AI Summary
5 min readIn rural Barron County, Wisconsin, a dog unearthed a human skull with a gunshot wound in December 2017, exposing a clandestine grave and sparking a cold case investigation. Genetic genealogy six years after Gary Herbst's 2013 disappearance from Minnesota identified the remains, pointing investigators toward his wife Connie and son Austin, whose neighbors had witnessed suspicious late-night activity.
The Neighbors' Accounts
Residents near the Herbst home in Elko New Market recalled Gary as confrontational and menacing—blasting organ music at neighbors, plowing snow into yards at night, and secretly filming children. Kaya and Chad Cram saw a truck backed to the house around midnight during a storm shortly after Gary vanished. Through their windows, they watched Connie and Austin scrubbing floors and walls, hauling black garbage bags and a rolled-up carpet into Gary's truck. "I think they finally killed him," Chad said. Soon after, Connie and Austin hosted a yard sale with Gary's clothes, tools, and ammo boxes, then walked the neighborhood distributing cookies, appearing liberated. No one reported it to police at the time, given Gary's reputation.
Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.
Read Full Summary →Free • No credit card required
Never miss an episode of 48 Hours
Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
What you'll learn
- 1 (03:05) **Case Discovery** - Sheriff's Department responds to 911 call about dog finding human skull with gunshot wound in rural Wisconsin woods
- 2 (04:38) **Victim Identification** - DNA Doe Project uses genetic genealogy to ID remains as Gary Albert Herbst, missing from Minnesota since 2013
- 3 (05:36) **Neighbors' Suspicious Observations** - Witnesses recall stormy night activity at Herbst home: scrubbing floors/walls, black garbage bags, rolled carpet loaded into truck
- 4 (06:30) **Family Background and Reactions** - Sister Linda learns of skull; describes Gary as stubborn/crabby; shocked Connie never reported him missing initially
- 5 (08:41) **First Interviews with Connie and Austin** - Detectives surprise them at nursing home jobs; both stoic upon ID news
- 6 (13:35) **Polygraph and Shifting Stories** - Connie passes, Austin shows deception; pressured, he insists on "sketchy tattooed man" driver
- 7 (16:17) **Neighborhood Canvass Reveals Gary's Character** - Neighbors describe Gary as "evil," confrontational: blasted organ music, snowblower revenge, filmed kids
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Late at night a couple watches as a rolled-up carpet is carted out of a nearby home. Soon after they learn the combative neighbor who lived there is missing. Peter Van Sant reports.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from this podcast
48 Hours →