On a frigid February day in 1974, 25-year-old graduate student Mary Schlais stuck out her thumb to hitch a ride. She planned to travel from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Madison, Wisconsin and then make her way north to Chicago to attend an art show. Back then, it was common for young people to rely on the kindness of strangers for transportation. Hitchhiking around the Twin Cities was something Mary did regularly. That cold February day was the last time anyone saw the free-spirited woman alive. Mary’s body was discovered later that day, but it would be more than 50 years before her killer was tracked down through genetic genealogy. 

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Dirty Money Moves: Women in White Collar Crime - Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dirty-money-moves-women-in-white-collar-crime/id1619521092.

Research and writing by: Alison Schwartz.

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