81-year-old gets life in prison for 1985 cold case murder in western Wisconsin
An 81-year-old woman was sentenced to life in prison in connection with a murder that occurred in Polk County, WI, in 1985.
Court records state that Mary Josephine Bailey will be eligible for parole after 20 years. 232 days of credit will be applied to the time until then.
Bailey was found guilty of first-degree murder in May for the murder of 45-year-old Yvonne Menke.
Menke was killed on Dec. 12, 1985, as she was leaving her home in St. Croix Falls to go to work. She had been shot three times in her head and neck.
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During an interview of one of Menke’s family members immediately after her death, a criminal complaint says a phone call from an unidentified woman was made to the Menke home the day before Yvonne’s death. The family member says the woman who called asked if her mother had left for work, and the family member said yes. It goes on to say the caller asked the family member what time Yvonne left for work, and once told, the woman said “ok” before adding she would try to get a hold of Yvonne that evening. However, the caller hung up before they were asked who was calling.
Court documents add multiple witnesses who were interviewed soon after Menke’s death told police that Menke, Bailey and a man named Jack Owen were involved in a love triangle, and his relationships with them were on-and-off.
Footprints were found in the snow at the murder scene and matched a pair of boots that were at Bailey’s apartment when police initially interviewed her. However, she told investigators that she was on vacation on the day of the murder.
In January of 2023, investigators spoke with Bailey at the Maricopa County police substation in Arizona. After the interview, police left the room and a video recording was activated. The recording showed Bailey calling someone and telling them that investigators were talking to her and believed “they” were trying to pin something on her and asked if police had spoken to her. It then appeared the witness told Bailey “no.”