BARRON COUNTY, WI — A Minnesota man whose disappearance went unreported for years was identified through genetic genealogy after a dog found his skull in rural Wisconsin woods, leading investigators to suspect his wife and son in his murder.
Gary Albert Herbst, 57, vanished from his Elko New Market home in 2013, but his wife Connie never reported him missing to police. The case broke open in 2020 when DNA analysis identified remains discovered three years earlier in Barron County, Wisconsin. Detective Jeff Nelson of the Barron County Sheriff’s Office said both Connie Herbst and her son Austin showed unusual reactions when told about the discovery. “Both of them were very stoic. Never even commented, well, at least we know it’s him. It’s like they just glossed over it,” Nelson told CBS News.
Investigators found multiple inconsistencies in the family’s accounts of Gary’s disappearance. Connie initially claimed she was home when Gary left with an unknown driver, but later told police she was at the library when her son Austin called to say their father had departed. She also failed to mention that Gary had allegedly stolen her .40 caliber handgun until questioned directly by investigators. Austin’s story evolved during multiple interviews, first describing a simple departure, then adding details about a heavily tattooed man who picked up his father. Special Agent Brent Petersen of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension noted Connie described Gary as a volatile drug user who had physically abused her during their 30-year marriage.
The breakthrough came when investigators interviewed neighbors Chad and Kaia Kraml, who lived directly behind the Herbst home. The couple recalled witnessing suspicious late-night activity around the time of Gary’s disappearance during a thunderstorm. “I see a truck backed in the backyard,” Chad Kraml said, describing how the vehicle was positioned unusually close to the house’s sliding glass door. The neighbors watched as Connie and Austin scrubbed floors in the middle of the night and loaded large garbage bags into Gary’s truck. Kaia Kraml told investigators they also saw the pair “carrying out a carpet or some sort of rug and also throwing it in the back of the truck.” When asked about reporting what they witnessed, Kaia Kraml said “Absolutely not” because “he was horrible.”
Gary Herbst was universally described by neighbors as an extremely difficult person who terrorized the community through psychological harassment. Detective Nelson said every neighbor interviewed used similar language, repeatedly calling Gary “the biggest a–hole that you’ll ever meet.” Residents described how Gary would blast pipe organ music through speakers aimed at neighbors’ homes when angry, and would use his snowblower to fill their yards with snow in the middle of winter nights. Chad Kraml filed a police report after catching Gary secretly videotaping his daughters with a camcorder positioned in his back window. “He was just staring at me blatantly on purpose, wanting to show me up and be like, ‘Yeah, I’m recording,'” Kraml said. Another neighbor, Jason Grimm, described confrontations over snow removal, though he characterized Gary as “all bark, no bite.”
Polygraph examinations conducted by the FBI showed different results for mother and son. While Connie Herbst showed no signs of deception, Austin failed the test, prompting investigators to confront him more aggressively. “Either you’re involved with your mom in killing your father or you’re involved with someone else in killing your father,” an FBI investigator told Austin during questioning. Austin continued to maintain his innocence while pointing investigators toward the mysterious tattooed man he claimed drove away with his father. The new owner of the Herbst family home, Dee Hamlin, discovered additional evidence that supported investigators’ suspicions: “Over in this area right here, before the closets were put in, somewhere over here, there was a big red stain” in the master bedroom.
The case remains under investigation as authorities work to build sufficient evidence for charges. Investigative genetic genealogist Robin Espensen, who helped identify the remains through the DNA Doe Project, explained that genetic genealogy was used as a “last resort” after traditional methods failed. Gary’s sister Linda Dane, who had been estranged from her brother for years, expressed shock at learning he had disappeared but said she found it strange that Connie never filed a missing person report initially. Neighbors noted an immediate change in Connie and Austin’s demeanor after Gary’s disappearance, describing them as “actually happy” for the first time. Weeks later, the pair held a yard sale featuring men’s clothing, shoes, tools, and ammunition boxes, telling buyers that Gary “didn’t want to be married anymore, and he left.”
Detective Nelson said the investigation continues as authorities work to gather additional evidence in what they believe was a premeditated murder. No charges have been filed against Connie or Austin Herbst, though both remain persons of interest in the case.
