MEQUON, Wisconsin (WFRV) – Authorities in southeastern Wisconsin have identified the remains of a child found in a Wisconsin culvert in 1959, closing a 65-year-old unsolved case with the help of genetic genealogy.

Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office announced The remains were identified as those of seven-year-old Chester A. Breiney, whose life ended “traumatically at the hands of his adoptive parents.” The discovery followed extensive investigative efforts that included DNA analysis and family history research.

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Chester’s remains were first found in Mequon on October 4, 1959. At the time, investigators had few clues other than skeletal remains, and the child’s age was initially estimated to be between six and eight years old.

Over the years, clues have emerged in both Wisconsin and Michigan, particularly regarding a missing child named Markku Jutila. Police interrogated Markku’s adoptive parents, William and Hilja Jutila; They admitted that they left their adopted son’s body on the side of the road near Mequon after he died.

However, in 1966 the charges against Jutilas were dropped due to a lack of conclusive evidence linking the remains to Markku, and the case remained unsolved.

Renewed efforts in recent years have led to progress. Special Agent Neil McGrath, Detective Scott Heller, and forensic analysts from the Wisconsin Department of Justice used modern DNA extraction and genealogy techniques in collaboration with laboratories and genealogists to match the remains of Chester Breiney, formerly known as Markku Jutila.

Further investigation revealed a history of neglect and malnutrition in Chester’s skeletal analysis. His adoptive parents, who both died in 1988, can no longer be sued.

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In a statement, the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office stated that they hope Chester Breiney rests in peace and said, “No child should leave this Earth the way Chester did.”

The office commended the decades of teamwork by all parties involved in the investigation, noting that without such cooperation, justice for Chester would never have been achieved.

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