In the summer of 1990, the discovery of a woman's body on a sidewalk in St. Louis, Missouri, marked another chapter in a string of grim findings that would haunt the region for decades. The victim was 40-year-old Donna Reitmeyer, a mother of three. Her body was found on June 11, 1990, wrapped in plastic garbage bags and discarded inside a trash can. At the time of her death, Reitmeyer was grappling with poverty and a drug addiction, which had led her to a life of prostitution.
Due to the advanced state of decomposition, an exact cause of death could not be determined, but investigators ruled it a homicide. Her case, like those of other women found disposed of in a similar manner, would grow cold, leaving a family without answers and a community on edge.
For more than three decades, the murder of Donna Reitmeyer remained unsolved, a cold case file gathering dust. The mystery began to unravel thanks to the persistent efforts of cold case detectives and advancements in DNA technology. Investigators were able to link her case to the deaths of at least three other women whose bodies were found in various containers along Missouri freeways between 1990 and 1991. This unique and chilling method of disposal earned the unknown assailant the moniker, the 'Package Killer.' While detectives had long suspected a serial killer was responsible for some of the deaths, Reitmeyer's case was not initially linked until a confession brought the full scope of the horror to light.
The breakthrough came in 2022 when Gary Muehlberg, a man already serving a life sentence for a 1993 murder, was identified as a suspect. Already incarcerated for killing a man and hiding his body in a makeshift coffin in his basement, Muehlberg was confronted with new DNA evidence. In exchange for prosecutors agreeing not to seek the death penalty, the then 73-year-old Muehlberg confessed to the murders of Reitmeyer and three other women: Robyn Mihan, Sandy Little, and Brenda Jean Pruitt. He admitted to picking up the women, who were involved in sex work, strangling them, and then callously disposing of their bodies in containers.
Following his confession, Gary Muehlberg was charged with four additional counts of first-degree murder. He pleaded guilty to the murders of Donna Reitmeyer and Brenda Pruitt and received two more life sentences to be served concurrently with his existing sentences. Muehlberg's confessions closed a series of cold cases that had perplexed investigators for over 30 years, finally bringing a measure of justice to the families of his victims. He is currently incarcerated at the Potosi Correctional Center.
