40-Year-Old Cold Case Murder Ends With Guilty Verdict

WAUKESHA, WI — A Florida man was found guilty Wednesday by a Waukesha County jury of killing his wife 40 years ago, according to reports. The decades old cold case ended with the conviction of John Bayerl, 79, who was arrested in Fort Myers, Florida, in February.

According to Muskego police in May 1979, Bayerl told officers that his wife, Dona Mae Bayerl left their home after a quarrel, and drove off in the family car. The car was returned that night. John Bayerl told police that when the children woke up the next morning, Dona was gone.

At the time, local authorities believed she did not leave of her own free will. Police found blood in the garage, determined to be Dona Bayerl's, according to information posted by police on the City of Muskego's website.

Dona Bayerl was officially declared dead in 1986.

Her body was never recovered, but police are still making attempts to find it, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

See more on Patch:

• Florida Man Charged With Murder In Wisconsin Cold Case
• What Happened In 1979? The Story Of The Bayerl Cold Case

In July 2018, police questioned Bayerl to update him on the status of their investigation into the disappearance of Dona. According to a criminal complaint, police said Bayerl admitted that he "misused" his wife, and that he was "not a good father and husband and that he blames himself for whatever happened because he was a bad husband."

Such suspicious statements led to his February arrest, the Journal Sentinel reported.