MO MO - Marie Beulah Mueller, 43, Frontenac, 5 Mar 1972

[Betty P]

duplicate

 

[cenazoic]

Would there be a waterway in the Missouri area that could bring a body into Lake Ontario?

Not silly, but no - the main waterway is the Mississippi River, which flows south.

The Missouri River starts in the Rocky Mountains and flows easterly, but eventually flows into the Mississippi above St Louis.

Also (unrelated) - that Great Loop link is fascinating! I also learned that 48 rivers in the US flow north, which I never knew.

 

[STLBlues]

MSM

Earlier this month, a family member of Mueller contacted the Frontenac Police Department and provide information on Mueller’s missing persons case, leading police to a “limited search of a property in Frontenac,”

 

[lildynamo7]

Update 12/4/25: my childhood home went up for sale last month, so I reached out to Frontenac PD to see if they could use modern technology to search the house and the grounds. A search was successful in obtaining a search warrant and 2 cadaver dogs alerted PD to a specific tree on the property. They were supposed to dig under the tree yesterday but the weather was not cooperative, as it's snowed there and is very cold, likely too cold to dig. If the weather turns around, before the house closes on 12/8, they could dig but if the weather doesn't cooperate, PD will have to get another search warrant due to the sale of the house, from my understanding.

 

[Betty P]

Update 12/4/25: my childhood home went up for sale last month, so I reached out to Frontenac PD to see if they could use modern technology to search the house and the grounds. A search was successful in obtaining a search warrant and 2 cadaver dogs alerted PD to a specific tree on the property. They were supposed to dig under the tree yesterday but the weather was not cooperative, as it's snowed there and is very cold, likely too cold to dig. If the weather turns around, before the house closes on 12/8, they could dig but if the weather doesn't cooperate, PD will have to get another search warrant due to the sale of the house, from my understanding.

Thanks for the update @lildynamo7 . Big hugs to you as you go through this difficult time. I hope you and your family find some answers. Also, Frontenac PD is doing a great job of investigating this cold case. They deserve a lot of credit for their commitment.

 

[STLBlues]

Looks like they were digging in one corner of the yard yesterday, from Fox 2. Doesn't look like anything was found.

 

[lildynamo7]

Yes sadly they searched and came up with nothing worthy of note Back to square one.
Needless to say I'm heartbroken and just crushed.
I do thank the efforts of the Frontenac PD, the FBI, the forensic anthropologists and the cadaver dogs.

 

[lildynamo7]

https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/53-year-old-missing-person-mystery-leads-to-suburban-backyard-dig

 

[summergirl1]

Were they digging under the tree I read about somewhere that was planted after her disappearence?

 

[dotr]

Feb 20, 2026 rbbm

https://fox2now.com/news/fox-files/second-cold-case-dig-focuses-on-one-particular-spot-comes-up-empty-again/

'FRONTENAC, Mo. – Investigators took it up a notch in their cold case dig in a suburban backyard. They focused on the same spot in a Frontenac yard that they searched in December.

FOX 2 noticed one big change. The tree that was once there is gone. It was removed by investigators after their first search. That allowed them to dig deeper.

“We brought the team out today along with the landscaping company to assist us and to try to get final closure,” Frontenac Detective Mike Barron said.'

'Answers about why investigators are focused on this spot in the yard is contained in the missing person police report from 1972.

A witness reported the husband asking for a tree to be planted in a spot that was already dug up. The police report continues that the witness “did not think anything of the matter until learning of the disappearance…” and that he later noticed the new tree as the only thing being watered, which he found — “strange due to the large amount of shrubbery and valuable trees in the yard.”

 

[Betty P]

Feb 20, 2026 rbbm

https://fox2now.com/news/fox-files/second-cold-case-dig-focuses-on-one-particular-spot-comes-up-empty-again/

'FRONTENAC, Mo. – Investigators took it up a notch in their cold case dig in a suburban backyard. They focused on the same spot in a Frontenac yard that they searched in December.

FOX 2 noticed one big change. The tree that was once there is gone. It was removed by investigators after their first search. That allowed them to dig deeper.

“We brought the team out today along with the landscaping company to assist us and to try to get final closure,” Frontenac Detective Mike Barron said.'

'Answers about why investigators are focused on this spot in the yard is contained in the missing person police report from 1972.

A witness reported the husband asking for a tree to be planted in a spot that was already dug up. The police report continues that the witness “did not think anything of the matter until learning of the disappearance…” and that he later noticed the new tree as the only thing being watered, which he found — “strange due to the large amount of shrubbery and valuable trees in the yard.”

Link to the news video

https://fox2now.com/video/second-cold-case-dig-focuses-on-one-particular-spot-comes-up-empty-again/11542346

If you're visiting the thread here - Hi Donna. Thinking of your family as well as Marie's. We hope and pray you finally have answers and some path to peace. Your Mom sounds like she was a wonderful, caring person.