MILWAUKEE — A break in cold cases in Menomonee Falls and Milwaukee.
Two teens were killed in the area over 50 years ago and law enforcement is confident they can announce today - they know who did it.
Law enforcement announced Clarence Marcus Tappendorf is believed to have killed Diane Olkwitz and Terri Erdmann in 1966 and 1971. DNA evidence linked the two cases together and advancements in genealogy research allowed authorities to zero in on Tappendorf as the suspect.
Tappendorf died in 2008, at 80 years old. Law enforcement filed a search warrant to have his body exhumed last week in order to obtain DNA samples to confirm the connection.
"Based on irrefutable physical evidence, it is the position of the Menomonee Falls Police Department that Clarence Marcus Tappendorf is responsible for the murder of Diane Olkwitz," Chief Mark Waters, Menomonee Falls Police said. "Our thoughts are with the Olkwitz family. We hope the conclusion of this case provides some measure of closure."
Chief Jeffrey Norman provided further comments on the Erdmann case, as it was in Milwaukee's jurisdiction.
"I know there are families out there wondering about their case," Norman said. "There is no statute of limitations regarding a homicide investigation. We're working on it, whether it's five years, 10 years, 70 years, to bring closure. To bring the resolution to these most heinous crimes."
The two girls were killed in a similarly brutal fashion. In 1966, Olkwitz was stabbed at her job on Silver Spring Drive over 100 times. Five years later, Erdmann's body was found in a field off of Appleton Avenue, roughly two miles away, with over 60 stab wounds.
Before it was identified, Tappendorf's DNA from the Olkwitz case was gathered after the homicide and uploaded to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database in 2001. Twenty years later, Milwaukee Police, the Wisconsin Department of Justice and the FBI made a joint request to work together, using evidence from the Olkwitz case. In doing so, it connected Olkwitz and Erdmann's deaths to the same person.
WATCH: Jim Bittermann reports on Terri Lee Erdmann in 1971
Through commercial genetic testing, like 23andMe or AncestryDNA, the DNA connected distant relatives to Tappendorf.
"Our investigative team would identify potential distant relatives or a suspect and we would go out and make contact with them," Det. Chris Bellows, Menomonee Falls Police Department said. "We would ask for their cooperation, and explain our investigation to them. We would ask if they'd be willing to share their DNA information with us to further our investigation and for the most part, we have great success with cooperation."
By providing a name tied to the victims, it allowed investigators to go back through evidence that placed Tappendorf near the scene as a delivery driver on the day of the murder.
According to Waters, in 1966, investigators sent questionnaire forms to all of the companies who made pickups and deliveries at Kenworth Manufacturing, where Olkwitz worked and was killed. Clairmont Transfer responded that the company did not have any deliveries or pickups on the day of Olkwitz's murder. However, Tappendorf made a delivery a few days prior; Halloween of 1966. On the day of her murder, Nov. 3, 1966, Tappendorf made a delivery across the street from Kenworth Manufacturing.
The DNA helping fill a 57-year-old investigative hole in the timeline.
"Sixty years is a lot of time, but we don't forget," Michael Hensle, FBI Special Agent in Charge said. "Today represents the promise fulfilled. This technology is the next generation of ability to use DNA to identify leads. It shows that if you are portraying a crime, it doesn't matter when or where, it may not be something we can solve right away, but it's something that in years to come, we'll continue to focus on."
Because Tappendorf died in 2008, he won't be held to justice but officials hope this can provide some solace knowing who is responsible for these deaths.
"It saddens me that the person responsible wasn't able to be brought to justice while he was alive," Attorney General Josh Kaul said. "But I'm glad that we were able to bring closure to this case, through the relentless academic investigators and scientists to ensure that the person responsible was identified."
Friends and Family of Diane Olkwitz tell TMJ4 News, they are relieved at this news, including Norm Gross who graduated high school with Olkwitz in 1965. Through the number of class reunions, her name was always one missing physically but always discussed.
"Her name is always there," Gross said. "She's always on your mind. Something like this tragedy that happened, it's terrible. All of these years and it's finally come to a conclusion. I'm very happy that this has finally come to an end."
Tappendorf had no known criminal history and law enforcement couldn't say a motive. Law enforcement says they'll continue searching to see if Tappendorf is connected to any other unsolved homicides in the area.
"Our investigative team is going to continue to work with other agencies that have unsolved homicides from that era and assist them in any manner that we can," Bellows said. "It's our goal to potentially identify other cases that may be linked to Clarence Tappendorf."
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