Dunn County investigators receive Michael Vendola Death Investigator of the Year Award

Pictured L-R: Sergeant Jason Stalker, Investigator Dan Westlund, Cairenn Binder, Assistant Director Ramapo College, Sheriff Kevin Bygd.

Dunn County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Dan Westlund and Sergeant  Jason Stalker have been selected to receive the Michael Vendola Death Investigator of the Year Award through the Wisconsin Association of  Homicide Investigators (WAHI) and will be presented the award at the organization's April Conference.

The Michael Vendola Death Investigator of the Year Award is awarded to the member who goes above and beyond normal duty in a death investigation or contributes greatly beyond the normal scope to the area of death investigations. Investigator Westlund and Sergeant Stalker were selected for this prestigious award based on their tireless efforts, which were instrumental in leading to the closure of the 50-year-old homicide case of Mary Shlais and the successful conviction of her killer, Jon Miller, who pleaded guilty to First-Degree Murder and was sentenced to life in prison.

Investigator Westlund and Sergeant  Stalker, along with Cairenn Binder of Ramapo College, have presented the details of their investigation nationwide and have been featured in "A Confession in Cold Blood," an episode of the true-crime documentary series Bloodline Detectives (S6 E9), which highlights how investigative genetic genealogy and modern forensics are used to solve cold cases. 

Media release.