Contracted to Kill

Summary

Cold Case Files: "Contracted to Kill"

Introduction

"Contracted to Kill," an episode of Cold Case Files hosted by Paula Barros, delves into the harrowing unsolved murder of Lee Rotatore in Council Bluffs, Iowa. This detailed exploration spans decades, highlighting the relentless pursuit of justice by detectives, the emotional toll on Lee's family, and the groundbreaking role of genetic genealogy in finally solving the case.

---

1. Background: Lee Rotatore

Lee Rotatore was a vibrant and well-educated woman with a passion for nature, cooking, and horse riding. Born in 1949, she pursued her studies in cooking and nutrition at the University of Wisconsin, earning a master's degree and subsequently working as a dietitian.

Greg Gonzalez, Lee's Brother ([03:16]): "Lee was the epitome of the innocent victim. She wasn't out doing anything questionable. She was a well-educated woman with a good job who came here to start a new life."

In 1978, Lee married Jerry Nemke, a man with a troubled past, and they settled in Nunicum, Michigan. Lee's dedication to her career led her to accept a promotion that required relocating 600 miles to Council Bluffs, Iowa.

---

2. The Murder: Discovery and Initial Investigation

On June 25, 1982, shortly after Lee began her new role as head dietician at a local facility, she was brutally murdered in her motel room at the Best Western Motel in Council Bluffs. The brutality and precision of the crime raised immediate suspicions of a professional hit.

Detective ([01:38]): "Lee was a well-educated woman with a good job who came here to start a new life and was subsequently murdered a few days later."

Greg Gonzalez ([05:35]): "In our early teens, we got into rifle shooting. ... We did go to a lot of rifle matches in town or we travel, take a car ride, sleep in the back with equipment as we're coming home."

Upon discovering Lee's body, detectives noted the lack of a struggle, a single stab wound to the heart, and signs of a possible sexual assault, although the nature of the assault remained unclear.

Detective ([07:08]): "They noted a sticky residue across her mouth and across her eyes... They also noted that the tape had been removed from her mouth as well as her eyes."

---

3. Initial Leads and Suspicious Elements

The investigation uncovered peculiar evidence, including crushed green floral foam in Lee's room and another location in the motel. This anomaly suggested the presence of someone familiar with floral materials, leading detectives to consider suspects linked to the floral industry.

Detective ([09:00]): "They found pieces of green foam scattered across the floor, the kind used by florists. This foam shouldn't have been there."

Additionally, eyewitness accounts described a disreputable-looking man carrying an unusual bouquet, fitting the description of someone connected to the floral business.

Detective ([11:20]): "They described the gentleman as a white male, 30s to 40s, medium build, dark hair..."

---

4. Suspects: Jerry Nemke and Thomas Oscar Freeman

One of the primary suspects was Jerry Nemke, Lee's husband, who had a notorious past. Convicted of murdering 16-year-old Marilyn Duncan in 1960, Jerry's release from prison in 1978 and subsequent marriage to Lee raised suspicions, especially given his employment as a floral delivery person.

Detective ([19:53]): "Jerry Nemke was 10 hours away when Lee was murdered. We confirmed he was at work until at least 10 PM and seen doing floral deliveries the next morning."

Despite his solid alibi initially clearing him, Jerry's connection to the floral foam and his tumultuous relationship with Lee kept him under scrutiny.

Ann Chin, Lee's Sister ([20:18]): "I knew that Jerry was imprisoned for murder. I know that he was working with juveniles to help keep them from becoming imprisoned. I think he had been reformed."

Another suspect was Thomas Oscar Freeman, whose body was discovered shortly after Lee's murder. Freeman was a transient truck driver with a history of violence, making him a plausible link to the crime.

Detective ([34:54]): "Based on the phone calls that were alleged to have been made to Jerry, I speculate that he may have been involved in hiring the person who killed his wife."

---

5. The Case Goes Cold

After six days of intensive investigation with no substantial leads, the case was shelved, joining the staggering statistic that one-third of all American murders remain unsolved. Lee's family grappled with grief and the absence of closure.

Ann Chin ([22:35]): "During family gatherings, we didn't talk about Lee as often. It was too painful to reminisce."

Greg Gonzalez ([22:44]): "The emotion of loss of family struck me and stayed with me."

---

6. Reopening the Case: DNA Evidence and Genetic Genealogy

Nearly three decades later, advancements in DNA technology reignited hope for solving Lee's murder. In 2011, new evidence prompted detectives to revisit the case, though initial DNA tests did not yield any matches.

Detective ([23:15]): "Once I realized that we do have a male DNA sample, my thought at the time is I need to go back, revisit the main suspects in this case."

Despite exhaustive efforts, including polygraph tests and revisiting previous suspects, the breakthrough came with the advent of genetic genealogy.

Katie Patty, Forensics Detective ([25:15]): "Our initial response was an enormous family lineage. It was literally printed out and it was six feet long along one of our detective's desks."

Enter Eric Schubert, a genealogist renowned for his success in solving cold cases through meticulous genealogical research.

Eric Schubert ([27:19]): "There's so much good that can be done here. You know, why not take a stab at it?"

With Schubert's expertise, the investigation leveraged genetic genealogy to sift through vast family trees, eventually narrowing down potential suspects.

---

7. Breakthrough and Conclusion: Identifying Thomas Oscar Freeman

In February 2021, genetic genealogy identified a DNA match linking Thomas Oscar Freeman to Lee's murder. Despite Freeman's subsequent death, this revelation provided crucial insights into the circumstances surrounding the case.

Detective ([30:27]): "We had a stroke of luck, and we had a kit dropped into the system by someone that we hadn't solicited it for. That match led us to a group of four brothers."

Further investigation revealed that Jerry Nemke had likely orchestrated the murder by hiring Freeman, capitalizing on their shared criminal history to execute the crime while maintaining an alibi.

Greg Gonzalez ([38:54]): "It's very possible it may have been Jerry hired Thomas for a hit. And knowing that both Jerry and Thomas are deceased, it's a tangled web out there."

Though both perpetrators are deceased, the case closure offers a semblance of justice for Lee Rotatore and serves as a testament to the power of modern forensic techniques.

Detective ([38:46]): "After a four-decade investigation, Council Bluff's police department publicly announced that Thomas Freeman is Lee Rotatori's murderer."

Greg Gonzalez ([39:07]): "The bright light in all this is the way it was solved. And hopefully, this gives hope to others that their cases can be solved."

---

Epilogue

"Contracted to Kill" not only recounts a tragic story of loss and justice but also underscores the evolution of investigative methods. The collaboration between dedicated law enforcement and pioneering genealogists like Eric Schubert exemplifies the relentless pursuit of truth, offering hope to families still yearning for answers in unresolved cases.

---

Notable Quotes

• Greg Gonzalez ([03:16]): "Lee was the epitome of the innocent victim. She wasn't out doing anything questionable. She was a well-educated woman with a good job who came here to start a new life."

• Detective ([07:08]): "They noted a sticky residue across her mouth and across her eyes... They also noted that the tape had been removed from her mouth as well as her eyes."

• Ann Chin ([20:18]): "I knew that Jerry was imprisoned for murder. I know that he was working with juveniles to help keep them from becoming imprisoned. I think he had been reformed."

• Greg Gonzalez ([22:44]): "The emotion of loss of family struck me and stayed with me."

• Eric Schubert ([27:19]): "There's so much good that can be done here. You know, why not take a stab at it?"

• Detective ([30:27]): "We had a stroke of luck, and we had a kit dropped into the system by someone that we hadn't solicited it for. That match led us to a group of four brothers."

• Greg Gonzalez ([39:07]): "The bright light in all this is the way it was solved. And hopefully, this gives hope to others that their cases can be solved."

---

Cold Case Files: "Contracted to Kill" exemplifies the intricate dance between memory, evidence, and technology in unraveling the darkest of mysteries. It serves as a poignant reminder that perseverance and innovation can bring long-awaited closure to unresolved tragedies.

Transcript

[Advertiser]

Mochi Health is here to help you start your weight loss journey with caring, personalized support. Meet one on one with board certified obesity doctors and registered dietitians who truly listen and understand your unique needs. Eligible patients can access affordable GLP1 medications delivered right to their door each month. No insurance. No problem. Mochi Health accepts FSA and HSA making care accessible and affordable. And with 24. 7 customer service, you'll never feel alone on your path to better health. Get started with Mochi Health today. Take the free [e-mail] and use code AUDIO40 at checkout for $40 off your first month of membership. That's join M-O C-H-I.com with promo code AUDIO40.

[Marissa Pinson]

Hi cold case listeners. I'm Marissa Pinson and if you're enjoying this show, I just want to remind you that episodes of Cold Case Files as well as the A classic podcasts, I Survived, American justice and City Confidential are all available ad free on the new A and E Crime and Investigation channel on Apple Podcasts and Apple plus for just $4.99 a month or 39.99 a year. And now onto the show. The following episode contains disturbing accounts of violence and sexual violence. Listener discretion is advised.

[Greg Gonzalez]

Lee was a lover of nature. She was a person that understood people to create more of an emotional tie with them.

[Ann Chin]

She was fun loving. She liked to ride horses.

[Detective]

Lee was a well educated woman with a good job who came here to start a new life and was subsequently murdered a few days later.

[Greg Gonzalez]

Obviously there's questions that come up. You know, why, who, how did it happen and where did it happen?

[Detective]

There was no forced entry to the room. It didn't appear to be like a crime of passion or fury. This was a single stab wound directly into the heart. Nothing more, nothing less. If someone had gone through the effort to plan something like this, who's to say that they hadn't done it before or would do it again?

[Marissa Pinson]

There are over 100,000 cold cases in America. Only about 1% are ever solved. This is one of those rare stories. It's June 25, 1982, a beautiful summer day in Council Bluffs, Iowa, when the manager of the Best Western Motel receives a call to check on the woman in room 106. Steve Andrews is a detective with the Council Bluffs Police Department.

[Detective]

The hotel received a call from her place of employment wanting them to do a welfare check because she hadn't shown up for work that day. At that point, housekeeping staff, along with an assistant manager, went to room 106 knocked on the door and that's when they discovered the body of a female lying on one of the beds in the room. They immediately backed out of the room and called police.

[Marissa Pinson]

Larry Williams is a former sergeant with the Council Bluffs Police Department.

[Greg Gonzalez]

We proceeded to that location and entered a room and found on a bed the body of a young woman. And I observed one stab wound between the lower and the upper area of her abdomen. Obviously she was deceased.

[Detective]

You know, there weren't any signs of any kind of a struggle in the room. The TV was turned on and the volume was up a little loud. She was found lying on her back on the bed. One of her arms was kind of twisted around behind her back. She was only wearing a T shirt and she was lying in a pool of blood.

[Marissa Pinson]

Police identify the body as that of 32 year old Lee Rotatore. Greg Gonzalez is Lee Rotatore's brother.

[Greg Gonzalez]

The day of the murder I was at home and my father gave me a call and let me know. It was a shock. Obviously there's questions that come up. You know, why, who, how did it happen and where did it happen? Murders are senseless. She has been murdered and won't be able to talk to her again. Lee was the oldest, born in 49. I was the second, born in 50. My brother Thomas, he was born in 56. And Ann is the baby of the family, born in 57.

[Marissa Pinson]

Ann Chin is Lee Rotatori's sister.

[Ann Chin]

Lee was about eight years older than me. She was fun, loving, she liked to ride horses. She tried some of her hand at painting.

[Greg Gonzalez]

In our early teens we got into the rifle shooting. We both joined the Rochester Junior Rifle Club. In the beginning she was a little better shot than I was, she being left handed and she was right eyed, so her strong hand was holding the rifle up. So she had a lot more stability. We did go to a lot of rifle matches in town or we travel, take a car ride, sleep in the back with equipment as we're coming home.

[Ann Chin]

She enjoyed cooking and at one point when the nutritionist where my mom worked wanted to put her on a diet so she could lose weight and Leech said, eh, I'll lose the weight and I'll learn how to do it myself.

[Marissa Pinson]

Lee studies cooking and nutrition at the University of Wisconsin. She earns a master's degree and then finds work as a dietitian. In 1978, Lee meets Jerry Nemke.

[Ann Chin]

She had lost a lot of weight and her clothes were kind of baggy. And Jerry met her and Was curious about this gal that was wearing these clothes that were too big for her.

[Greg Gonzalez]

Jerry was a nice individual. He and Lee seemed to hit it off good together.

[Marissa Pinson]

Lee and Jerry get married and settle in nunicum, Michigan. They live in a mobile home, and Lee buys a horse that she stables at a Nearby Farm. In 1982, Lee is offered a promotion. It's a great opportunity, but it means the couple will have to move 600 miles away to council bluffs, Iowa.

[Greg Gonzalez]

The position in council bluffs, Becoming a head dietician at the facility there Was a major step up for her added responsibility.

[Marissa Pinson]

Having direct reports, Lee moves to council bluffs with Jerry, soon to follow with their mobile home. But just days after she starts her new job, Lee's life is cut short. As detectives study the crime scene, they spot something odd on Lee's body.

[Detective]

They noted a sticky residue across her mouth and across her eyes. They could see that there appeared to be ligature marks around her wrists, Making it appear that the suspect had not only taped her mouth and her eyes, but had also bound her wrist behind her back. They also noted that the tape had been removed from her mouth as well as her eyes. And whatever it was that the suspect used to bind her wrist had also been removed from the room. They did not find a murder weapon in the room or outside the room.

[Greg Gonzalez]

There was a high possibility there was some sexual contact made, but nobody knew at that time whether that was by force or whether that was consensual.

[Detective]

They did a sexual assault kit on Lee. Detectives then placed that item into police property. Her bag was stolen, but the room wasn't ransacked. It was almost like an afterthought or like maybe, let's try to make this look like a robbery. They just grabbed the stuff and walked off with it. The investigators dusted for fingerprints. There were several prints that were found throughout the room. They also collected bedsheets, linens, the clothing that they collected from Lee. There was not a lot of physical evidence.

[Greg Gonzalez]

I remember that room was very clean and very neat. And nothing in that room other than her body Led you to believe anything was wrong.

[Marissa Pinson]

Investigators believe that Lee's murder has all the markings of a professional hit.

[Detective]

There was no forced entry to the room. It didn't appear to be like a crime of passion or fury, where there was a multiple stab wounds in the face, the arms, the neck. This was a single stab wound directly into the heart, Resulting in her death. Nothing more, nothing less. It looked like the guy knew what he was doing.

[Marissa Pinson]

Detectives do find something strange. Pieces of Green foam scattered across the floor, the kind used by florists.

[Detective]

They estimated approximately 100 pieces of this green foam. They located that on the floor just past the entrance of the room, like it had been maybe dropped on the floor there when the perpetrator came into the room. If you have an anomaly like that, it's odd, it sticks out. It's not supposed to be there. You need to find out where it came from, why it's there, how it got there. One of the housekeepers noted that she recalled seeing similar green foam on the second floor outside of room 259 and inside room 259 as well. You've got this green foam in room 106 where Lee was found that shouldn't be there. And then you've got it in another location in close proximity at the same time frame. It's not a smoking gun, but it's getting close. You have this crushed floral foam that may have been dropped by the perpetrator. And then you discovered that there was another location for this mysterious green foam. You can see the excitement that you would have in getting a lead like that. The housekeeper took the detectives up to that area and showed her where she had found the foam.

[Marissa Pinson]

However, housekeeping has already cleaned room 259.

[Detective]

They went through all of the vacuum cleaner bags and they dug through a lot of dirt and a bunch of other stuff, but ultimately they were never able to recover any of the actual foam. They did make contact with the individual who rented that room. They did bring him in and interviewed him. He said that he had checked into the room 2:59 on the evening of the 24th, watched some TV, he went right to sleep. He said that he just spent the night there one night and gotten up early the next morning at around 5am and departed. He didn't notice any green foam anywhere on the floor and didn't know anything about it. They polygraphed him and he passed the polygraph with flying colors. There was just no physical evidence linking him to the crime, so they let him go.

[Marissa Pinson]

Detectives interview motel guests and staff and hear accounts of a suspicious, suspicious looking man.

[Detective]

Some people there reported seeing a male walking in the hall in the area of Lee's room on the evening of the 24th. They described him as disreputable. They said that he was carrying what appeared to be a bouquet of flowers, but they also noted that it didn't appear to be a professional bouquet of flowers. They described the gentleman as a white male, 30s to 40 year old, medium build, medium weight, dark hair. Color. One of them had him with gray hair, kind of a reddish complexion.

[Marissa Pinson]

Detectives look for motel guests who match their sketch and stayed there the night of Lee's murder.

[Detective]

Hotel was literally packed with people. The detectives collected the registry for every guest at the hotel, but nothing stood out in there as somebody that's like, yeah, this is somebody to look at. The location of the hotel is right in the crosshairs of the United states. We have I 29 that runs north and south from North Dakota down to Missouri, and I 80 runs east and west from San Francisco to New Jersey. The detectives at the time were on the scene roughly 12 hours later or so. You can go a long way in 12 hours in any direction, so you have no idea which way the suspect may have went or if he went anywhere at all.

[Marissa Pinson]

Six days after her body is discovered, Lee's remains are transported back to her hometown of Rochester, Minnesota, so she can be laid to rest.

[Ann Chin]

Mom and dad went to the First Presbyterian Church, which is the church we all went to when I was growing up. Spoke to the pastor about having the funeral, and the sanctuary was packed.

[Greg Gonzalez]

It was very heartwarming. It was probably the first funeral I attended, and it was joyful.

[Marissa Pinson]

Back in Iowa, police seek answers as to who would want Lee dead.

[Detective]

Lee was the epitome of the innocent victim. She wasn't out doing anything questionable. She was a well educated woman with a good job who came here to start a new life. She was away from her home, away from her family. She came to our city and was subsequently murdered a few days later.

[Marissa Pinson]

Murder is rare in Council Bluffs, but one recent killing is eerily similar to Lee's case.

[Detective]

A couple of months prior to the incident with Lee, there was an incident at a local hotel, the Starlight Motor Lodge, where a female by the name Melinda Mayfield was murdered. She was stabbed to death at the motel in close proximity to the other hotel. If you have one female being stabbed to death in a hotel, one part of your town, and you have another female that ends up getting stabbed to death in another part of the town, you want to look at that, there might be this connection.

[Marissa Pinson]

Have you ever noticed that purple shop pay button when you're shopping online? I can't tell you how many times I've been lying in bed, scrolling through a new site, adding things to my cart, and just as I'm about to bail because my cart is in the other room, I see that purple shop pay button. One tap and done. Checkout's finished. I never even have to leave my blanket cocoon that's Shopify in action. And it's not just making shopping easier, it's making it easier than ever to start your own business too. Shopify is the commerce platform behind 10% of all e commerce in the US powering brands from household names like Mattel and Gymshark to businesses just getting started. And if you're thinking about launching something of your own, Shopify gives you a leg up from day one with hundreds of beautiful ready to go templates. No coding required. You can tackle everything in one place from inventory to payments to analytics and more. Plus, Shopify's built in marketing and email tools help you find and keep new customers. And let's not forget that iconic purple shop pay button used by millions of businesses worldwide. It's the reason Shopify has the best converting checkout on the planet. Your customers already love it and you will too. Start start your business with Shopify today. If you want to see less carts being abandoned, it's time for you to head over to Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com coldcase go to shopify.com coldcase shopify.com cold case cold case Files is brought to you by Progressive Insurance Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds because Progressive offers discounts for paying in full, owning a home and more. Plus you can count on their great customer service to help you when you need it. So your dollar goes a long way. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save on car insurance. Progressive Casualty Insurance company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situation.

[Detective]

Based on the evidence at the scene, the person that killed Leith came there with the specific intent of killing her. If someone had gone through the effort to plan something like this, who's to say that they hadn't done it before or would do it again? They started to look at any potential for this being a serial killing. They reached out to area agencies locally. The FBI was even contacted in reference to any serial killers operating in and around this area.

[Marissa Pinson]

Investigators compare the murders of Lee Rotatori and Linda Mayfield. They find the cases are not so similar after all.

[Detective]

Lee was murdered with a single stab wound. As to where Linda Mayfield was stabbed multiple times, literally from head to toe. She was found outside the hotel room at the bottom of the stairs where Lee was found inside the hotel room. So it was ruled out as a similar mo.

[Marissa Pinson]

Detectives turned to the physical evidence collected at the scene and processed the fingerprints found in Lee's motel room.

[Detective]

Some of the prints lacked sufficient ridge detail to be checked. The ones that did have sufficient ridge details were checked with no results. The medical examiner determined that there had been a sexual assault. You got to remember though, that back in 82, DNA was not really a thing. You had it, but you didn't know what you had.

[Marissa Pinson]

After 11 days of investigation, detectives brought in their search. They turned their attention to Lee's husband, Jerry Nemke, and uncover a bombshell.

[Detective]

It was learned that Jerry was convicted of murder back in 1960. So they start digging into Jerry.

[Marissa Pinson]

The victim in that case was 16 year old Marilyn Duncan.

[Detective]

It took place in a deserted lot behind a factory in Chicago. And it was just brutal. It sounded like Jerry had made some sexual advances on Marilyn. Marilyn refuted those advances and he punched her until he knocked her down to the ground. At that point, he kicked her all over the body. He kicked her so many times that the toes on his shoes had curled backward. If that wasn't enough, there were some bricks that were laying around there. He picked those bricks up and he started beating her body with those bricks. To add insult to injury, he said that he stole $4 from her because that's all she had on her. He left her there to die in the lot. And she did ultimately succumb to those injuries.

[Marissa Pinson]

A few days later, police catch Nemke in a stolen car and arrest him. They connect him to Marilyn's murder through a pair of sunglasses he left at the scene.

[Detective]

When he was questioned, he confessed to the murder of Marilyn Duncan. After his initial trial, he was found guilty of murder and he was sentenced to death. Jerry filed an appeal. There was a retrial in reference to the obtaining of his confession that he had provided to police at the time of his arrest in 1960. His confession was ultimately thrown out. And even without his confession, Jerry was again found guilty of the murder of Marilyn Duncan. At that point, he was sentenced to 75 to 100 years in prison.

[Marissa Pinson]

Despite the brutality of the crime and the lengthy sentences, Jerry Nemke is released from prison in 1978, just 18 years after killing Marilyn Duncan.

[Detective]

Why Jerry was released so soon, I have no idea. Getting records of any of this stuff has been extremely difficult. And the records that I do get are so old and they're handwritten, and the quality of them are such that you can hardly even read them. But when you have a guy that does something like this, he was like a poster child for a suspect.

[Marissa Pinson]

Detectives focus On Lee and Jerry's relationship.

[Detective]

Jerry gets out of prison in 1978. He marries Lee in 1978, within, you know, months after being released from prison. A year or two later, they file for divorce. Another year or two later, they get remarried again. There was another statement that Jerry had made a comment about getting a divorce so he could file for bankruptcy and then he was going to remarry her. I don't know if it was a troubled relationship or if it was a plan to get out of a bunch of debt.

[Marissa Pinson]

Lee and Jerry remarry just six months before she is killed.

[Detective]

Jerry had two jobs at the time. He worked at a service station, and he also was a floral delivery person. They have Jerry being a part time floral delivery person. And to have crushed up green floral foam on the floor inside Lee's room where she was murdered, that was like, oh my God, this is the guy I need to look at first. The fact that Jerry is a flower delivery guy and this green foam was found on the floor in Lee's room. That cannot be a coincidence. Very quickly, the detectives reached out to Jerry's employers to try to establish his whereabouts for the time frame of Lee's murder. In talking to the owner of the service station, he was able to confirm that Jerry was at work with him in Michigan until at least 10 o' clock in the evening. The same gentleman is also able to state that he personally saw Jerry at around 9 that following morning doing his floral delivery service. There were multiple people who also saw Jerry during the timeframe of Lee's murder as well.

[Marissa Pinson]

Jerry Nemke was 10 hours away when Lee was murdered.

[Ann Chin]

I knew that Jerry was imprisoned for murder. I know that he was working with juveniles to help keep them from becoming imprisoned. I think he had been reformed.

[Greg Gonzalez]

I really had no issues with Jerry Nemke. When I heard Jerry had a solid alibi, I eliminated him as a suspect. And I was satisfied with that.

[Marissa Pinson]

By 1983, detectives have run down their last good lead and the case goes cold.

[Ann Chin]

During family gatherings, we didn't talk about Lee as often. It was too painful to reminisce.

[Greg Gonzalez]

The way I coped with my sister's death and not knowing who the perpetrator was, was suppressed. I think the emotion of loss of family struck me and stayed with me. And then it also continued to my parents passing.

[Marissa Pinson]

Lee's parents go to their graves still searching for justice. It's now June 2011, 29 years after Lee's murder.

[Detective]

I was sitting at my desk one day and my sergeant came in and he plopped this box on my desk and said, hey, you're kind of a go getter. There's been some, some advances in DNA that have happened recently. Why don't you look into this? And that's how it all began. Once I realized that we do have a male DNA sample, my thought at the time is I need to go back, revisit the main suspects in this case. I started with Jerry. I knew he had an ironclad alibi, but I knew his history. The hair on the back of your neck stands up when you read this stuff. And you're like, yeah, this guy knows more. There must be a connection somehow. I found him in Tampa, Florida. So I contacted the detectives down in Tampa, and a couple of homicide detectives went to his place. They said he was pretty nonchalant about the whole thing. He more than willingly just provided a DNA sample. And then we ran it in for testing. I knew that he was 10 hours away, but there was that glimmer of hope. Maybe he chartered an airplane and flew here and flew back home. The results came back on Jerry's DNA, and I saw that the result was negative. It was like a punch in the stomach.

[Marissa Pinson]

Investigators track down every previous suspect they can find and run DNA tests on all of them, but there's no match.

[Detective]

This was 40 years ago. And when I would try to reach out to people, they were off the grid or they were deceased, there weren't any leads. The captain comes to me one day and said he was watching a special about the Golden State Killer. He was caught using genetic genealogy. And I was like, I'm totally on board. I didn't have any other options.

[Marissa Pinson]

The suspect DNA is submitted for genetic analysis, and a long list of possible matches to Lee's killer comes back. Katie Patty is a Council Bluffs Police Department forensics detective.

[Katie Patty]

Our initial response was an enormous family lineage. It was literally printed out and it was six feet long along one of our detectives desks.

[Detective]

They also provided us with a kind of a solvability matrix, a scale of one to five. One is, yep, no problem. We're gonna find this guy. Five being don't waste your time. You're certainly not going to find him through genetic genealogy. They gave us a 4.5 on the scale. The light at the end of the tunnel is starting to flicker out because it's like, I don't know if we're going to find this.

[Katie Patty]

Now I'm looking at that huge family lineage. Like, oh boy, where do we even start here? This is going to take Forever.

[Detective]

It was daunting. I'm back to square one, and I have no hope at this point.

[Marissa Pinson]

In 2019, Jerry Nemke passes away. Any information he may have had about Lee's murder dies with him. It looks like Lee's case will never be solved. Then investigators find hope from an unlikely source.

[Advertiser]

Genealogist Eric Schubert.

[Eric Schubert]

When I was a kid, I had asthma a lot, so it would be pneumonia every. You know, every October, November, like clockwork. I was 10 years old, stuck at home, bored. I just saw a commercial one day for a genealogy site, and it was just suggested to me, like, hey, Eric, you always love history, and you love puzzles. Why don't you do that? I had no idea what I was doing, but in a few weeks, I quickly just picked it up. The neighbor wants a family tree, or, oh, someone down the street needs you to find out their grandfather's name. Everything's out there. You just gotta go find it.

[Marissa Pinson]

Eric's work gets noticed, and in 2019, that publicity leads to a request from police in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

[Eric Schubert]

I was taken aback a little bit that I was actually being reached out to to help on a case. I thought about it, and I said, there's so much good that can be done here. You know, why not take a stab at it?

[Marissa Pinson]

Eric's genealogical research helps Montgomery county investigators finally solve their cold case.

[Eric Schubert]

Right after I solved that first case, I was sitting at home because of COVID and just googled cold cases. And one of the first things that came up was the Council Bluffs Police Department cold cases page. I just sent an email. Hey, here's a little bit of my background. If you have a case sitting around, I want to volunteer. You know, I didn't think it would work. They're probably like, oh, some crackpot kid, Whatever.

[Detective]

So the captain does some research on Eric and verifies. Yeah, sure enough, he's helped out with some cold cases and helped him solve some stuff.

[Katie Patty]

We knew we were a little over our heads when it came to narrowing down this ginormous family tree. So I think that if we had somebody that had the ability to do that, why not use them? So Eric started with a giant list, and he would call us and say, okay, call these five people and see if you can get them to willingly put their DNA into the genetic genealogy database to try to whittle this list down.

[Detective]

I would call up some stranger and say, hey, I believe that you may be loosely related to our potential suspect, and I would like to ask if you would be willing to provide a DNA sample. So we could just eliminate your branch of the family tree.

[Marissa Pinson]

Eric Cross references the new DNA profiles with public data sources. He works to connect family members and zero in on Lee's killer from looking.

[Eric Schubert]

In census records, military stuff, going through different newspaper databases, historical record databases confirming information.

[Detective]

I get a phone call from the kid, and he says, yep, I found his great grandparents or his grandparents. He goes, yep, I think we're gonna be able to solve this.

[Eric Schubert]

And then I realized, wait a second, something's off here. Whoever did this to Lee has to be descended from these two families. But there was no connection. And if that's the case, I don't know what we're gonna do.

[Detective]

So all the information that he was getting through public records and things were showing that our suspect's father was one individual, when in reality, it was clear by the numbers to Eric that he was actually not his father.

[Katie Patty]

It was really disheartening for us because all this time we thought we were getting closer, and now are we further away?

[Detective]

So Eric was in the process then of readjusting and refocusing when we got our break.

[Marissa Pinson]

In February 2021, almost four decades after Lee's murder, a genetic genealogy company discovers a DNA link to Lee Rotatori's killer.

[Detective]

We had a stroke of luck, and we had a kit dropped into the system by someone that we hadn't solicited it for. That match led us to a group of four brothers. It was determined that two of them were deceased at the time of the homicide, and that one of them was of such a young age that he was not a viable suspect.

[Marissa Pinson]

With a single brother left, detectives are just one genetic link away from solving the case.

[Detective]

We were able to locate a daughter of our suspect who provided a DNA sample, and it was verified that Thomas Oscar Freeman was the name of the individual. It was like, oh, my God, we've got this guy. I'm thinking, how am I going to interview this guy? What am I going to say to him? But unfortunately, that was followed up very quickly with, oh, but he's been murdered and he's dead. Went from a euphoric high to a tragic low. You know, just like that, we started doing some research into Freeman. We found out that he was from West Frankfort, Illinois. He was a truck driver, kind of a transient person. He's living from hand to mouth. I couldn't find any financial records on him. He was kind of a ghost in a way.

[Marissa Pinson]

Detectives scour Lee's case file and find a shocking connection.

[Detective]

Through the gentleman who owned the floral shop where Jerry Nemke had worked. It was learned that the weeks prior to Lee's homicide, Jerry Nemke had received three different phone calls from an individual he identified as Tom or Jim. In the actual week prior to Lee's homicide, the same individual had spoke with Jerry on the phone. It sounded like the guy was coming in from out of town to meet with Jerry and and they had something that they needed to talk about. The telephone call to Jerry from an individual by the name of Tom, connecting with him in the days prior to Lee's murder. That cannot be a coincidence.

[Marissa Pinson]

As the temperature starts rising, I feel that familiar urge to refresh my closet. But I'm not wasting money on pieces I'll only wear once or for just one season. Quince changes that their clothes are timeless, lightweight, and far more elevated than anything else. At this price, it finally feels like my wardrobe matches my standards. I picked up their 100% European linen shorts and a breezy linen dress, both starting at just $30. And let's not forget their luxe swimwear and those gorgeous Italian leather platform sandals. The best part? Everything with Quint is half the cost of similar brands. Quince works directly with top artisans and cuts out the middlemen so you get true luxury without the crazy markup. Plus, they only partner with factories that use safe, ethical and responsible manufacturing practices with premium fabrics and flawless finishes. I love Quince. The quality of their clothes always blows me away. These pieces feel just as luxurious as anything I've splurged on in the past, but at a fraction of the price. I'm planning to wear my Quince linen dress to every summer brunch, and those sandals are coming with me on vacation. If you want style, quality and value, Quince is the answer. Give your summer closet an upgrade with quince. Go to quince.com coldcase for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com coldcase to get free shipping and 365 day returns.

[Advertiser]

Quince.com coldcase from the waters of Lake Erie.

[Detective]

It was raising flags, he said.

[Greg Gonzalez]

There's no way that that fish should weigh 7.9 pounds.

[Detective]

It's just not big enough.

[Advertiser]

To a nondescript office building in Richmond, Virginia, home to a $700 million fund for children with special needs.

[Detective]

If there was a cliche list of.

[Greg Gonzalez]

How to blow money that you just.

[Detective]

Stole very quickly, this guy did all.

[Advertiser]

Of them to the ski slopes of Salt Lake City, where a Former Olympic snowboarder landed on the FBI's most wanted list.

[Eric Schubert]

Ryan James Wedding is one of those.

[Detective]

Interesting narcos who have had two very successful careers, one legal and one illegal.

[Advertiser]

We're pulling back the curtain on a fresh lineup of opportunists who stopped at nothing to get ahead. These are the stories of people who saw a loophole, a moment of weakness, a chance to get ahead, and took it. I'm Host Sarah James McLaughlin. Join me for a new season of the opportunist on May 19th. Follow now wherever you get your podcasts.

[Detective]

Based on the phone calls that were alleged to have been made to Jerry, I speculate that he may have been involved in hiring the person who killed his wife. Not only was Thomas Freeman murdered, he was murdered a very short time after Lee Rotatori was murdered. He had been shot four times in the chest. Some hunters found him in a shallow grave on October 30th of 1982, and their coroner estimated that he had been there for a couple of months.

[Marissa Pinson]

Detectives suspect that Jerry Nemke hired Thomas Freeman to murder Lee, then painted, paid him off with lead instead of gold. They search for more connections between Nemke and Freeman.

[Detective]

When Jerry was In prison from 1960 to 1978, there was another individual that was in prison with Jerry at the time. That same individual just so happened to be a friend and co worker of Thomas Oscar Freeman. When Jerry was released from prison in 1978, he went to Carbondale, Illinois and attended Southern Illinois University, which is approximately 15 to 20 ish miles away from the location where Thomas Oscar Freeman lives and from where his body was found.

[Marissa Pinson]

Then an anonymous informant provides the last piece of the puzzle.

[Detective]

I got a random tip that came in a guy who said, several years ago, I was talking to a guy whose good friend with Lee's husband and he was telling this gentleman how he had hired somebody that he had gone to prison with to kill his wife, that he used the money from her insurance policy to pay him off, that he knew when she was going to be murdered, so he was sure to establish an alibi during the time frame that the murder took place. And then reading how his alibi was just so ironclad, it was like, this is too good to be true. Not only did Jerry have his whereabouts verified the previous evening, for some reason on the morning that her body was found, Gerry felt that that was the day that he needed to make a visit to her former place of employment to return a lab coat and talk to her former employees and tell them how Great. She is doing in Council Bluff. Then Jerry left there and just so happened to have to stop by the stables where Lee's horses boarded. Jerry left there, went to his place of employment to pick up his check. His boss said he had been kind of down and missing deliveries and things in the weeks up to that time. But he was in an exceptionally good mood that day. It's almost like this guy went out of his way to establish his whereabouts during the timeframe that his wife was murdered. I did speak with a woman who was married to Jerry following Lee's death, who advised me that Jerry had told her that he had collected on what he described as a rather large life insurance policy on her. But I personally do not have any documentation proving that this life insurance policy existed. It didn't happen in my jurisdiction and it's not my case to solve. But I think you can draw your own conclusions about who would have a reason to murder Thomas Oscar Freeman. And obviously he has shown in the past that he is capable of doing such things. Jerry is now deceased. Thomas is now deceased. There might be this person that maybe we don't know yet, that saw something that may come forward with some additional information that may help tie it all up. But it's also just as possible that Jerry Nemke and Thomas Oscar Freeman took the secret to Lee Rotatori's murder to the grave with them.

[Marissa Pinson]

After a four decade investigation, Council Bluff's police department publicly announced that Thomas Freeman is Lee Rotatori's murderer.

[Detective]

Lee's family had no idea who that was. But when I shared with them information about her husband and the possibility that he may or may not have been involved in it, they didn't seem real shocked or surprised.

[Greg Gonzalez]

I see all but dots that are out there on the paper. It's very possible it may have been Jerry hired Thomas for a hit. And knowing that both Jerry and Thomas are deceased, it's a tangled web out there. It's the big why, which is still outstanding. And until I know why he did this, I will not have full 100% closure. But the bright light in all this is the way it was solved. And hopefully this gives hope to others that their cases can be solved. The real enlightenment came when I met Eric and spoke with him. I couldn't thank him enough.

[Eric Schubert]

I was so happy to meet Greg. I wanted him to know that all of those people had one goal in mind and that was to find out who killed his sister. It was, you know, emotional and another reminder of why I love this work and why I find it so important.

[Greg Gonzalez]

If we had more people like Eric, we'd probably get a lot more of these solved.

[Detective]

Foreign.

[Greg Gonzalez]

This summer, Pluto TV is exploding with thousands of free movies. Summer of cinema is here. Feel the explosive action all summer long with movies like Gladiator, Mission Impossible, Beverly Hills Cop, Good Burger and Transformers. Dark of the Moon. Bring the action with you and stream for free from all your favorite devices. Pluto TV stream now pay Never.