The discovery of two abandoned suitcases along a rural highway in Walworth County, Wisconsin, in June 2014 exposed a disturbing multistate murder case. Inside the luggage lay the severely decomposed remains of two women: 37-year-old Laura Simonson and 19-year-old Jenny Gamez. What followed was a complex investigation crossing state lines, involving local law enforcement, the FBI, an online dating subculture, and critical DNA evidence that ultimately brought a former police officer to justice.
The Grisly Discovery in Walworth County
On June 5, 2014, passersby noticed a strong foul odor coming from a pair of suitcases left by the side of a road in the Town of Geneva, Wisconsin. When first responders opened the luggage, they were met with a harrowing sight. Former Town of Geneva Patrol Officer Eric Anderson recalled the grim reality of the scene. He noted that nothing can truly prepare an officer for opening a suitcase to find a human corpse bound with rope in a fetal position.
When retired Walworth County Sheriff’s Office Detective Jeff Recknagel arrived to inspect the second suitcase, he discovered a black plastic bag with a woman’s hand protruding, her fingernails painted pink. The body was bound and exhibited signs of mummification. Because of extreme decomposition, investigators found no immediate identification and were initially unable to extract viable DNA directly from the remains. The monumental task of identifying the victims and tracking down the perpetrator had just begun.
The Disappearance of Laura Simonson
Months prior to the discovery, law enforcement in neighboring Minnesota had been tracking a missing person case. Farmington Police Department Detective Sergeant Lee Hollatz was investigating the disappearance of 37-year-old Laura Simonson. Simonson had been struggling with mental health issues following the tragic death of her 13-year-old daughter, Alyssa, earlier in 2013. On November 2, 2013, Simonson left her van in her mother’s driveway. She left behind her cell phone, purse, medication, and a note detailing instructions for her belongings.
Friends and family immediately knew something was terribly wrong. Childhood friend Kristin Scouton emphasized to investigators that Simonson’s children were her life and she would never voluntarily abandon them. Detective Hollatz issued a statewide crime alert. This led to a breakthrough when a hotel front desk agent in Minnesota recalled seeing Simonson weeks earlier. The clerk remembered Simonson staying at the property with an unnerving man. Although direct surveillance video of their check-in was unavailable, a signed registration card and a checkout video showing the man leaving alone provided vital clues.
Unmasking the Killer: Steven Zelich
As police dug deeper into Simonson’s digital footprint, a friend reported that she had been active on an online BDSM dating community. She had been communicating with a user under the handle “Mrhandcuffs.” Further independent digging by this friend revealed the real identity behind the username: Steven Zelich.
When Detective Hollatz looked into Zelich’s background, a shocking truth emerged. Zelich was a former patrol officer who had resigned from the West Allis Police Department in 2001. He left following multiple allegations of abusing his authority to harass and intimidate women. Though Zelich denied wrongdoing, investigators kept him on their radar. In March 2014, the FBI and Wisconsin State Police interviewed Zelich. He voluntarily provided a DNA sample while denying ever meeting Simonson. Lacking direct evidence of a crime at that stage, authorities could not detain him.
The June 2014 discovery of the suitcases in Wisconsin cracked the stalled case wide open. Wisconsin investigators identified Simonson in part through a distinctive ankle tattoo featuring a heart and her late daughter’s name. Crucially, forensic technicians recovered DNA from the rope wrapped around the second victim. That DNA matched Steven Zelich.
Confessions and Convictions
Confronted with the physical evidence, authorities arrested Zelich. He confessed to killing both women. He identified the second victim as Jenny Gamez, a 19-year-old from Cottage Grove, Oregon, whom he had met on the same online dating platform.
Zelich claimed that he accidentally strangled Gamez during consensual breath play. He subsequently stored her remains in his refrigerator for over a year. He admitted to killing Simonson in Rochester, Minnesota, in a similar fashion. He then placed her body in his car trunk alongside Gamez’s remains. When a co-worker noticed a foul odor coming from his vehicle, Zelich panicked. He packed the bodies into suitcases and abandoned them in rural Wisconsin.
In 2016, Zelich pleaded guilty in Wisconsin to first-degree reckless homicide in the death of Gamez and one count of hiding a corpse. He received a 35-year prison sentence with 10 years of extended supervision. The following year, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Simonson in Minnesota. This earned him an additional 25-year prison term, plus extra time for hiding a corpse charges in Walworth County.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who were the victims in the Wisconsin suitcase murders?
The victims were Laura Simonson, 37, of Minnesota, and Jenny Gamez, 19, of Oregon. Both women connected with the killer online.
How was Steven Zelich caught?
Zelich was caught after investigators linked him to Laura Simonson through online dating communications under the username “Mrhandcuffs.” Later, DNA recovered from the rope used to bind the second victim matched Zelich, leading to his confession and arrest.
What was Steven Zelich’s background?
Steven Zelich was a former police officer who worked for the West Allis Police Department in Wisconsin until his resignation in 2001 following allegations of professional misconduct and harassment.
What sentences did Steven Zelich receive?
Zelich was sentenced in 2016 to 35 years in prison for the death of Jenny Gamez. He received an additional 25-year sentence in 2017 for the second-degree murder of Laura Simonson, alongside extra time for hiding human corpses.
How long were the victims’ remains hidden?
Zelich confessed to storing Jenny Gamez’s body in his home for over a year before killing Laura Simonson and dumping both victims’ remains in suitcases along a Wisconsin highway in June 2014.
