ST. LOUIS — A convicted killer who is already serving a life sentence was charged Monday with the murders of four women in a case that went cold 32 years ago.

What You Need To Know

  • In 2008, O’Fallon police Detective Jodi Weber reopened the case. With updated scientific technology, Weber was able to link Muehlberg’s DNA to a piece of evidence from the Lincoln County crime scene

  • After meeting with Muehlberg multiple times, he confessed to the killings of Mihan, Pruitt Little and Reitmeyer, aHe also confessed to a fifth murder that is still being investigated

  • This investigation is ongoing and the information and there may be “many more charges to come” as information suggests there may be more victims

Gary R. Muehlberg, 73, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder with two counts in St. Louis County, one in St. Charles County and one count in Lincoln County for the 1990 murders of 27-year-old Brenda J. Pruitt, 18-year-old Robyn J. Mihan, 40-year-old Donna Reitmeyer and the 1991 murder of 21-year-old Sandra S. Little, according to a press release from the Maryland Heights Police Department.

Muehlberg is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole at Potosi Correctional Center for an unrelated 1993 murder.

The decomposed body of Pruitt was found stuffed in a trashcan on Oct. 4, 1990, which was placed in the 12400 block of Basston Drive in Maryland Heights. Little’s body was found in O’Fallon, Missouri, along Interstate 70. Another victim’s body was found in a plastic trash can in south St. Louis.

Investigators later determined her murder was connected to Mihan’s in Lincoln County and Little’s in St. Charles County. After years of investigative work, the murders went unsolved, according to the press release.  

In 2008, O’Fallon police Detective Jodi Weber reopened the case. With updated scientific technology, Weber was able to link Muehlberg’s DNA to a piece of evidence from the Lincoln County crime scene. That break in the case came in April of 2022. Muehlberg’s DNA is in a federal database called CODIS.

After meeting with Muehlberg multiple times, he confessed to the killings of Mihan, Pruitt Little and Reitmeyer, according to an O’Fallon Police Department press release. He also confessed to a fifth murder that is still being investigated. 

“It may have taken a while, but your family member was not forgotten,” St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Tim Lohmar said during Monday’s press conference.

Lohmar said prosecutors waived the death penalty in exchange for Muehlberg’s full cooperation, and so far, he has cooperated.

Although he could not say what Muehlberg’s exact motive was for the murders, Lohmar said the crime scenes were “reminiscent” to each other and there was a common denominator. He added that Muehlberg “was familiar with these victims only on a surface level.”

Lincoln County Prosecuting Attorney Mike Wood said this investigation is ongoing and the information that continues to come is fluid. He added there may be “many more charges to come” and information suggests there may be more victims.

From one of the crime scenes, Wood said a “voluminous amount of irrefutable forensic evidence was recovered from that body. And because of that, the information from that case was able to break open a lot of the cases for the other counties.”

When asked what she was feeling when the DNA was a match, Weber said it was “incredible.”

To be able to tell the families of the victims what happened to their loved ones was “an incredible feeling,” she said.

“I’m not going to take all of the credit for this today because the St. Charles County Crime Lab did all of the hard work. This was a collaborative effort with them” Weber said.

The case was solved due to the determination and exhaustive effort by Detective Weber, O’Fallon Police Chief Frank Mininni said during the press conference.

“Detective Sgt. Weber consistently rose to the occasion when faced with rigors and challenges associated with a 32-year-old investigation with a crossover in multiple counties,” he said.

“This case would not have been solved without the partnerships between the O’Fallon police department, St. Charles Prosecutors Office and their investigators, the St. Charles County Crime Lab, St. Louis County Prosecutor's Office, the Maryland Heights Police Department, and the Lincoln County Prosecutor's Office.”

After the press conference, Dawn McIntosh, Donna Reitmeyer’s daughter, said she has been waiting a long time for answers.

“It’s thanks to this lady right here,” she said as she hugged Detective Weber. “My mom can rest in peace.”