Boy ‘may now rest in peace,’ 65 years after his body was found in Wisconsin
PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. (AP) — The remains of a 7-year-old boy were buried Friday, a solemn last act in a yearlong effort to confirm the identity of a skeleton found decades ago in a road culvert in Wisconsin.
The boy was known as Markku Jutila when he disappeared in 1959, the name given to him by his adoptive parents in Houghton County, Michigan. But records and DNA tests this year revealed that his birth name was Chester Breiney, the Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, sheriff’s office announced on Nov. 8.
The boy’s adoptive parents were charged in his death in 1966. Despite incriminating statements, the case against them was ultimately dismissed in Houghton County because of a lack of solid evidence connecting the couple to the skeletal remains.
Chester “most likely suffered from significant neglect” based on the condition of his teeth as well as bone formation that was the probably the result of infection or trauma, the sheriff’s office said, citing recent examination by experts.
Chester’s adoptive parents died in 1988.
“There will be no future prosecution in this case,” the sheriff’s office said.
A funeral Mass was held Friday at St. Peter of Alcantara Church in Port Washington, Wisconsin, followed by burial at a local cemetery. A children’s choir sang hymns, and pews were filled with law enforcement officers and community members.
“It’s an interesting gathering,” the Rev. Patrick Wendt told the congregation. “We want to thank you for surrounding him with that love and care that he didn’t seem to have much of his life.”
Another church donated the burial plot, and local businesses donated the small white casket and grave marker.
Michigan adoption records from the 1950s, obtained through a court order, showed that Chester’s biological mother was Josephine Breiney. The father was listed as unknown. Breiney died in 2001 and has no living relatives, the sheriff’s office said.
Messages seeking additional detail and comment from investigators were not immediately returned Friday.
“Chester may now rest in peace as the truth of his death is known. No child should leave this Earth like Chester did,” the sheriff’s office said.