Louis J. Buchta, 76, was beaten to death during a violent burglary at the Milwaukee-area home he shared with his wife, Lillian, on January 11, 1988. The attack took place sometime between about 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.; their home had been ransacked and robbed, and Louis’ body was found in the basement. His wallet was missing. Lillian Buchta was strangled to death in the house during the same intrusion.

Investigators saw the Buchta killings as part of a string of burglaries and attacks on elderly people in late 1987 and early 1988. Forensic testing on a bloodstained toy from a separate January 4, 1988, murder linked Robert J. Wirth to that scene, and witness sightings placed Wirth running from behind the Buchta home shortly after the likely time of the murders. Prosecutors later relied on the forensic links, burglary evidence, and patterns among the crimes to tie the incidents together.

If anyone knew Louis and Lillian Buchta, their routines, or saw suspicious activity in that neighborhood on January 11, 1988, please share what was seen.