A Tale of Dry Bones

<p>On Labor Day weekend 1980 Boy Scout Troop #101 scheduled a weekend camping<br />trip on the Schmidt farm located outside the City of Monroe Wisconsin. As one<br />of the scouts was digging a fire pit on the edge of the grove he unearthed skeletal<br />remains. Everyone got excited speculating what those bones could be. The Scout<br />leader promptly called the police to report the finding.<br />Upon inspection Police Chief Brandon Johns called pathologist Dr. Ken to examine<br />the bones. When he arrived at the scene he surmised that the bones were human and<br />incredibly old and had them removed to the morgue for further analysis. Was this a<br />crime scene or not? Would the police be willing to take on a cold case?<br />Chief Johns and Detective Sam Gates contacted the Schmidt family who were in<br />shock after the discovery and revealed a family secret that had haunted them since the<br />1920s. Yes they wanted an investigation to proceed to bring closure to the mystery.<br />Given all the difficulties associated with solving a cold case the police soldiered on<br />in hopes of identifying the bones and the killer so the family could find peace. After<br />interviewing all the people who had any knowledge of the case with all its twists turns<br />and surprises would they eventually learn the truth? Had a crime been committed? Too<br />many theories and insufficient facts stymied their efforts. Was this case a fool's errand?</p>