WI WI - Bonnie Marie Repinski, 33, Menasha, August 12, 1975

[Friday Fan]

Bonnie is considered deceased by Social Security Administration via Family Search.

I do not know when that info was added to a public database by SSA. It lists her death as August 1975, with no specific date.

 

[Friday Fan]

Bonnie has been missing for 47 years.

She disappeared Aug 12, 1975

She would have been 80 years old
Repinski was last seen in Menasha, Wisconsin on August 11, 1975. She had lived in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, but several months before her disappearance she separated from her husband and filed for divorce. She was living with her sister in Menasha while the divorce was pending.

On the day of her disappearance, she went out with her husband; he had said he wanted to take her out for her birthday** and talk about their divorce. They went to several taverns in the Neenah and Oshkosh, Wisconsin areas.

Repinski's husband stated that while was driving her back to her sister's Menasha residence, they got in an argument and she asked to be let out of the car at U.S. 41 and State Route 150. (Winchester Rd..It's no longer Hwy 150)
He last saw her walking in the direction of home. She left behind three children and has never been heard from again.

Authorities believe Repinski was the victim of a homicide. Her case remains unsolved.

Bonnie Marie Repinski – The Charley Project

** Bonnie's birthday was in March!

 

[eenerrenee]

True, he runs a bar in Sheboygan, Dave's Who's Inn in Sheboygan. His brother, whose western goods store was raided twice by the police in regards to his involvement in the murders of five people, including Bonnie Repinski, named himself as a suspect in Bonnie's death. Two other victims were named as Timothy Mumbrue and Tanna Togstad.

WI - WI - Timothy Mumbrue, 35, & Tanna Togstad, 23, Weyauwega, 21 March 1992

The brother, Laine B. Shields, now lives in Ruidoso, NM. Glendon Gouker, another suspect in the Togstad Mumbrue murders, stated that Laine B. Shields had accompanied him (Gouker drove) to Togstads rural home where Gouker stated he remained in the car while Shield's and another unidentified man went into her home and Stabbed Togstad, Mumbrue and their dog to death. A Shields family member stated that Togstad had bounced a check at his B Bar 10 western goods store in Amherst, WI and may have been the motive. Gouker is in prison for life for murder and rape in Oklahoma. His sister/wife, who helped him in the meth-induced murder/rape in Oklahoma was released a few years back.

I doubt David Repinski will confess to anything. Same as his brother.

David Repinski does NOT own a bar.
His son David JR owns it, but David SR owned it back in the 1970's and 1980's.

 

[eenerrenee]

There was this huge construction project going on when she disappeared. The bridge was a big deal. This is about 3 miles from where she disappeared.

Additionally, the big news that summer was the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa along with the possibility that he was buried in cement. ...........

Roland Kampo Bridge
MENASHA: Roland Kampo Bridge

I've known about this case for over 40 years and I know Bonnie's best friend.
She told me that Bonnie is likely buried underneath that bridge. She also told me that she saw bruises on Bonnie's face, several times, after being physically abused, by her husband. I hope that 'husband' gets arrested before he dies of old age.

 

[Friday Fan]

I've known about this case for over 40 years and I know Bonnie's best friend.
She told me that Bonnie is likely buried underneath that bridge. She also told me that she saw bruises on Bonnie's face, several times, after being physically abused, by her husband. I hope that 'husband' gets arrested before he dies of old age.

The construction site was not very secure and there was debri and rubble everywhere. It would have been easy to bury a body under the gravel. Unfortunately, I don't think the site was ever searched.

The project was huge.
Before and after pictures of the bridge site. Bridge finished in 1975. I believe construction was started on US 41 in fall 1974.

Historic Aerials: Viewer

www.historicaerials.com

 

[eenerrenee]

There was this huge construction project going on when she disappeared. The bridge was a big deal. This is about 3 miles from where she disappeared.

Additionally, the big news that summer was the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa along with the possibility that he was buried in cement. ...........

Roland Kampo Bridge
MENASHA: Roland Kampo Bridge

 

[eenerrenee]

Yes, I've lived in Sheboygan my whole life, and we all think the bridge is where the body is located.
Terrible police work, for sure.
And I could tell you other stories about this 'husband' which would give much credence to the theory, that he is responsible for her death. It's all circumstancial evidence, which would be enough for some prosecutors to charge him with murder. But it will probably never happen in this case, because it has been botched since Day One.

 

[Friday Fan]

Yes, I've lived in Sheboygan my whole life, and we all think the bridge is where the body is located.
Terrible police work, for sure.
And I could tell you other stories about this 'husband' which would give much credence to the theory, that he is responsible for her death. It's all circumstancial evidence, which would be enough for some prosecutors to charge him with murder. But it will never happen in this case, because it has been botched since Day One.

I edited my post with before and after pictures of the bridge site. I lived right off 41 and Hwy 150 (Winchester Rd) where she supposedly disappeared. I was quite familiar with the construction because I drove through that area frequently during that time. I don't believe any searching was done.

 

[eenerrenee]

The construction site was not very secure and there was debri and rubble everywhere. It would have been easy to bury a body under the gravel. Unfortunately, I don't think the site was ever searched.

The project was huge.
Before and after pictures of the bridge site. Bridge finished in 1975. I believe construction was started on US 41 in fall 1974.

 

[eenerrenee]

I e-mailed the sheriff of Winnebago County today, and he responded very quickly. He promised to
"take another look at this case".

 

[Quoththeraven]

David Repinski does NOT own a bar.
His son David JR owns it, but David SR owned it back in the 1970's and 1980's.

Thank you for the clarification.

When the police did a search warrant on B Bar 10 western clothing store, Amherst, WI, owned by Laine B. Shields (aka Lloyd Repinski) they were searching for evidence in Bonnie's death and four other people; Timothy Mumbrue and Tanna Togstad and two other unidentified people allegedly buried in Tomahawk, WI.

WI - WI - Timothy Mumbrue, 35, & Tanna Togstad, 23, Weyauwega, 21 March 1992

On 22 Mar 1992, Tanna Togstad, age 23, & Timothy Mumbrue, age 35, were found stabbed to death at Mumbrue's rural farmhouse in Weyauwega, Waupaca County, Wisconsin. DNA evidence was found at the crime scene but has not been matched to anyone in the database to date. Mumbrue was stabbed a...

www.websleuths.com

Now that another man, Tony Haase, has been charged with Timothy Mumbrue and Tanna Togstad's murders, I wonder how Laine B. Shields (aka Lloyd Repinski) now fits into the picture. Haase worked at Waupaca Foundry, where, I believe, Timothy Mumbrue also worked. Maybe Shields was telling the truth when he said he wasn't involved in the Togstad/Mumbrue murders. Glendon C. Gouker said he'd driven Shields to the murder scene and waited outside in the pickup while Shields went in. Shields DNA wasn't found at the murder scene, but Gouker's was. Gouker was only trying to implicate Laine Shields to potentially avoid the death penalty for his Oklahoma murder charge.

IMO, if Gouker also wasn't involved in the Timothy Mumbrue and Tanna Togstad murders, then the only other way his DNA was found at the murder scene was because Tanna Togstad, who performed in rodeos, was once a customer at the B Bar 10 and had bought merchandise once handled by Gouker, who was once a worker at the B Bar 10 western wear store owned by Shields.

$2 million cash bond set for suspect in 1992 Togstad, Mumbrue double murder

Prosecutors say Tonna Togstad and Tim Mumbrue were murdered because Tony Haase blamed Togstad’s father for his father’s death 15 years earlier.

www.wbay.com

CRIME AND COURT ROUNDUP: Business owner says he's wrongly accused of a 1992 double murder

The owner of a Western store in central Wisconsin says he's being wrongly-targeted as a suspect in a 1992 double-murder in nearby Waupaca County. Laine Shields told reporters yesterday that

www.republicaneagle.com

 

[Friday Fan]

The divorce from her husband (David R Repinski) was granted in 1976. The identification of her husband comes from a legal case in the Supreme Court of Wisconsin in 1970 where they were both named and won a case against their mortgage provider. Ancestry has the divorce record. Unfortunately I can find nothing more.

He claimed that she deserted him.......He divorced her on 22 Mar 1976
Then she was declared legally dead....

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JL39-L6X

Social Security Death Index

Name	Bonnie Repinski
State	Wisconsin
Age	33
Birth Date
Death Date	Aug 1975

 

[Quoththeraven]

That feud, along with other crimes, was documented in the newspapers over the years. I attached the newspaper articles to show the connections. Too many coincidences.

Mr. Nitro was David J. Dethardt. He, along with Francine Flowerette, were murdered in Stevens Point. They were strippers who appeared at the Paradise Club. The Paradise Club, which was frequented by Laine, was just up the road from where David Repinski said his wife, Bonnie, disappeared. I think the bar was owned by a member of Bonnie's family, John Stranan. If you look at the other newspaper articles related to the Dethardt/Flowerette murders, you'll see that Laine Shields, aka Lloyd Repinski, was involved in that case, too.

The Paradise Club is the same bar that Iola (WI) Police Chief Michael Schertz said he sold a gun to a biker that he had stolen from the evidence locker. He had been accused of shooting Gerald Mork, the son of Waupaca County Sheriff William Mork in the back of the head in the local cemetery.

Village Residents Fearful, Angry After Iola Chief Acquitted

Correction: Russ' Paradise Club was formerly owned by Art Stranen, brother of John Stranen. Art Stranen was a former deputy for the Outagamie County Sheriff's Dept. John Stranen was Bonnie (Newby) Repinski's stepfather. Russell A. Hassell bought the bar in 1964. The name was changed to the Frontier show Lounge in 1981 for about a year and a half and then changed back to The Paradise Club, which was closed in 2014 after Russ Hassell died.

IMO: I wonder if, since David said he dropped Bonnie off near that bar, she went there to her uncle's former bar instead of going home or whether she and David had been at that bar that night while bar hopping? I don't know whether her sister's house, where she was staying, was even within walking distance of where David said he dropped her off.

 

[Friday Fan]

Correction: Russ' Paradise Club was formerly owned by Art Stranen, brother of John Stranen. Art Stranen was a former deputy for the Outagamie County Sheriff's Dept. John Stranen was Bonnie (Newby) Repinski's stepfather. Russell A. Hassell bought the bar in 1964. The name was changed to the Frontier show Lounge in 1981 for about a year and a half and then changed back to The Paradise Club, which was closed in 2014 after Russ Hassell died.

IMO: I wonder if, since David said he dropped Bonnie off near that bar, she went there to her uncle's former bar instead of going home or whether she and David had been at that bar that night while bar hopping? I don't know whether her sister's house, where she was staying, was even within walking distance of where David said he dropped her off.


View attachment 398404

View attachment 398403

David says he dropped her off at 41 and Winchester. (Formerly known as Hwy 150)

He says they got in a fight and Bonnie insisted on getting out of the car. Bonnie was staying with her sister in the neighborhood on the N side of Winchester Rd. The intersection was within close walking distance of her sister's house. Likely 1/4 mile.

The ad says the Paradise Bar was on US 10. Back then US 10 was on the north side of Appleton.

The address of the now demolished Paradise Club was at 4201 W Wisconsin Ave
The Paradise Club was about about 5.5 miles from where Bonnie was supposedly dropped off.

US 10 is now in the Town of Menasha in Winnebago County.

Bonnie's stepfather's obit from 2005 lists that she "preceded him in death"

Image sources:
Google Maps
Appleton - AARoads (Rand McNally from 1985)

 

[Quoththeraven]

David says he dropped her off at 41 and Winchester. (Formerly known as Hwy 150)

He says they got in a fight and Bonnie insisted on getting out of the car. Bonnie was staying with her sister in the neighborhood on the N side of Winchester Rd. The intersection was within close walking distance of her sister's house. Likely 1/4 mile.

The ad says the Paradise Bar was on US 10. Back then US 10 was on the north side of Appleton.

The address of the now demolished Paradise Club was at 4201 W Wisconsin Ave
The Paradise Club was about about 5.5 miles from where Bonnie was supposedly dropped off.

US 10 is now in the Town of Menasha in Winnebago County.

Bonnie's stepfather's obit from 2005 lists that she "preceded him in death"

Image sources:
Google Maps
Appleton - AARoads (Rand McNally from 1985)View attachment 398416View attachment 398417

Thanks for the input. There goes my speculation. That is, if David was being truthful.

IMO: I wonder if, since David said he dropped Bonnie off near that bar, she went there to her uncle's former bar instead of going home or whether she and David had been at that bar that night while bar hopping? I don't know whether her sister's house, where she was staying, was even within walking distance of where David said he dropped her off.

 

[Keiri]

Why do you all think she was buried under the bridge? Rumors or logical deduction? Why did best friend think that?

secondly, LiDAR could help look under the bridges there

 

[Friday Fan]

Why do you all think she was buried under the bridge? Rumors or logical deduction? Why did best friend think that?

secondly, LiDAR could help look under the bridges there

It was the perfect spot to bury a body. Tons of gravel, tons of construction debri, and absolutely no security at night. There was a huge cloverleaf being built at the time. She is most likely on land along the access rd and not under the bridge itself. Either way, all you had to do was move stuff around to bury a body. The earth was already turned up. I lived a mile from it at the time.

I lived at the intersection (exit) where Bonnie allegedly got out of the car. The bridge would become the next exit on 41. However, it was not open yet.

 

[Richard]

Some recent coverage of this case...

LINKS:

What happened to Bonnie Repinski? She disappeared 50 years ago.

She got out of her husband's car at a busy intersection in Fox Crossing in 1975 and has not been seen since.

www.wbay.com

Winnebago County detectives seek fresh leads in 1975 cold case

Her husband said Bonnie Repinski got out of the car during an argument. She wasn't heard from again.

www.wbay.com

 

[Keiri]

The construction site was not very secure and there was debri and rubble everywhere. It would have been easy to bury a body under the gravel. Unfortunately, I don't think the site was ever searched.

The project was huge.
Before and after pictures of the bridge site. Bridge finished in 1975. I believe construction was started on US 41 in fall 1974.

Historic Aerials: Viewer

www.historicaerials.com

View attachment 398210View attachment 398211

Your hard work here is spectacular. Are you able to circle if you know where people suspected she was under the bridge?

 

[Friday Fan]

Your hard work here is spectacular. Are you able to circle if you know where people suspected she was under the bridge?

Probably under the one of the cloverleafs or under a ramp. Those cloverleaf areas were a mess. There was lose gravel everywhere during construction, including inside the cloverleafs. There was rubble piled up all over the place.

No one investigated the case at the time or searched for her.