O’FALLON, Mo. — Five women murdered. In the early 1990’s. Cases never solved. Bodies were found dumped in the St Louis region, covering multiple jurisdictions across three counties. Now the killer of the five women has confessed.
He was dubbed the “Package Killer,” identified in court papers as Gary Randall Muehlberg.
Between the years 1990 and 1991, Robyn Mihan, Brenda Pruitt, and Sandra Little went missing from south St. Louis City. Their bodies were found murdered at various locations in Lincoln, St. Louis, and St. Charles Counties. Little’s body was found in O’Fallon, Mo along the side of Interstate 70. Despite the best efforts of investigators from all three counties these murders remained unsolved.
In 2008, Det. Sgt. Jodi Weber took it upon herself to take another look at these cold cases. Over a period of 14 years, she organized witness statements, police reports, and physical evidence. Det. Sgt. Weber sent evidence to crime labs in hopes of finding DNA on evidence seized at the crime scenes. She would regularly follow up with the labs to see if any discoveries had been made.
In April 2022, with the advancement in scientific technology the St. Charles County Crime Lab technicians received a confirmed DNA match from a small amount of viable evidence. The DNA was that of Gary Randall Muehlberg who is serving a life sentence for an unrelated murder in Potosi Correctional Center.
Det. Sgt. Weber traveled to the Potosi Correctional Center two separate times to speak with Muehlberg. During those interviews, she obtained confessions for the murders of Robyn Mihan, Brenda Pruitt, and Sandra Little. Shortly after the second interview Det. Sgt. Weber received a handwritten letter from Muehlberg providing information about two additional murders in which he was responsible for.
Det. Sgt. Weber returned to the Potosi Correctional Center a third time to interview Muehlberg. During the interview Muehlberg confessed to the murders he mentioned in the letter. Det. Sgt. Weber was able to get details of both murders. Using that information Det. Sgt. Weber identified one of the victims as Donna Reitmeyer. The other female victim remains unidentified.
“The most sacred tenet of law enforcement is justice for victims and closure for their families. Detective Sergeant Jodi Weber has demonstrated those ideals with her work on this case. Since 2008 she has shown relentless tenacity, steering this case through trending DNA technology, working with other agencies, and balancing the demands of her other assignments. This is a tremendous accomplishment for Det. Sgt. Weber and a solemn day for the victims, who we pray may finally rest in peace.” — Chief Frank Mininni, OPD
This is a breaking news story, stay with Joplin News First on KOAM News Now as we continue to follow updates. Scroll below and sign up for our JLNews updates so you don’t miss an article.
| MORE JOPLIN NEWS FIRST• Longtime abandoned house burns in Greenwood area• Sheriff confirms body found in Grand Lake is missing person BIT.ly/3BXYQOA• Tractor trailer goes off I-44 crashing to dry creek bed below interstate BIT.ly/3LvvWsv• Gas Tanker truck crash & burn on I-44 BIT.ly/3BQjHU5• Taco Bell on Rangeline gets a remodel BIT.ly/3UqmRFe• Joplin City Council regular meeting 9.20.22 BIT.ly/3LsH9Kv• Monett teacher charged child sex crimes BIT.ly/3DDasrQ• Escapee update from NCSO BIT.ly/3BTY4Cx• The Fall Brawl at 4 State Moto Complex BIT.ly/3BozLLh