Police investigate death of missing Chilton woman PDF Print E-mail
Written by Mark Ignatowski, Editor   
Thursday, 28 January 2010 14:34
    The body of a missing Chilton woman was found in a field east of Brillion on Sunday, January 24, 2010.

    Questions about the circumstances surrounding the disappearance and death of Michelle A. Jaeger, a 39-year-old woman from Chilton, still exist as local police continue their investigation.

    Roger D. Rosenthal, 51, Jaeger’s former boyfriend who Jaeger lived with, is currently in custody for obstructing the investigation.

    Police began searching for Jaeger after friends and relatives reported that they had not seen nor heard from her since January 9.

    Jaeger’s former neighbors, Mark and Cynthia Buhl, grew concerned after not hearing from Jaeger for several days. The couple had placed an Avon beauty products order with Jaeger earlier, and that Jaeger told the couple they could pick up the order around January 8, 2010.

    Mark Buhl said he and his wife had called Jaeger several times that weekend to pick up the items, but had not heard back from her.

    “By Monday and Tuesday,” Buhl said. “We knew something wasn’t right.”

    Buhl and his wife contacted Rosenthal wanting to know where Jaeger was.

    They confronted Rosenthal, Buhl said, by saying that they would like to pick up the Avon products. Buhl said Cynthia went to Rosenthal’s home on Diane Ct. in Chilton on January 11 or 12 to pick up the Avon products and find out more about Jaeger’s whereabouts. Rosenthal never showed up, but called them back later and offered to deliver the products to the Buhl’s home in Kiel. The couple kept asking about Jaeger when Rosenthal came.

    “He was there and dropped it off. He was nervous. Jumpy-nervous,”     Buhl said. “He wouldn’t say anything about where Michelle was.”

    According to the criminal complaint filed against Rosenthal, Chilton police officer Jason Kvalheim spoke with Rosenthal on January 20. Rosenthal said he had not spoken with Jaeger since January 9. Rosenthal said Jaeger had gone to visit her sister in Milwaukee. He said he spoke with Jaeger on January 17, but he did not know where she was. Officer Kvalheim looked through Rosenthal’s cell phone history with Rosenthal and no calls appeared from Jaeger on January 17.

    During an interview at the Calumet County Sheriff's Department on January 23, Rosenthal again stated that he had talked to Jaeger on January 17, the compliant reads. However, cell phone records from January 1, 2010 to January 20, 2010 showed no calls between Jaeger and Rosenthal.

    The police also asked about Jaeger’s vehicle, a blue 1999 4-door Oldsmobile Alero. The vehicle had been parked in Rosenthal’s garage when Kvalheim interviewed Rosenthal at his home on January 20, but was absent when the police came on January 23.

    Jaeger told police that he had gone to Appleton on January 23 and when he returned it was missing, the complaint states. He told police the vehicle had been his garage until that day.

    Police also interviewed Rosenthal’s current girlfriend on January 23. According to the compliant, she met Rosenthal on the night of January 22 and drove back to his apartment. She said there was no vehicle in the garage that night.

    Jaeger’s vehicle was found in the Calumet Medical Center visitor parking lot on January 23.

    Police found Jaeger’s body in a field east of Brillion on Sunday, January 24. Jaeger’s former neighbor said he remembered Rosenthal hunting on property near the northern part of the county when he was talking to investigators.

    “You know how you get these rotten feelings. I thought, ‘He hunts up in Brillion,’” the Buhl said. “I don’t even know why I thought that.”

    Using cadaver dogs, Manitowoc County Sheriffs Department assisted local authorities in locating the body.

    Calumet County Judge Donald Poppy set a $10,000 cash bond for Rosenthal relating to the misdemeanor obstruction charge. Rosenthal is scheduled to make an initial appearance on February 1 at the Calumet County Courthouse.

    He is also expected to be charged by Manitowoc prosecutors for hiding Jaeger’s corpse. He is expected in Manitowoc County Court on Wednesday

    An autopsy was performed on Jaeger’s body on Tuesday, January 26, however results were not released because additional tests were still being processed, authorities said. Police also executed a search warrant at Rosenthal’s home on Tuesday.
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