A former West Allis, Wisconsin, police officer has been arrested in connection with the bodies of two women that were found stuffed into suitcases alongside North Como Road in Geneva, Wisconsin. Steven Zelich, 52, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with two counts of “Hiding a Corpse.”
In 2001, Zelich was forced to resign to from the police department in 2001 after an off-duty altercation with a prostitute.
Here is what you need to know about the suspect, the victims, and crimes in question:
1. The Bodies Were Found Bound in Two Suitcases
According to the criminal complaint, which you can read above, on June 5, 2014, police responded to a call that two suitcases had been found, along the side of a road in Walworth, Wisconsin. Each suitcase contained the body of a female. Both reportedly had “obvious signs of decomposition indicating both deceased subjects had been deceased for a long period of time.”
2. A Victim Was Found With a BDSM Ball Gag & Collar in Her Mouth
According to the complaint, ne of the victims, later identified as 37-year-old Laura Simonson, was found with a rope wrapped around her neck, a ball gag strapped into her mouth, and a collar around her neck.
The Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel reports that Zelich had posted an online classified looking for a woman for “perm enslavement,” which he clarifies as “no limit enslavement, imprisonment, captivity, animalization..ideally in a farm/caged situation.”
3. One Victims Was Identified as Laura Simonson Who Has 7 Kids, The Other is Unknown
Laura Simonson was identified by her dental records, and the other woman, referred to in the criminal complaint as Jane Doe, has yet to be identified. Zelich admitted to police that he spoke with both of them online, Doe in 2012, and Simonson in 2013. He admits to meeting Doe in person in late 2012 and after “causing her death, he put Jane Doe in a suitcase.” He and Simonson met up in November 2013 and during that meeting, Simonson, “caused her death.”
Jane Doe is described by the local ABC affiliate to be between the ages of 15 and 35, 5 feet 2 and 5 feet 4 inches tall, and weighing between 120 and 140 pounds. She also has a pronounced overbite, two piercings in each ear, and a small heart tattoo on her lower left pelvis area.
4. Simonson’s Family Says She Was Enslaved & Went Missing in 2013
Laura Simonson of Minnesota, was reported missing by her mother around Thanksgiving 2013, reports NBC’s Minneapolis affiliate.
Her family described her as a “vulnerable adult” with a history of mental illness. Her father also told the Journal Sentinel that his daughter had put up escort ads on CraigsList, and that her 7 children were placed in his foster care in 2010.
One of her friends also placed an ad on the same website where Simonson met Zelich saying that she was being enslaved, tortured, and abused. It says:
Steven Mark Zelich is a sadist who has enslaved a petite female named Laura Jean Simonson. He keeps her naked, handcuffed, shackled, and caged. He has no intention of ever releasing this poor woman who suffers from various mental disabilities. She has been whipped and tortured by Steven Mark Zelich since November 2, 2013. Laura is the mother of 7 young children and has not been allowed by Steven to contact them in any way. The police have not been able to locate where Steven has Laura imprisoned. Please join our effort to find and free Laura Simonson. I encourage you to harass Steven constently by calling his cell phone repeatedly and flooding his email inbox with similar messages. Steven’s cell phone number is 1-414-554-3650 and his email address is steve53227@yahoo.com
Steven openly talks about his treatment of women on a website called “collarme”. You can find him using the profile name “mrhandcuffs”.
Thank you and God bless all those who help in our effort.
5. His Bond is Set at $1 Million
Zelich has not yet been charged with the deaths of the two women, but he has been charged with 2 counts of Hiding a Corpse, each of which is punishable with up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.
