ST. CROIX FALLS (WQOW) - Nearly four decades after Yvonne Menke was killed outside of her apartment in St. Croix Falls, a woman has been arrested — and court documents are giving more insight into what lead to Menke's death.

Mary Josephine Bailey, known at the time as Mary Jo Lunsmann, was arrested and is charged with first degree murder in Polk County. She is accused of killing Menke, whose 1985 death has been called a cold case up until now.

According to the criminal complaint

At about 6:30 a.m. on December 12, 1985, Menke told her daughter she was going outside to warm up her car before work. Her daughter heard what sounded like a "whip-like" noise, and thinking it was gun shots she looked out the windows of the apartment. She saw a person walking and then jogging away from the scene wearing a grey dress coat, scarf, and stocking cap. Menke was found dead at the bottom of the stairs going from the apartment to the street.

The autopsy showed she was shot three times with a .22 caliber weapon. She died of blood loss and the manner of death was ruled a homicide. It was also determined she was shot while she was walking down her staircase.

Investigators found boot prints in the snow leading away from the crime scene and believe the suspect then left in a vehicle. Casts were made from the boot prints.

In an interview with Menke's daughter, she told investigators that a day or two prior someone had called looking for her mom, and asking what time she leaves for work in the morning. Before the daughter could ask who was calling, the call ended.

Another one of Menke's daughters told investigators about Menke's boyfriend, Jack Owen. Owen passed away in 2021. He was also romantically involved with Mary Jo, and the daughter described him as having a "roving eye."

Law enforcement interviewed Owen, who said that day he woke up around 6 a.m. and did chores outside and then went back to sleep. Later that morning he went to the bank where an employee offered their condolences, which is how he learned of Menke's death. He said he had seen her the night before at a birthday party.

Owen said he had not seen Mary Jo in several weeks, and that while their romantic relationship was over, they were still friends. He confirmed that he had been romantically involved with Mary Jo and Menke at the same time for a number of years.

One witness told investigators that she was the one to tell Mary Jo the news about Menke's death. She said Mary Jo had taken the day off work to go Christmas shopping and acted surprised to hear the news.

Police went to talk to Mary Jo the day after the death. She said the romantic relationship with Owen had ended three years earlier, but they were still friends. She said she did own a .22 pistol, but had given it to her boyfriend so he could sell it for her. She also had a .22 caliber rifle but told investigators she didn't know how to use it. A pair of boots were taken from her home as evidence.

The boots were taken to the Wisconsin Crime Lab, where they were considered a match for tread pattern, wear pattern and size for the prints at the crime scene.

Mary Jo told investigators that she lived alone and woke up around 7 a.m. on December 12, and that she did chores and ran errands.

One witness that was interviewed said she knew Menke, Owen, and Mary Jo. She said that Mary Jo was knowledgeable about firearms, and believed she was capable of killing Menke. She also said that in the past, Mary Jo called Menke to try and get her to give up Owen.

A new look at the case

In 2021, Lt. Andrew Vitalis and Polk County Investigations Liaison Deputy Mark Biller began investigating the case, which included new interviews with witnesses.

"Since the initial investigation was conducted, it was probable that many subjects had learned additional information about the case that may be relevant and not yet reported to law enforcement. Additionally, officers suspected there were subjects who had been living in the area at the time of the homicide that did not come forward with information about the homicide for fear of retaliation," the criminal complaint states.

Investigators interviewed Mary Jo again, who gave them the same story as she did in 1985. They also spoke with the witness who was the first to tell Mary Jo about Menke's death. The witness now told authorities that after thinking about the case over the years, she does believe Mary Jo is responsible. Later, she contacted authorities to say another one of Mary Jo's boyfriends had disclosed that he was asked to burn some of Mary Jo's clothes soon after the homicide.

Menke's son was also interviewed. He said that his mom received phone calls in the years leading up to her death from a person with a muffled voice. The caller would ask if his mom was there, and while the voice was muffled, he said everyone thought it was Mary Jo. He also said Owen told them not to worry about it.

Owen had married another woman and moved to Montana before his death. His widow was interviewed about the case and said the worst thing Mary Jo did was break into her house. She told investigators she knew it was Mary Jo because photos of her and Owen were taped to her cupboard with obscenities written on them. She said she did not file a police report.

In speaking with the daughter Menke lived with at the time of her death, she said the phone call about what time her mom left for work is her worst memory, and at the time she thought it was from someone she knew.

Investigators also noted a piece of paper in Menke's purse that said "Touch of Class MJL." A witness told them that Mary Jo had a big screen on her truck that said "Touch of Class."

Court Case

Mary Josephine Bailey was charged with first degree murder on Monday and was arrested Tuesday. No further court dates have been set in her case. News 18 will continue to follow the developments of this story. You can read the entire criminal complaint below.