Cynthia Haisley, 43, a mother of two and native of Missouri, was found beaten to death under a bridge in northwest Rochester on Oct. 3, 1998. Haisley, who was homeless, had been living under the bridge, possibly with several other people. She had also frequented the Dorothy Day Center and Salvation Army in Rochester. Law Enforcement officials believe there are witnesses that have information that could assist in solving this case.
Please help bring closure to the family and friends of Cynthia Haisley and bring her killer(s) to justice.
Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact:
Rochester Police Department at (507) 328-6888 Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Cold Case Unit at 651-793-7000 or 1-877-996-6222
According to the article below, this case is closed. Â But if you have information on the case, 20k awaits!
For murder victim’s family, evidence came too late
Janice Gregorson Jun 16, 2010
Rochester authorities closed the file this morning on a 12-year-old murder case, saying they are confident they know who killed Cynthia Haisley, but that the man is now dead.
Haisley, 43, was found beaten to death Oct. 3, 1998; her body was discovered by passersby. She had been homeless and lived under a bridge near Kutzky Park in the 400 block of 16th Avenue Northwest.
Police say Haisley’s companion, Eugene Wilke, was always a “strong person of interest” in the killing, but it wasn’t until recently that they were able to get the evidence necessary to support charges and a conviction. But by then, Wilke was already dead.
The news brings no comfort to Haisley’s only surviving daughters, Nina and Nicole Creek, who both live in Missouri.
Three years ago, the daughters traveled to Rochester for a news conference when Rochester police and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension announced they would be taking a fresh look at the unsolved homicide in hopes that new technology could help solve the case.
At that time, the two, joined by their own families, were optimistic the renewed investigation and new technology could bring closure. But this isn’t what they meant.
They don’t understand why the investigation took so long.
And Nicole is angry that Wilke got to live a free life for so many years after her mother’s death.
The sisters knew their mother was an alcoholic and a drug addict and said that “she lived a fast and dangerous life every day.”
Olmsted County Attorney Mark Ostrem this morning said Wilke died of natural causes in April, 2009. “As such, it is inappropriate to formally issue any criminal charges.”
Ostrem said in this case, “We are confident that if Wilke were alive and we took this case to a jury, that jury could reasonably conclude that he is guilty of causing Cynthia Haisley’s death.”
Police are just as confident.
Capt. Brian Winters said the latest investigation by police concluded that Wilke caused the death of Haisley and that the other “persons of interest” were no longer strong suspects.
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