Cold Cases of Stearns County,Minnesota

by Robert M. Dudley

Stearns County in central Minnesota is well known for it's friendly people, as well as a wide variety of outdoor activities, restaurants that specialize in hearty comfort foods, and strong winds that often blow across the county from the west and south. It is also home to a relatively large number of unsolved or long-term murder cases, some of which are the most horrific and unimaginable crimes in the history of the state of Minnesota. "Cold Cases of Stearns County, Minnesota" chronicles many of those cases, beginning with the still unsolved disappearance of little Jackie Theel from the streets of Paynesville in 1944, to the seemingly solved but still open 2012 murder of Officer Tom Decker in Cold Spring, and many other cases in between. Robert M. Dudley, the author of "Finding Jacob Wetterling," chronicles a number of cases in the Jackie Theel, The Reker Sisters, Ivend Holen, The Huling Family Murders, Joanie Bierschbach, Myrtle Cole, Cynthia Schmidt and Ronnie Bromenschenkel, Herbert Fromelt, Joshua Guimond, and Officer Tom Decker. These cases span the careers of several Stearns County sheriffs including Art McIntee, Pete Lahr, Jim Ellering, Charlie Grafft, Jim Kostreba, and John Sanner. Most were generally well liked by constituents, but through the years some administrations saw their share of controversial moments.

267 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 10, 2018

Reviews

[CrabbyPatty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having grown-up in the area, I've always found St. Cloud to be somewhat weird (look up "Stearns County Syndrome") and troubling in terms of the many unsolved murders in the area. The author covers a number of cases here - the 1974 case of two sisters murdered and dumped in a quarry, along with a mail bombing gone awry, etc. in a concise and informative manner using primary resources and interviews. He has also written a separate book on the Jacob Wetterling case. 4 stars.

[Sarah Connor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meet the real Robert M. Dudley!

https://www.facebook.com/615678539529...

[Cena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not edited well, but well sourced ( unlike Man from the Train). Good overviews of cases.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Good, it’s a One-Day Read

As a 40-year-old female Minnesotan who has lived in the state my entire life, I found this book to not only be incredibly gripping (it’s a non-stop page turner), but compassionately written as well. I encourage everyone — especially Minnesotans — to read this! My mind is still trying to process some of the things I read about — all of which happened so close to home.

[Mark Braun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing how law enforcement agencies play nice with each other. And it seems withholding evidence from the public is a way to convert up incompetence.