OZAUKEE COUNTY, Wis. (WFRV) – The long-running true-crime documentary series Bloodline Detectives traveled to southeast Wisconsin to film an episode on the now-solved 65-year-old cold case homicide of Chester Breiney.
Bloodline Detectives’ production team recently came all the way from Ireland to meet with members of the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office and the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation to film an upcoming episode.
The episode revolves around how the use of genetic genealogy was used to help identify the remains of 7-year-old Chester Breiney, who was found in 1959 in a culvert in Mequon, which led to the closure of the 65-year-old cold case.
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The case marked the first time in Wisconsin history that genetic genealogy was used to identify the remains of an unidentified victim.
The discovery followed extensive investigative efforts involving DNA analysis and family history research. Further investigation revealed a history of neglect and malnutrition in Chester’s skeletal analysis.
Police questioned the, at-the-time, unknown victim’s adoptive parents, William and Hilja Jutila, who admitted to leaving their adopted son’s body on the roadside near Mequon after he died.
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However, in 1966, charges against the Jutila’s were dropped due to a lack of conclusive evidence linking the remains, leaving the case unresolved.
Now, with the case resolved, his adoptive parents, both of whom died in 1988, can no longer be prosecuted.
In an earlier statement, the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office expressed hope that Chester Breiney may now rest in peace, saying, “No child should leave this Earth like Chester did.”
The episode is scheduled to air later this year. More information on the cold case can be found here.
