Murder In America - EP. 25 WISCONSIN - What Happened to Mike Tlutsy?

Episode Date: July 24, 2021

How well do you really know the people in your life? Are your family members who they say they are? What about your best friends? What if they’re hiding dark secrets? In today’s story, we are going to take you through a case that reads like a murder mystery novel, with a shocking twist ending... this is the story of Laura Law, and Mike Tlusty, and you’re listening to MURDER IN AMERICA. Go to HelloFresh.com/state14 and use code state14 for up to 14 free meals plus free shipping! This episode was brought to you by HelloFresh. If you love our podcast and want to hear more episodes, help us out by signing up for HelloFresh! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Quince.com slash America. The following podcast is not suitable for all audiences. We go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects. Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children. This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned.

How well do you really know the people in your... Are your family members who they say they are? What about your best friends? I feel like we can all confidently answer those questions. Of course we know them. We know most everything about them. Their likes, their dislikes, the way they react in certain situations, their temperament. But if there's one thing that Colin and I have learned throughout this podcast is that you can never be so sure.

In almost every story we've covered, the killer's family and friends are beside themselves when they discovered the truth about their loved one's darkness, claiming that they never saw any of the warning signs. What if that's the case for you and someone in your life? What if they're hiding dark secrets? In today's story, we are going to take you through a case that reads just like that. This is the story about what happened to Mike Tlusty. I'm Courtney Shannon.

And I'm Colin Brown. And you're listening to Murder in America. Our story starts in Marshfield, Wisconsin on February 3, 1956, when Frank and Betty Tlusty welcome a baby boy into the world named Michael J. Tlutste. but we're going to call him Mike, because that's what everyone else called him. Mike had a good upbringing in Wisconsin, and although there isn't a lot of information available detailing his early life, it looks like he was your average Midwestern boy.

He was a family man. He had a sister, Jean, and two brothers Mark and Gary, and he was also very close with his cousin Denise. The Tlutti family was known for their love of the outdoors. During the warm Wisconsin summers, Mike and his family would go hunting and fishing, and during the winter they spent their time snowmobiling. These were family activities that carried on throughout Mike's childhood

into his adulthood. After high school, Mike enlisted in the army for a few years. Then he got married and had a child who he named Mike Jr. He moved around a little bit, switched jobs, and got divorced. His early life was like a lot of people's, constantly changing and pretty unpredictable. But Mike had an average life, nothing too crazy or too ordinary. And after his divorce, he decided to start up his own business in Wisconsin, called Sunrise Graphic Art Machinery.

And it seemed like for the first time, his life was finally starting to fall into place after years of uncertainty. All he was missing was a companion. With his first marriage ending in divorce, he was jaded. But he wanted someone to settle down with, to start a life with.

And in the year 1990, he would find just that. Her name was Laura Law. She was a very friendly, sweet woman who got along well with people. She was five years older than Mike, but the two seemed to be a good match and soon started a relationship. Laura quickly became a part of his family, and over the years she and Mike's cousin Denise would become best friends. The three of them, plus Denise's husband, would often spend their evenings

together at Mike and Laura's house in Arkdale, Wisconsin. And just like when they were kids, they spent a lot of time hunting, fishing, and snowmobiling. For the next 11 years, Laura and Mike would continue to date and live a very happy life together. Mike even hired Laura to help run the Sunrise Graphic Art Machinery business that he started years earlier. It's unknown why the two never got married, but they did live together and they seemed content with the way their relationship was. All of their family members said that they were so happy. Denise Pichione, Mike's cousin, was thrilled about their relationship. Not only was Laura making her cousin happy, but she was also Laura's best friend for the last election.

The two did a lot together. So on March 26, 2001, when Laura asked Denise to go to the casino with her to go gambling, she agreed. Denise decided to bring her mom along to the casino and the three women were having a great night together. They were having some drinks, making some money, losing some money, and just spending some quality time with one another. And as the women are sitting at the slot machines, they all of a sudden see Mike walk through

the front door of the casino and he's visibly angry. He pulls Laura to the side and the two. have a very heated argument. Laura was a little embarrassed about his temper in the crowded casino, so she walks back over to Denise and her mom and apologizes, telling them that she has to cut their night short because there was something wrong with Mike. Later on, Denise gives Laura a call to make sure everything was okay, and I'm sure she's thinking that maybe Mike just had a rough night, and that after sleeping on it, everything would be fine. But everything was not fine. Laura was clearly upset and she tells Denise that after the two got home, they got into a huge argument

about Laura being out of the casino that night. Apparently, this wasn't the first time Mike had gotten upset with Laura for gambling. It seemed to be a constant point of contention in their relationship. And after he caught her at the casino this time, the argument was so bad that Mike packed up $73,000 in cash, a bag of clothes, and up and left on foot in the middle of the night. Denise is understandably shocked at this news. What do you mean he left in the middle of the night? She asked her friend.

But Laura was adamant that she did not know where he went. Denise was suspicious of the entire situation. It just didn't seem possible that her cousin would leave on foot with all of that money and not tell a single soul. That's just not the kind of person Mike was. But then again, he was very angry that night. And if Laura's gambling problem had gotten out of hand, it seemed plausible that he could have just broken up with her

and left. Maybe Laura was just too embarrassed to admit that she had a problem and that Mike had had enough. Two weeks later, out of the blue, Denise gets a call from her best friend, Laura. And Laura tells her that she had just talked on the phone with Mike. I'm sure for a brief moment, Denise felt a huge sense of relief knowing that her loved one was safe. Laura went on to say that Mike had just called her from a pay phone and told her that he was headed out west to start a new life. Denise and the rest of Mike's family have a lot of questions, but they take Laura's word, and they patiently wait for Mike to come into contact with them again. But April comes and goes, and then May, then June, and no one has yet to hear from Mike to Lusty.

And things just weren't adding up to Denise. Why hadn't he called any of his family, his son even, or business associates? Mike was a good guy, and there was no way that he would just up and leave without at least calling his family. And most people at Mike's business didn't even realize he was missing. You see, Laura helped Mike run the business, and after his disappearance, she kept things afloat, so there was no reason for anyone to question where he was. His family, however, was an entirely different story. They were getting very worried about Mike.

It was the end of the summer at this point, and no one had seen or heard from him since March. Mike's parents, in particular, were worried sick about their son. and Laura hadn't given them any explanation as to what happened on the night of his disappearance. And they desperately wanted answers. So Denise calls Laura and tells her, You have to talk to Betty and Frank. They're worried sick and they need some answers about their son. Laura kind of wavered back and forth as to whether or not she would call them.

And it was obvious that she did not want to talk to Mike's parents. But after a few minutes of contemplation, she tells Denise that she's just going to tell them, that Mike moved to Canada. Denise is very taken aback by this comment and asks her, why would you lie to them about that? If you don't know where Mike is, why are you telling them that he's in Canada?

Realizing that that probably wasn't the best idea, Laura assures Denise that she won't lie to them and that she'll call them soon. But sure enough, a few days later, when Mike's parents call, Laura tells them that he's in Canada. When Denise figures out that Laura had lied to Mike's parents,

she starts to question everything. Why was her best friend of 11 years lying to everyone around her? What did she have to hide? Because of Laura's sketchy behavior and the odd circumstances surrounding her cousin's disappearance, Denise kind of distanced herself from Laura, only talking on occasion. But one day, Denise decided that she wanted to take a ride on the snowmobiles,

just like she and Mike used to do when they were younger. She missed her cousin, and I can imagine that doing this would make her feel closer to him somehow. But the issue was that Mike owned the snowmobiles. and kept them in a shed on his property. So Denise was going to have to ask Laura to get them out of the shed. She was a little apprehensive to ask her, given that the relationship had been a little shaky the last few months.

But she decided to go to her house and ask her anyways. When Laura answered the door, she was surprised to see Denise. Denise then asked her, Hey, do you mind giving me the keys to the shed? I want to take the snowmobiles out today. And as soon as the words escaped her lips, Laura had a weird look come over her face. She nervously told Denise that she couldn't let her inside of the shed. When Denise questioned why, Laura gave her a really vague answer.

Denise is angry at this point, given that those snowmobiles were mics, not hers. And she tells Laura that if she doesn't let her inside of the shed, she would cut off the lockbox and get inside herself. Laura quickly assures her that that isn't necessary and that she would let her use the snowmobiles. But she still didn't let Denise go inside of the shed, and Denise was now more suspicious than ever of her so-called best friend. She had been in that shed a thousand times before.

Why wouldn't Laura let her inside? Soon after this interaction, Laura invited Denise over, and when she pulled up to the house, the snowmobiles were lined up outside ready to go. And behind the snowmobiles, was the shed that was locked up tight with a padlock. It was at this moment that Denise knew that whatever was in the shed would hold the answers to her cousin's disappearance.

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We love the meals. It's super easy, super great. And there's a reason why it's America's number one meal kit. Anyways, everybody, thanks for joining us and listening to our ad. Now let's get back to the gruesome details. Soon after this, Mike's family would file a missing person's report. And the lead investigator on his disappearance was a man named Gary Silka. Denise and Mike's family told Detective Silka about the weird shed incident

and how Laura wouldn't let them inside. And Gary too found this to be very suspicious. So we decided to give Laura a visit. When Detective Silka arrived at their residence, Laura seemed happy to help with the investigation. She went on to tell the same story she told Mike's family. He took off with a bag of clothes and some cash and she hasn't seen him since. But when Detective Silka asked if he could look around the property, Laura started to get a little nervous. She agreed.

But she kept a close eye on the table. detective as he looked around the property. The detective went room to room and nothing seemed to catch his eye. I can imagine that Laura was just starting to feel a sense of relief, knowing that the detective was finishing up his search. But just as he was about to leave, he asked Laura if he could take a look in the shedout back. Laura nervously stumbled over her words for a minute before telling the detective that she couldn't unlock the shed.

She went on to explain that she was actually renting the shed out to someone at the moment and that she would need their authorization to let them inside. Detective Silka knew that Laura wasn't telling the truth, but there was nothing he could do without a warrant. So he left the residence that day without ever finding what was in that shed. The Arlington Heights Daily Herald later published an article where Silka said, quote, On October 31st, I was at the property, and as a part of the two and a half hour time frame I was there, I conducted a search on numerous outbuildings on the property. Laura would let me search anywhere I wanted that,

other than inside the pole building, she used the landlord-tenant line on me." End quote. And it would actually take a few months for law enforcement to get a warrant for the property. But by that time, Laura Law was long gone out of Arkdale, Wisconsin. She had actually left just hours after Detective Silka visited her that day. She knew that everything was closing in on her. So she picked up and disappeared. much like the way she claimed Mike had disappeared.

But Mike didn't run away that night in March. He had his life savagely taken away from him, from the person he loved and trusted the most. On January 22nd, 2002, detectives finally got the warrant to search the property. Detective Silka said it took them so long because they were trying to search for the man that Laura claimed was renting the shed, but they soon discovered that the man did not exist. And once they obtained the warrant,

they finally made their way to the back shed. They cut the lock, open the door, and law enforcement is immediately hit with the unmistakable smell of death. And as they followed the smell, they notice a body, wrapped in blankets and plastic wrap.

Nine whole months after Mike's disappearance, they had finally found him. But sadly, he was long dead. For nine whole months, while his family worried sick about him, wondering if Mike was okay. His body had been lying in the shed, and the entire time Laura continued to lie to their faces, take Mike's money and feed her gambling addiction.

When an autopsy was performed on Mike, they found that his cause of death was from a single gunshot wound to the back of the head. And the gunshot wound seemed to match a 9mm handgun that Laura had bought a few years prior to the murder. Mike had been killed by his girlfriend of 11 years. simply because he confronted her gambling problem. And now Laura was on the run, and no one had any idea where she was or what she was capable of. Law enforcement put out a warrant for Laura's arrest, but she had been gone for months at this point,

and they knew that it would be difficult to find her. And Mike's family was angry with the police. They had tried to warn them about Laura, and they felt like the police were to blame for her escape. If they would have acted sooner, they could have caught her, and law enforcement knew that they had to work hard to make up for lost time. Police use phone records to trace Laura's movement, but it seemed like she would always leave before they were able to find her. After she skipped town in Wisconsin, she was seen in Minnesota, Illinois, Florida, and lastly, Nashville, Tennessee.

But then her trail just stopped, and no one was able to find where she was. Laura Law was such a high-profile, wanted fugitive that they even made an Unsolved Mysteries episode about the case. and they put her on an episode of America's Most Wanted, hoping to bring attention to the case and get her face recognized. Cass Cliot from the Daily Herald published an article stating, quote, Cases of women who are fugitives from justice are rare. Women who kill their boyfriends, cleverly conceal their bodies for months at their homes, and then disappear without a trace, are even rare. Tlusty's family in Elgin and police in Adams County, Wisconsin,

hope that they'll get help from millions of TV viewers who can be their eyes and ears to help find law who is considered armed and dangerous, end quote. She then quoted Gary Silka who stated, quote, This is a very large country, and this is assuming that she's still in the country. I think it's absolutely essential that we get her face out there. We need the help of the people. We need this person off the street, end quote. After plastering Laura's face on television screens and in police departments across the country,

law enforcement finally receives a tip. It was a person saying that they believed they saw Laura working at a Best Western Hotel in Nashville. Authorities immediately rush over to the hotel, and they show the manager a picture of Laura, asking if they had seen this woman before. The manager was very familiar with Laura and stated that she had just started working there. The manager also stated that Laura's shift started in just a couple of hours, So authorities waited and waited, and sure enough, Laura shows up for her shift at the best western. And before she knew it, she was surrounded.

Laura Law's six-month run from the Wisconsin Police was finally over, and on July 16, 2002, she was arrested for the murder of Mike Tulletste for hiding a corpse and for her unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Laura originally pled not guilty for the crimes, saying that Mike was trying to kill himself that night, and that he was shot while she was trying to get the gun away from him. But everybody knew that that wasn't true. You don't accidentally shoot yourself in the back of the head. But Laura eventually came to her senses, and in April of 2003, she pled guilty for first-degree reckless homicide

and was sentenced to 24 years in prison. Laura never truly admitted the reason as to why she murdered her boyfriend of 11 years. But police suspect that it was because of her crippling, gambling addiction. And the fact that Mike wanted to leave her because of it. Was her addiction so strong that she was willing to remove anything that got in the way of it? Unfortunately, we don't have those answers. Laura Law is now 70 years old. And she's still in prison for her crimes from 2001 to 2003. But she's eligible for parole in 2026. And we hope that someday Laura will tell the truth about what happened that night on March 26, 2001.

This story left us with a lot of questions and even more suspicions. It makes you wonder, what are the people in your life hiding? I'm sure for Denise, and even more so for Mike, they would have never expected that Laura had the ability to murder. When you know someone for 11 years and you claim them as your best friend, you would never think that they could be capable of something so heinous. But that's the story behind this episode. How well do you know the people in your life?

and what are they capable of? Luckily, many people will never have to find out about their loved ones dark side, but unfortunately, a number of people will. Do you think that Mike knew what Laura was capable of? It makes you wonder, the dead don't talk, or do they? Everybody, it's Colin and Courtney. Thank you all for listening to another episode of Murder in America. We're traveling right now around the road,

so getting these episodes out has been just a lot of effort lately with me being gone and Courtney being gone. But we're finally back next week with a full-length episode. We are doing a bonus episode from Wisconsin. Courtney want to tell him who it is? Ed Gein. Ed Gein, baby. He is one of the craziest, most depraved killers in American history,

and we are excited to tell the full story of those crimes. If you guys want to follow us on Instagram, follow Murder in America. Courtney, what's your Instagram? Court Shan. And just to explain why this case was a bit on the shorter side, we wanted to choose a smaller case and a smaller story to tell in Wisconsin because we're doing these two big stories,

but there isn't that much information online about Laura Law, so we took everything we could find and put it into this episode. This is another episode that leaves you wondering, the dead don't talk. Or do that. Thanks for listening, y'all. See you next time.