ROCHESTER, Minnesota (KTTC/Gray News) – An 84-year-old man has been arrested for the 1974 murder of a hitchhiker.

Mary Schlias was hitchhiking from Minneapolis to Chicago when the 25-year-old was arrested and stabbed to death.

Her body was later found in Dunn County, west of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, wearing a stocking cap.

Now, 50 years later, authorities have arrested her suspected killer, identified as Jon K. Miller.

Miller was arrested Nov. 7 after reportedly admitting to killing Schlias to investigators.

Law enforcement said the arrest would not have been possible without the help of a genetic genealogy investigative team from Ramapo College in New Jersey.

The New Jersey team helped identify Miller as a suspect by analyzing hair follicle DNA from evidence left at the scene.

David Gurney, director of the IGG team, said the team compared genetic DNA found at the scene with family trees from public databases on the Internet.

“Our work begins once a genetic profile is developed from a biological sample that has been uploaded to two consumer genetic genealogy databases, Family Tree DNA and Gedmatch Pro,” Gurney said.

Gurney Deputy Director Caireen Binder said investigators were then able to work with Miller’s family to determine a relative match to the DNA found at the scene.

“With the cooperation of some of Jon Miller’s cousins, Jon Miller’s DNA cousins, we were able to find out who the unknown relative was,” Binder said.

Gurney said he and his team only provided a lead to law enforcement and were not involved in the arrest.

“It requires specialized DNA labs to, first, generate the genetic profile, and it then depends on law enforcement to confirm the lead and decide whether or not to make an arrest. It’s a tool,” Gurney said.

Gurney said his team generated 17 leads for similar cases and helped 75 cases in total.

“For people who haven’t taken a DNA test, consider doing so,” Gurney said. “Your profile could help bring justice to another victim. »

Authorities said the investigation process was still ongoing.

Miller is currently being held at the Steele County Detention Center in Owatonna and awaiting extradition to Wisconsin.

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