KENOSHA, Wis. — Kenosha Police Detective Mark Poffenberger sat down with Kenosha County Eye to revisit one of the city’s oldest unsolved murders — the brutal killing of 17-year-old Mary Ellen Kaldenberg in February 1967.
Mary Ellen left her home in the 2000 block of 64th Street at approximately 8:30 p.m. on February 9, 1967, telling her family she was heading to a nearby drug store. When she didn’t return home, her disappearance sent shockwaves through the community. Nearly two weeks later, on February 23, her body was discovered in an abandoned 1940s hearse parked on the grounds of Kenosha’s Water Utility building near 65th Street.
(Kenosha Police)
According to Poffenberger, Mary Ellen had been stabbed multiple times and possibly sexually assaulted. Investigators believe she was killed elsewhere and her body dumped at the site. At the time, the area was used to store junked vehicles belonging to the city’s Water Department.
(Kenosha Police)
The grim discovery was made by two neighborhood boys, sparking an intensive investigation that involved ten to twelve detectives. Police even sent undercover officers to Mary Ellen’s funeral to photograph attendees in hopes of identifying potential suspects.
(Kenosha Police)
Detectives received numerous tips from worried citizens as news of the murder spread. The city’s population was about 78,000 in 1967, and rumors swirled about possible links to other crimes across the Midwest. Investigators explored connections to a Menomonee Falls homicide with a similar modus operandi and even considered whether a serial killer named Richard Little could have been responsible.
Another name that surfaced early in the case was Eddie Kaldenberg, a relative of the victim with ties to Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. But despite countless leads, the investigation stalled.
Tragically, key physical evidence that could have provided new clues through modern forensic testing no longer exists. “The underwear she was wearing at the time of her death was sent to the state crime lab decades ago,” Poffenberger said. “It was purged when the lab moved buildings.” With no preserved DNA and no surviving evidence suitable for modern analysis, solving the case has become an uphill battle.
(Cell Phone Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
Today, the investigative file spans five large binders. While many of the original detectives have since passed away, Kenosha Police continue to hope that renewed public interest might generate the tip that finally closes the case.
“There’s still a chance that the person responsible is alive,” Poffenberger told KCE. “We’d like to give Mary Ellen’s family the closure they deserve.”
(Kenosha Police)
Anyone with information about the 1967 murder of Mary Ellen Kaldenberg is urged to contact the Kenosha Police Department’s Detective Bureau at 262-605-5203 or Kenosha Area Crime Stoppers at 262-656-7333.
22 Responses
Who in their right mind disposes of evidence?
Nearly every cold case that is solved happens because of DNA found on the physical evidence that the police retained. Because none apparently still exists with this case, the likelihood of this case being solved is very small.
Back then kenosha police officers were not very bright. Working at “the motors” was more desirable than working as an officer.
They still are not very bright.
Apparently the state crime lab
Can’ they exhume the body for DNA on the clothing, etc? How about swabbing that vehicle for DNA?
How dumb are you? Do you think the car is still around?
Can’t DNA be collected from this vehicle or exhume the body for collection of DNA?
You know they changed her clothes. Washed her and put on new clothes for a funeral. Plus deteriat of 60 years would work in the ground.
Hopefully when they solve this one they won’t set the murderer free like they did Kaye Truesdell-Pederson.
And scumbag Spriggy
Very sad for this young girl , her family. Mary Ellen surely is in heaven.
Almost 60 years ago, no DNA, unknown if any witnesses are still around, no reported new evidence, this case looks like it’s got less than 5% of being solved. Reports, statements and pics are not much to go buy when this occurred in 1967. This is not like TV where the crime occurs and is solved in an hour. Heck, the suspect may be dead already.
I guess if I wanted someone to investigate, based on todays KPD, I’d think Poff is an excellent choice!
Thank you, Kevin, for reporting this sad event. I did not know her, but I remember the reporting and gossip about her case. Actually, I was going to contact you to ask if you could look into her case. Another case from the autumn of 1961 or 1962. was the death of Tommy Barry. The twelve-year-old was found hanging from a tree in a wooded area off of 60th street @ 41st or 42nd Ave. The area would be West of Daily Dose. West of Hannon School ( torn down years ago). I recall our sociology teacher. being very angry about his death and yelling at our class. The circumstances of his death seemed to be questionable. I haven’t been able to find any articles about this incident. Thank you for all you do.
Sounds like a inside job a city worker, police officer he’ll even a detective.
I knew the whole family growing up and never knew that her brother Eddie was a suspect – his birthday is February 8th I believe so this would have been the day after his 15th birthday- I had just turned 13 when the cops canvassed the Brass neighborhood looking for clues.
I also knew the Yurchaks – Bill was made the prime suspect and his father Steve told me the KPD hounded all of them for years focusing on the boyfriend to the exclusion of anyone else – he said he was waiting for Rudy Botz the detective to die so he could **** on his grave –
Mary was a sweet shy girl that truly didn’t deserve this – it haunted her mother until her last day – if I remember, they closed the door to her bedroom and never went in there again.
I had always hoped it would be solved …
Heartbreaking
Nobody talked about it. M.E.’s bedroom was closed and not used, but people went in there. I went in and looked at her things, her band instrument, a flute. Ed’s father’s footlocker from WWI was in there too. It was a special thing that Ed held close. Those Kaldenberg kids were born very late to Ella. My brother Dave and I slept over with Ed in 1959. I was about 5 years old. Ed had a toy that lit up in the dark. Ella babysat us. There were some kids that slept over those years after 1967. I think Bob Burgess or Harley who freaked out about the room. It was a nightmare. People are superstitious!. I could tell you this. I got into a lot of trouble being Ed’s friend. He passed in 2018. He was so full of life and an adventurer. The pranks he loved to do were harmless. Not! He loved to prank people. Ed was possessed by the devil and was a bad influence on me. But I loved him.
I heard Ed was at the CYC, with Harley, I think. The CYC had trampolines the kids loved. So Ed had an alibi. He was no suspect after that time, I’m very sure. The next night or so, brother Dave and I pitched a tent on our front porch–we used nails to hold it –Ed came by and talked to us. He stood by the porch and said he was out looking for his sister. It was very sad not knowing. All Dave and I knew we had no snacks or anything but kool-aid in that tent. And when the morning sun came up we had ants crawling on us from the sugar. We were poor people in 1967.
No. M.E. Wasn’t that sweet at times. She was not happy sometimes when I saw her. Sometimes. When her brother Ed and I messed with her record player and Beatles albums, she got angry. She was not happy the summer of 1966 when the grass got very high and she pushed the lawn mover. I remember. It was tough. I was there raking the grass with her. Was she sweet? I think so. She was a Dutch girl. Her father was Dutch. Kaldenberg. Ella was a Nemeth who moved from Iowa to Chicago in the 1920’s. That was during the Prohibition. Al Capone needed corn to make booze, so I do not think it unlikely Iowa corn farmers would be there. Sometime later they moved to Kenosha to work in the auto plant. Ella was a nice lady, like a Mom to me. I made her cry much later, and saw her in her last days. I am very sorry about that. She was walking Uptown and she messed herself. I could not help her, being brain damaged, like the boy playing the banjo. I will always remember Ella liked to play cards and she would hang around out at the Dutch Maid downtown. She put the horror out of her mind, I suppose.
Since you and I were there, we have inside information of the characters in the neighborhood. There is no evidence. The best we can do is circumstantial. I am writing a thesis for Mary Ellen, who was like a big sister to me, to include possible killers. Since it appears the govt covered up the crime–destroyed the crime scene with machinery that February, then in the following Spring made improvements to the grounds and fencing–it is up to researchers like us to tell the true story. Am I qualified? Yes. The police said they had no suspects at the time. There were plenty of suspects in that neighborhood. Homicidal maniacs. If the cops did not know about them, they were not looking or and did not see them because there were plenty of “big knives” on 64th Street. What chance is there to find the actual killer? I believe the killer was right there all the time. I have narrowed it down to two. Glenn Wall is off the wall to suggest it was Thoresen. Ed Baumann, who I knew and spoke to, and his buddy O’Brien jumped the gun to say the killer got away with murder. The statute says differently. Perhaps they were too philosophical/theatrical to understand law? Mary Ellen’s murder happened just about 4 years after JFK was murdered. I began thinking on this investigation about 50 years ago, Dave, and we saw the movie JFK together. Since then I wrote a study that refuted Luis Alverez’s paper on the forces/vectors involved in the JFK shooting. It was published on Mr. Dale Myer’s JFK website some time ago. So stay tuned for a thesis paper.
I lived 2 doors down from the Kaldenberg’s. I was 8yrs old. Momma Ella used to babysit my little sisters and I. I remember Mary Ellen would wear a Santa suit and go around the neighborhood and hand out candy canes .So sad.
I have opened the Mary Ellen Kaldenberg case with a gofundme page. Any support would be appreciated. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-alan-share-kenoshas-untold-stories