An 81-year-old woman nearly got away with a twisted love triangle murder. A footprint did her in 4 decades later

Nearly four decades after a woman in a love triangle was murdered in Wisconsin, an 81-year-old will head to prison for life for the cold-case killing.

Mary Josephine Bailey, 81, was convicted on Thursday for the first-degree murder of 45-year-old Yvonne Carol Menke. The victim was shot three times outside her home in St Croix Falls on December 12, 1985.

Bailey is set to be sentenced on July 2. The conviction carries a life sentence, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The octogenarian was charged in November after Polk County Sheriff's deputies worked the cold case for more than two years. Bailey had been considered a suspect since the early days of the investigation, as witnesses told investigators that she had been involved "in somewhat of a love triangle" with Menke and a man named Jack Owen.

An investigator wrote in the criminal complaint the nature of the attack — a close range shooting at Menke's home — suggested the attacker had "personal knowledge and a strong emotional reaction" toward the victim.

Authorities also found a boot print in the snow where Menke's body was found. The word "Arctic" was imprinted in the print where the heel of the boot would have touched the ground. The same boot prints were found approximately a block away.

The day after the murder, Owen — who died in 2021 — told investigators he was dating Bailey, and noted his last interaction with her was at a party a month before the killing.

The pair became close thanks to their mutual interest in horses and horse shows. However, a woman who knew Owen from horse competitions said he was frequently seen spending time with another horse enthusiast, Menke, despite the fact he was dating Bailey.

Bailey denied ever having interacted with Menke at the time of the murder, but said she was aware of who she was. Bailey later admitted she called her once to discuss her relationship with Owen, but investigators found phone records showing Bailey had called Menke multiple times in 1985.

They also found that Bailey owned the same kind of gun used in Menke’s murder.

Investigators at the time did not have enough evidence to bring charges against Bailey. In 2009, investigators working the case submitted Bailey's boots, a pair of her jackets, and a hat for analysis, but none showed any signs of blood.

Polk County investigators revisited the case in 2021 and began re-interviewing witnesses and others who knew about Owen, Bailey, and Menke.

One of those witnesses was a friend of Bailey's who, in 2022, told investigators that something had been "bothering her for years" that she wanted to get off her chest. She said that approximately a year after the murder, she was told by a man who dated Bailey that she had asked him to burn clothes for her.

Investigators tracked down the man, and he said he did not remember if Bailey had asked him to burn clothes for her.

When investigators re-questioned Bailey, who has since moved to Arizona, she also said she did not recall asking the man to burn clothes for her. However, she also could not explain why the boot prints found at the scene of the murder were consistent with boots she owned.

An investigator said when they informed Bailey that she was likely going to be charged with Menke's murder, she sat emotionless at her table.

Bailey's defense attorneys said the prosecution's case was flimsy and lacking proper evidence to secure a conviction.

“Unfortunately there is no direct evidence as to who killed Yvonne Menke. This case instead is built on rumor and innuendo,” attorney Donna Burger told WEAU.