This individual was recently confirmed to have been identified. Some details may change as more information is released publicly.
Chester Alfred Breiney, also known by his adopted name Markku Jutila, (February 26, 1952 - c. December 1958), was a young boy whose skeletal remains were found off of Davis Road in Mequon, Wisconsin, in 1959. He had been decapitated and dismembered.
At the time of his discovery, police initially thought that the victim was female due to his haircut and investigated whether the remains belonged to missing girl Nancy Marie Ritchie of Milwaukee. His sex was listed as unknown in NamUs.
He was identified by Othram in November 2024.
Background[]
Breiney was born to Josephine Breiney of Houghton, Michigan, but later admitted to the Good Will Farm orphanage. He was adopted by William and Hilja Jutila on March 24, 1955, and renamed "Markku".
Around 1959, the Jutilas relocated from Houghton to Chicago, but without their adoptive son. Family members visited them in Chicago on multiple occasions, each time asking about Markku. They became concerned about Markku's disappearance and reported him missing to the police.
William and Hilja Jutila were arrested by Chicago Police and Houghton County Investigators on March 28, 1966. Under police interrogation, Hilja Jutila confessed to having beaten Markku to death. The couple had initially tried to corroborate their stories by speaking to each other in Finnish, unaware that an officer present also spoke Finnish. She and her husband said they fled Houghton for Chicago and disposed of his body in a ditch in Mequon before arriving in Chicago.
The Jutilas were subsequently prosecuted for the murder of their adoptive son. However, they withdrew their prior confession and instead claimed he had died of illness. As Markku's skeletal remains were not officially identified or connected to the Jutilas, the absence of a body led to charges being dismissed.
William and Hilja Jutila died in 1988. His biological mother Josephine Breiney died in 2001.
Characteristics[]
- Blond or strawberry blond hair, consistent with a short girl's haircut from the time period.
- Several large dental cavities.