After the Memorial Day weekend, 1982, the manager of the JC Penney store in Monroe, Wisconsin discovered an overnight break-in and cash receipts stolen from a locked safe in his office. He immediately called the Chief of Police, Brandon Johns, to report the theft. Johns contacted the Forensics team in Madison and along with Detective Samantha Gates, drew up a plan to solve the burglary and recover the stolen money.Two days later, the murdered body of Ted Garwell was discovered in h...

On Labor Day weekend, 1980, Boy Scout Troop #101 scheduled a weekend campingtrip on the Schmidt farm located outside the City of Monroe, Wisconsin. As oneof the scouts was digging a fire pit on the edge of the grove, he unearthed skeletalremains. Everyone got excited speculating what those bones could be. The Scoutleader promptly called the police to report the finding.Upon inspection, Police Chief Brandon Johns called pathologist Dr. Ken to examine...

In the summer of 1978, in Monroe, Wisconsin, the dead body of an elderly woman is discovered in her home. Police Chief Brandon Johns and Det. Samanthia Gates are called to investigate. The crime scene indicates that a possible murder has been committed. Birgitta Nilsen, the deceased, was a very wealthy widow who lived alone in her house. Assuming inheritance money was a likely motive for her murder, they look at the family first to establish a list of suspects. As they interview the benefi...

On a bright sunny day in June of 1972, Anna Johansson, a recent high school graduate, begins her shift as a summer seasonal maid at the Eugene Hotel in Monroe, Wisconsin. In the fall, she will attend the University of Wisconsin in Madison to earn a degree in teaching. One of the many mysteries of life is not knowing what the day has in store for you. It can be a horrific reminder that life can change in an instant, turn on a dime, without warning. The tragedy is that you don’t see it comin...

In the summer of 1977, in Monroe, Wisconsin, the sudden death of an elderly man who was living alone in his house looked like an accidental fall down a flight of stairs. However, Police Chief Brandon Johns and Det. Samantha Gates weren’t totally convinced. Was it a suspicious death? A week later, a second victim, an elderly woman living alone in her house, met the same fate. Were the two deaths connected? Also, in 1977, the artifacts from the burned-out house of Fiona Brown went on sale at...

In the summer of 1976, in Monroe, Wisconsin, a straightforward cash purchase of farmland by Doris Abley to Mimi Schultz turns tragic. The purpose of the sale is to expand a horse ranch operation, Sunrise Riding Stables, owned by Ms. Abley. The horrific sudden death of Mimi Schultz at the signing is totally unexpected and shocking, negating the sale. Monroe Police Chief Brandon Johns and Det. Samantha Gates immediately launch an investigation into the death. It is a baffling case compounded...

Since 1841, a farm place located off Exeter Crossing Road near New Glarus Wisconsin, has seen it’s share of tragedy. A series of unnatural deaths and suicides have haunted the farm for decades. Superstition, ghosts and other paranormal activity is the legend of folklore surrounding the property. Over the years, hundreds of cars have slowly driven past the farm at dusk hoping to see a ghost or anything else to keep the myth alive. In May of 1974, a brutal murder occurred at the farm house. ...

In March 1973, Norman Munz, a confessed killer, dies in prison from pneumonia. Twenty-two years earlier, he was arrested and sent to prison for the murder of Monroe police officer Gregory Figi. Over the years, his mother, Phyllis Munz, had petitioned the police and the governor to reopen the case. She was convinced that her son was innocent, and a grave injustice had occurred. Her determination and absolute belief in his innocence never wavered. Her son languishing in prison for a murder h...

After returning from her honeymoon in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, in 1970, Detective Samantha Gates is immediately thrown into the mysterious murder of a Monroe businessman. At first glance, it seems to be a likely solvable crime, sussing out the suspects and finding the killer. As she and police chief Brandon Johns launch into the investigation, her new husband, Drew, is conflicted by the amount of time the case is taking away from him. Is the reality of being married to a dedicated and f...

On Halloween night in Monroe, Wisconsin, four teenagers, looking for a scary adventure, were double- dared into visiting a haunted pioneer cemetery on a farm place outside the city limits. Summing up all the courage they could muster, the teens made their way to the farm and touched the hand of the weeping angel located at the center of the grave markers. Mission accomplished! But the baying of a farm dog got their attention that led them to an unimaginable horror! The police were called i...

The city of Monroe, Wisconsin, is shaken when two murders occur four days apart. Police chief Brandon Johns and detective Samantha Gates are at a loss when their investigation takes them to a series of frustrating dead ends. Did the two victims know one another? Was there a connection? The citizens are upset and anxious, demanding answers. One of the victims, a woman, had left Monroe over forty years earlier to pursue a singing career in Chicago during the Prohibition Era. Did the key to s...

The death of an elderly woman in the sleepy little town of Monroe, Wisconsin, was recorded on the death certificate as heart failure. But the womans best friend, Ada Klausner, thinks otherwise. She wants an autopsy performed to verify the cause of death. Her persistence raises a question about another suspicious death attributed to heart failure. Because of her reputation as an eccentric personality, Adas concerns go unanswered. Detective Samantha Gates has recently been transferred to the...