Trial begins in Muskego cold case murder

WAUKESHA COUNTY (CBS 58) – The trial for a Muskego man charged with killing his wife 40 years ago begins Monday.

Dona Mae Bayerl disappeared in 1979. Her body was never found.

In February, her husband, 79-year-old John Bayerl, was arrested in Florida and charged for the murder.

In 1979, John Bayerl stated that Dona Mae stormed out of their home after an argument, and had not been seen since. Dona Mae never returned home. Family and friends of Dona Mae Bayerl were adamant that she would never leave her daughters, and they feared something happened to her. John Bayerl waited three days to report the disappearance to police.

John Bayerl faces life in prison.