Wis. man, 82, linked to pair of ’76 murders

Genetic genealogy tools used to crack cold case

LAKEWOOD, Wis. — Ray Vannieuwenhoven, an 82-year-old handyman, had lived quietly for two decades among the 800 residents of Lakewood, a northern Wisconsin town.

Now authorities say they have used genetic genealogy to link him to a 1976 double murder and rape 25 miles southwest of Lakewood.

David Schuldes and Ellen Matheys, engaged to be married, were camping in McClintock Park when they were killed July 9, 1976.

Last year, detectives contacted Virginia-based Parabon NanoLabs, a DNA technology company whose work with genetic genealogy analysis has helped police identify 55 suspects in cold cases nationwide since May 2018, according to the company. Parabon uploads DNA from crime scenes to GEDmatch, a free, public genealogy database with about 1.2 million profiles, all voluntarily submitted by people who’ve used consumer genealogy sites.

California law enforcement used GEDmatch to capture the suspected Golden State Killer last year by finding distant relatives and reverse-engineering his family tree.

Using that technique, Parabon’s experts concluded in December that Vannieuwenhoven’s parents had lived in the Green Bay area.

Detectives collected a DNA sample from Vannieuwenhoven in March. He was arrested eight days later. His next court date is June 19.

Kurt Schuldes, 68, a cousin of David Schuldes in Green Bay, welcomed the news of an arrest, but lamented the time it took: “He just got away with it for way too long, unfortunately.”

“It was a long time coming,” said Cynthia Chizek, Matheys’ 53-yearold niece, who lives in Henderson, Nevada. “It’s just something that always hangs over your head, knowing that there’s someone out there who did this heinous crime.”

Richard Leurquin, twin brother of Vannieuwenhoven’s dead wife, Rita, said his brother-in-law was “a very loving father to his wife and kids.” He’s convinced Vannieuwenhoven is innocent.