Robert James Kuefler, a 59-year-old man from White Bear Lake, Minnesota, was found living with skeletal remains of his mother and twin brother for about a year. [Courtesy of White Bear Lake Police Department]
Robert James Kuefler, a 59-year-old man from White Bear Lake, Minnesota, was charged Wednesday with one misdemeanor count of interference with dead body or scene of death.
After a concerned neighbor notified the authorities to check Kuefler's residence after she did not see any activity at the house for months, White Bear Lake officers arrived at the house on September 20, 2016. Police forced entry to the house after no one opened the door and immediately noticed the overpowering odor of decaying bodies.
The officers discovered grisly scenes in the house. The skeletal remains of Kuefler's 93-year-old mother, Evelyn Lucile Kuefler, was found in her bedroom upstairs. The nearly mummified remains of the twin brother, Richard John Kuefler, was found in the basement.
The autopsy results showed that both Eveline and Richard Kuefler died of natural causes. The time of death for Eveline was dated back in August 2015 and Richard, July 2015.
According to the police report, Kuefler told them that he found Richard already dead in a chair but moved his body because "it was in the way". Also, he said that he knew his mother was dying on the day but "didn't want to be around when she died". Kuefler "left the house to drive around a couple of hours" and returned home to find his mother passed away in her bed.
In the Christmas card Kuefler sent to his relatives in 2015, he said both his mother and brother are ill and incapable of hearing the phone ringing and answering. He also wrote that his mother did not wish for any visitors.
Kuefler was arrested after the body was discovered for financial exploitation allegation, however, it was cleared as the authorities did not find any proof that he used money from his mother and brother's accounts. His mother and brother were receiving disability checks that get wired to their bank accounts monthly. The authorities initially thought that the reason behind living with the deceased was a financial one and started an investigation to trace Kuefler's financial activities. There was no activity whatsoever after Evelyn and Richard's deaths.
The authorities filed for the misdemeanor, so Kuefler who has no criminal history can get psychological help through the court system. However, he said he does not need any counseling.
Kwak, Min Jung = abiel@ajunews.com
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