ramapo College Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center in Mahwah have been using advanced DNA testing and genealogy research to help identify John Does who were found decades ago, and most recently, helped identify the source of DNA found at the scene of the woman's death in 1974.

According to Ramapo College, the Sheriff's Office in Dunn County, Wisc., recently sought their help help to solve a cold case. Back in February 1974, a woman named Mary Schlais, 25, hitchhiked from Minneapolis, Minn. to Chicago to attend an art show.

Schlais' body was found with stab wounds by the side of a road in Dunn County, along with a stocking cap, but investigators didn't know to whom it belonged.

On Monday, the Dunn County Sheriff's Office held a press conference to announce that they had arrested a man named Jon K. Miller, 84, in connection with the case. The work of Ramapo's IGG Center helped connect Miller to the case.

An ABC report said that Miller has been charged with first-degree murder, citing court records. They said Miller admitted that he picked up Schlais, then killed her after she refused his sexual advances.

He's now being held on $1 million bail, said reports in Wisconsin local media on Tuesday.

Assistant Director of the Ramapo College IGG Center Cairenn Binder told Patch on Wednesday, "I would stop short of saying it is satisfying to see Mr. Miller caught — there is still a lot of work to be done by the investigating agency to ensure justice is done for Mary Schlais. So I am looking forward to the impending legal proceedings."

She added, "With that said, I am pleased that the case has advanced to the point that an arrest was made and that the case has new hope for closure after 50 years."

She said that faculty and graduates of the program helped with the case.

Identified Missing Persons And John Does

The IGG Center has provided leads in more than 16 cases since opening its doors in December 2022, including the recent exoneration of two brothers wrongfully convicted of murder and the identification of this man who'd been missing for more than 43 years. See three related stories below.

• Human Leg Bones Found In Creek Are Identified By NJ Students
• Man Missing 43 Years Is Identified Thanks To Bergen County Students
  
• Jawbone In Boy's Rock Collection Is Linked To Dead Marine Thanks To Bergen County Students

To learn more about the center’s work, visit ramapo.edu/igg.