Investigation into Nebraska teen's 1969 murder spans five decades

7 hours ago 6

Jennifer Joakim, Saunders County attorney, and Richard Register, lawman region attorney, worked connected what is believed to beryllium the longest unsolved acold lawsuit successful Nebraska history: the 1969 execution of 17-year-old Mary Kay Heese, a precocious schoolhouse junior.

Richard Register: Mary Kay Heese's unsolved execution hung implicit this assemblage for 5 decades. It needed to beryllium resolved.

Jennifer Joakim: I look astatine this lawsuit arsenic … wherever the assemblage mislaid its innocence. Where radical were told we're not going into Wahoo. You're not going retired alone.

Richard Register: It was precise good known. A murder, particularly of this nature, uh, is not communal for this area.

Natalie Morales (driving down a agrarian roadworthy with Ted Green): This close present is what Wahoo is truly known for, right?

Ted Green: Oh yea —

Natalie Morales: I mean — for cattle state —

Ted Green: — it's agrarian — cattle.

Natalie Morales: — maize country.

Ted Green: It hasn't changed much.

Ted Green was the transgression researcher for the Saunders County Attorney's office. He started moving connected the lawsuit successful 2015.

Ted Green (in car with Morales): So this was the precocious schoolhouse here.

Natalie Morales: So connected that time she had conscionable finished her —

Ted Green: Walked location and started heading northbound present connected Linden Street.

Murdered teen was "full of life"

Memories of Mary Kay Heese's execution loom ample successful this tiny town. Black and achromatic footage was filmed by a section tv presumption soon aft the murder. Much of Wahoo looks similar it did connected March 25,1969, when Mary Kay ne'er made it location aft school.

Ted Green: So the past spot that she was seen was present connected the country …

That evening, Mary Kay's parents reported her missing, and the assemblage came retired successful unit to hunt for her.

Ted Green: So they had Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, religion groups, schoolhouse groups … and the Wahoo Police Department, Sheriff's bureau … all searching for her.

Nothing was recovered until adjacent to midnight, erstwhile a husbandman spotted Mary Kay's schoolhouse books and purse stacked neatly connected a roadworthy adjacent a field.

Jennifer Joakim: Inside the books … was her sanction and truthful helium brought the books into Wahoo and ran into … the constabulary that were searching for her. … They each went backmost to wherever the books were recovered … and they recovered her body, lying successful a ditch … connected the broadside of the road.

Not acold from Mary Kay's bloodied body, investigators discovered her shoes successful the road, tyre tracks from a car, and shoeprints — perchance from the killer.

Natalie Morales: And however had she died?

Richard Register: Well, successful a horrible way, she was chased down. The — the footprints, which were preserved by the crushed freezing, showed that she got retired of the conveyance and she ran … And you could archer by the strides that she was truly trying to escape. … And past adjacent wherever her assemblage is recovered … there's a excavation of humor … she's laying determination discarded similar trash.

Investigators photographed the scene, measured and made a formed of that shoeprint, and sent Mary Kay's assemblage for an autopsy. It was determined that Mary Kay had been beaten and was stabbed to death, leaving 14 wounds. No weapon was recovered astatine the scene.

Ted Green: She has a beauteous bully people connected her jaw wherever she was punched. And … the stab wounds travel aft that.

Natalie Morales: Stabbing idiosyncratic 14 times though. What did that archer you astir the quality of the crime?

Ted Green: Rage. Rage.

Natalie Morales: Was she sexually assaulted?

Ted Green: No. No. … but I judge she understood that's astir apt wherever it was gonna head.

The probe was initially handled by assorted instrumentality enforcement departments. Mary Kay's covering was sent to the FBI to J. Edgar Hoover's attraction — earlier the days of DNA testing, to spot if thing could beryllium learned.

Investigators questioned radical astir municipality astir the time of the murder. A witnesser reported seeing Mary Kay that time astatine astir 5 p.m., getting into a car that had 2 men, astatine that thoroughfare corner.

Natalie Morales: In those aboriginal days and weeks, did you think, oh, they're gonna — they're gonna find whoever did this.

Kathy Tull: Oh yeah. Yeah.

Mark Miller: Oh, yeah.

Mark Miller and Kathy Tull are Mary Kay's cousins.

Natalie Morales: These are immoderate of Mary Kay's idiosyncratic belongings close …

Kathy Tull: Mm-hmm.

Kathy Tull: … this is her 4H –

Natalie Morales: was she arrogant of what she did astatine the 4-H?

Kathy Tull: Oh yea — look astatine however tiny she was. (holds up T-shirt)

Natalie Morales: Yeah.

Kathy was 9, and Mark was 8, erstwhile they learned Mary Kay had been murdered.

Mark Miller: She's the oldest of america cousins. So, she ever looked retired for each of us.

Kathy Tull: She was a 17-year-old miss afloat of life.

Kathy recalls being picked up aboriginal from schoolhouse the time Mary Kay's assemblage was found.

Kathy Tull: And they told america we had to travel to Wahoo.

Kathy's household drove to her cousin's home. When they got there, Kathy saw and heard Mary Kay's mom, Dorothy.

Kathy Tull: When we went in, it was conscionable — you could perceive her wailing. It's the benignant of symptom you consciousness crossed the room.

Natalie Morales: And astatine the time, did they archer you however she was recovered oregon was that excessively overmuch to archer … the cousins, the kids?

Kathy Tull: I deliberation we heard it.

Mark Miller: … erstwhile they told us, past it was connected the news.

The family, and the community, could not recognize wherefore Mary Kay had been targeted. There were nary answers, conscionable fear.

Kathy Tull: And I retrieve … thinking, "I'm scared."

Mark Miller: Everything changed. What our parents allowed america to spell do.

Natalie Morales: You didn't person the freedoms that you had earlier …

Mark Miller: We mislaid truthful galore antithetic things due to the fact that of it … our parents wanting to overprotect us.

But being overprotective did not guarantee safety. Mary Kay's parents, particularly her father, had ever been precise watchful and cautious with their daughter.

Ted Green: She had a precise strict begetter and … she was shy. … She precise overmuch wanted to acceptable in. … And determination was a radical of girls that would … enactment constitution connected her astatine the opening of the time and alteration her apparel out. So she would acceptable successful socially. And past astatine the extremity of the school, she'd alteration back. She wanted to beryllium a portion of the crowd.

Mary Kay was trying to enactment successful schoolhouse activities — practicing baton twirling, hoping to beryllium a majorette. Part of fitting successful for Mary Kay besides progressive trying to get a day for an upcoming schoolhouse dance. Mary Kay had adjacent written a missive to different relative asking him to beryllium her date.

Natalie Morales (reading letter): "Will you spell to the Sadie Hawkins creation with maine …"

Natalie Morales: … conscionable wanted a day –

Kathy Tull: Mm-hmm.

Natalie Morales: — and truthful she would instrumentality her relative …

Natalie Morales: … this was March 18th, 1969. … So conscionable a week earlier … she died.

Investigators thought that possibly the unit to find a day and acceptable successful led the usually shy Mary Kay to get into that car with the men astatine that thoroughfare corner.

Kathy Tull: I deliberation she was truthful naive, she had nary hint that thing atrocious could hap to her.

Richard Register: She conscionable wanted to get a lad to spell to the creation with her. And unfortunately, the creation she went to was her death.

Why was Mary Kay Keese killed?

Ted Green, formerly the researcher for the Saunders County Attorney's Office, believes the 2 men who picked up 17-year-old Mary Kay Heese connected March 25, 1969, were driving to an country known locally arsenic The Grove.

Ted Green: Natural parking and enactment spot.

Natalie Morales: So kids coming down this way, they were — 2 things successful mind, either partying oregon hooking up?

Ted Green: Or hooking up. Those were the 2 things connected everybody's mind.

Green's mentation of the transgression is that erstwhile Mary Kay realized the men's intentions, she fled the car, and 1 of the men ran aft her, yet stabbing her to death. But radical who knew Mary Kay wondered wherefore she got successful the car the 2 men.

Ted Green: She wouldn't get into a car with idiosyncratic that she didn't know. … She knew these guys.

Working that theory, investigators successful 1969 questioned males successful town, particularly ones who could person crossed paths with Mary Kay. They utilized what was past a brand-new transgression solving tool: polygraphs.

Richard Register: They polygraphed virtually the full antheral colonisation of some the schools. I mean can, tin you ideate the uproar would hap today? … And they were looking for that arsenic their metallic bullet.

One of the radical polygraphed and questioned a fewer days aft the execution was Joseph Ambroz, 22 years aged astatine the time. Ambroz had been seen weeks earlier the execution talking to Mary Kay astir town. They some frequented The Wigwam Café, a edifice which inactive stands today. Ambroz stood out, arsenic helium was caller to town. Investigators learned helium was connected parole aft having been convicted of forgery and escaping from custody.

Richard Register: He wrote a $10 atrocious check, with his buddy up successful … Wayne, Nebraska. They get stopped for that and they flight this small region jailhouse up there. And … they drawback up successful California and bring him each the mode back.

Ambroz served astir 3 years and past moved to Wahoo.

Ted Green: And he's retired connected parole. He's got a job. He's moving astatine a packing plant.

Natalie Morales: So, a slaughterhouse.

Ted Green: And, yeah. Slaughterhouse. And — she knew him.

Authorities accidental they learned that Ambroz was known to mingle with precocious schoolhouse girls and had a estimation for having a temper. He besides drove the benignant of car, akin to this one, that idiosyncratic said they saw adjacent the transgression scene.

Ted Green: A section nonmigratory … had seen 2 cars permission that night. One car was a achromatic implicit red, '56 Chevy … The 2nd car … was a achromatic implicit bluish '56 Chevy with 2 acheronian haired males successful it, driving astatine a precocious complaint of speed. Ambroz drove that achromatic implicit bluish … He's a idiosyncratic of interest.

Ambroz denied immoderate engagement successful the murder. And his polygraph seemed to enactment that. Ambroz said helium had an alibi: that the nighttime of murder, helium was hanging retired astatine assorted locations with his person Wayne Greaser, who was besides questioned and polygraphed.

Richard Register: Wayne Greaser was … conscionable that wannabe kid who was conscionable pursuing astir Ambroz. … And truthful he's — helium says he's with him.

But portion being questioned, Ambroz did talk astir things, says Green, that got him successful occupation with the law, and helium was instantly sent to jail.

Ted Green: He blows his parole close successful the pre-polygraph interview. … He violates it, says I'm buying booze for minors. I'm having enactment with minors … truthful he's booked, parole violation.

But not for Mary Kay's murder.

Natalie Morales: Why did this lawsuit not determination on further astatine the time?

Jennifer Joakim: That's — that's a precise bully question.

Follow up successful the archetypal investigation, prosecutors say, seemed to beryllium lacking, with inexperience a factor. Cars were not checked for blood, and suspects' footwear sizes were not compared to shoeprints recovered astatine the scene.

Richard Register: This was the opening of the State Patrol. Because earlier that they conscionable gave tickets for speeding. … And truthful these radical were thrown into this caller investigative unit.

Jennifer Joakim: There were different agencies involved. … And it didn't look similar determination was truly a pb … investigator.

Richard Register: And they were conscionable relying connected those polygraphs.

For decades, the lawsuit sat cold.

Sgt. Bob Frank (1999): After seeing the pictures and looking astatine the case, you tin visualize it, I mean everything is the aforesaid aft 30 years, it's each the same, thing has changed.

Then, 30 years later, successful 1999, with the instauration of the Nebraska State Patrol Cold Case Unit, Mary Kay's execution was getting attraction again. "48 Hours" cameras followed Sgt. Bob Frank arsenic helium worked the case.

Sgt. Bob Frank (1999 | referencing a 1969 transgression country photograph portion astatine the transgression scene): And her assemblage was recovered close successful present and that's wherever we're astatine close determination …

And we spoke with Frank again successful 2025, present retired from the State Patrol.

Bob Frank (2025): One happening astir doing acold cases you find is that stories grow, stories change. … And so, you know, trying to abstracted information from fabrication is sometimes difficult.

To effort to get to the truth, Frank, successful 1999, scoured the aged lawsuit reports. He noticed that Joseph Ambroz and Wayne Greaser, the men who were each other's alibis, kept coming up successful witnesser statements.

Bob Frank: And I started talking to different radical who … had been told by these 2 individuals that they had done this homicide.

Greaser had died by termination successful 1977. Ambroz was agelong retired of jail, having served a year-and-a-half for that parole usurpation aft Mary Kay's murder. He had moved astir and worked arsenic a motortruck driver. Bob Frank knew astatine immoderate constituent helium would privation to speech to Ambroz but archetypal wanted to instrumentality a caller look astatine the aged evidence.

Natalie Morales: In '99 now, are you hoping you're gonna get immoderate benignant of DNA?

Bob Frank: Something.

Testing the transgression country evidence

By 1999, erstwhile Sgt. Bob Frank led the Nebraska State Patrol's Cold Case Unit, advances had been made successful forensic subject that were not disposable successful 1969 erstwhile Mary Kay Heese was murdered. "48 Hours" cameras filmed Frank going done Mary Kay's belongings, arsenic helium looked for DNA and fingerprints. Among the items tested were Mary Kay's schoolbooks, recovered stacked astatine the scene.

Bob Frank (1999): Uh, we're hoping for — for prints to travel off. … it's been 30 years.

The mentation was that Mary Kay near the books and her purse successful the car. The slayer noticed the items, and not wanting to beryllium linked to her belongings, dumped them.

Bob Frank (2025): So, we cognize it was astir apt the fishy that — that enactment those books connected the road. What we were looking for determination was immoderate benignant of fingerprint evidence.

A fingerprint examiner worked to find and assistance prints disconnected the schoolbooks, including 1 titled, "Building a Successful Marriage."

Natalie Morales: Were determination immoderate fingerprints that came forward?

Bob Frank: No. No.

Bob Frank (1999): This what we truly had them ore connected were — were these gloves. …

Man (1999): — and she was wearing these astatine the time, wasn't she?

Bob Frank: Yes … We were looking for, um, — idiosyncratic else's humor on, connected those gloves.

They besides tested Mary Kay's clothing.

Bob Frank (1999): When I spot this, it conscionable motivates maine more. I mean, it's — thing you wanna solve. It's thing you privation — you privation to get closure on. I archer you the information erstwhile I enactment this retired and laid it out, the archetypal happening I thought of was Mrs. Heese.

Frank spoke respective times with Mary Kay's mother, Dorothy, implicit the people of his investigation.

Dorothy Heese (1999, looking astatine photos): That's erstwhile she started the precocious school.

"48 Hours" spoke with her arsenic well, successful 1999.

Dorothy Heese (1999): I don't deliberation it'll beryllium solved. I truly don't. It's gone each these galore years and I just, I've conscionable fixed up hope.

Hope would beryllium diminished again erstwhile the forensic investigating led nowhere. Still, Joseph Ambroz and Wayne Greaser remained astatine the apical of Frank's fishy list.

In May 1999, Frank decided to question radical who knew Ambroz and Greaser astir the clip of the execution and had been named successful anterior constabulary reports.

Bob Frank (1999): That's wherefore I privation 2 guys successful determination truthful 1 feline tin truly ticker however these guys are reacting to the questions being asked of them.

The thought was the transition of clip mightiness marque idiosyncratic much forthcoming. And the investigators took respective steps to effort to assistance that along.

Bob Frank: We created an ambiance to wherever it appeared we were a full-fledged task unit looking astatine this case.

In fact, determination was nary designated "Heese task force," nor was the lawsuit "getting hot," arsenic a motion connected the doorway implied. It was conscionable 1 of the measures taken by Frank and his squad arsenic they tried to spot if anyone would springiness caller information.

Jay Petersen (1999): I wrote their names down connected the committee and — and immoderate numbers down those names, which don't truly person immoderate relevancy either.

Investigator Jay Petersen.

Jay Petersen (1999): But it's conscionable gonna get them to reasoning that we cognize a heck of a batch much astir them than possibly we really do.

They besides tried to marque the mounting a spot uncomfortable for those being interviewed.

INVESTIGATOR (1999): Did you grease the array down too?

JAY PETERSEN: Yeah.

Jay Petersen (1999): What we did was we took a vessel of furnishings polish. We waxed the table, we waxed these chairs. … So, erstwhile they beryllium down, they're not gonna beryllium capable to get into a comfortableness zone. … So, support 'em connected borderline a small spot and hopefully that'll uh, get them talking a small spot too.

Bob Frank: We enactment physics devices successful to — to grounds successful the room. We fto these radical cognize erstwhile we brought them successful that they were gonna beryllium … monitored constantly.

But contempt each those efforts, thing usable was learned.

Bob Frank (2025): We had radical telling america that … Wayne Greaser told america this … Joe Ambroz told america this … but it was each hearsay evidence, you know? We didn't person that witnesser that … was determination oregon you cognize knew the facts directly.

So Frank decided it was clip to interrogation Joseph Ambroz himself.

Bob Frank (1999): We volition conscionable spell spot what we tin get by knocking connected the door. … Let's bash it.

In September 1999, Frank traveled to Orange Park, Florida, wherever Ambroz was living. Working with section instrumentality enforcement, Frank went to Ambroz's location wherever helium answered the doorway and willingly went to beryllium questioned astatine the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

BOB FRANK (1999): Recall for maine what — what you did that night? I mean, if — you know, you've been questioned astir it before.

JOSEPH AMBROZ: Yeah. Uh –

BOB FRANK: You know, archer maine what — what you did.

Ambroz said, connected the time of the murder, helium got disconnected enactment astir 5:30, went location and past went to a nine until closing time. Unlike his erstwhile interview, wherever his present deceased person Wayne Greaser was his alibi, helium did not notation being with Greaser.

BOB FRANK (1999): But you had said successful interrogation reports, and I person those interrogation reports, that you were with Wayne.

JOSEPH AMBROZ: OK. I — it's possible. I'll archer you, it's been a agelong — it's imaginable I was with him.

Frank besides asked galore questions astir Ambroz's occupation astatine a slaughterhouse.

JOSEPH AMBROZ (1999): Uh, I worked connected the termination floor.

BOB FRANK: Kill floor?

JOSEPH AMBROZ: Yeah.

Since Mary Kay was stabbed to death, Ambroz was asked astir his entree to knives.

BOB FRANK (1999): Was determination a peculiar benignant of instrumentality you had to usage for that? Or was it conscionable a regular knife?

JOSEPH AMBROZ: Uh, no. I had, uh, I deliberation similar 3 antithetic knives but ...

Ambroz was adamant helium had thing to bash with Mary Kay's murder, adjacent erstwhile Frank implied they recovered someone's DNA astatine the scene.

BOB FRANK (1999): We person a fantastic happening called DNA —

JOSEPH AMBROZ: Right.

BOB FRANK: And we're gonna beryllium capable to amusement who she struggled with.

JOSEPH AMBROZ: Fine.

BOB FRANK: ... Um, again, you know, we person each this small bits of accusation present and determination that acceptable unneurotic that you were there. Not needfully that you did it, but that you were determination erstwhile it happened.

JOSEPH AMBROZ: Well that – that — that's yet to beryllium proven. I mean, I wasn't there. Like I said, I had thing to bash with it. And, uh, you're — you're escaped to instrumentality blood. Anything you want.

Despite Ambroz's cooperation, Frank recovered respective things suspicious – similar Ambroz's mentation for giving antithetic versions of wherever helium was astatine the clip of the murder.

JOSEPH AMBROZ (1999): I don't retrieve everything.

BOB FRANK: … The reports present bespeak a size 9 1/2 footwear astatine the scene.

And determination was that shoeprint recovered astatine the scene, which was the aforesaid size that Ambroz wears.

BOB FRANK (1999): You got a 9 1/2 shoe. Again, different coincidence.

JOSEPH AMBROZ: Yeah.

Frank besides asked Ambroz astir a study from 1972, earlier Wayne Greaser died, successful which a person of Greaser informed authorities Greaser had confessed to him that helium and Ambroz drove Mary Kay to the field, and that it was Ambroz who killed her. When Frank brought it up, Ambroz got agitated.

JOSEPH AMBROZ (1999): I had thing to bash with it. I don't cognize what Greaser was saying. And that's each I got to say.

After the interview, Ambroz gave his humor for DNA investigating and submitted to different polygraph. Nothing incriminating was recovered astatine his house, and his DNA did not lucifer immoderate recovered connected Mary Kay's items.

Bob Frank: We presented what we had to the — to the region lawyer astatine the clip and helium conscionable felt determination was not capable to adjacent instrumentality it forward.

In 2000, Frank stopped moving the case, but held retired anticipation that 1 day, thing would beryllium found.

Bob Frank: We needed thing … to, to thrust this lawsuit forward.

Facebook station leads to caller extremity successful 2019

What precisely happened successful that tract successful 1969 was inactive a enigma erstwhile Ted Green, successful 2015, past the Investigator for the Saunders County Attorney's Office, started looking into Mary Kay Heese's murder.

Ted Green: It was putting this puzzle backmost together.

He had collected reports from each the antithetic agencies that worked the lawsuit implicit the years. He recovered memos and statements that had ne'er been filed.

Ted Green: Then I started going done the database of names and each those volumes and reinterviewing and truthful … I was capable to commencement tracking down individuals.

Green says 1 of those radical told him that Ambroz had seen Mary Kay not conscionable astatine that café they frequented, but besides astir town, and that Ambroz told him helium wanted to person enactment with Mary Kay.

Ted Green: And helium says, well, Mary Kay was up successful her driveway twirling her baton … and helium had made the remark that, yeah, the fishy told me, helium wanted to bash her.

Green, similar Frank, focused his probe connected Joseph Ambroz. Green says different idiosyncratic told him helium had seen Ambroz and Wayne Greaser arguing that night.

Ted Green: They got into a combat that precise nighttime astir immoderate miss and … this feline is coming guardant and saying this combat occurred and cipher paid attraction to him.

Green besides reinterviewed a co-worker of Ambroz —who said Ambroz told him aft the execution that, "I tin bash six months, but I can't bash life." For Green, this was Ambroz's motive. Green theorized that Ambroz could woody with serving six months for a parole violation, but not much for attempting to sexually battle Mary Kay.

Ted Green: He knows he's going backmost … it's not a spot helium wants to go.

Natalie Morales: So you judge helium killed her due to the fact that helium was trying to marque definite –

Ted Green: He was going to, yeah, she –

Natalie Morales: She didn't study him.

Ted Green: Yeah.

Green was frustrated with the archetypal investigation's deficiency of follow-up. Especially disturbing to him, was that Joseph Ambroz's car was agelong gone and had ne'er been examined.

Ted Green: Why wasn't this successful those reports? These were basal questions I was asking.

While Green worked the case, this man, Josh Eberhardt, a person of Kathy Tull — Mary Kay's relative — wanted to bring attraction to the decades aged execution that continued to haunt the family.

Josh Eberhardt: The mode that I could consciousness their symptom erstwhile I spoke with them, I couldn't fto it spell … I knew I wanted to assistance them somehow.

That assistance came successful 2019, erstwhile Eberhardt, with the assistance of Kathy, acceptable up a Facebook leafage tipline.

Josh Eberhardt: And I started penning the posts for this page, and I was trying to propulsion astatine the heartstrings of the community

Josh Eberhardt (reading post): Dear Mary Kay … Fifty years person travel and gone since idiosyncratic took you from america all. … I beryllium present astatine my machine each day, moving to find justness for you. (cries)

Eberhardt hoped the posts mightiness jog people's memories. Tips came successful that went nowhere. But past —

Josh Eberhardt: Somebody came guardant … with a truly large tip.

The extremity progressive a reservoir not acold from the execution scene. The idiosyncratic had heard stories astir men taking isolated a car that looked similar the 1 Jospeh Ambroz drove and pushing the car into the h2o soon aft Mary Kay's murder.

Josh Eberhardt: We heard the words, achromatic implicit blue, '50s Chevy … So we knew it was important capable to walk to Ted, and helium took it from there.

Ted Green besides thought it was important. He ever wondered what happened to the car witnesses reported seeing Mary Kay get into. A car helium believed belonged to Joseph Ambroz.

Natalie Morales: You deliberation it's — the Chevy that's successful that lake?

Ted Green: Yeah … They got escaped of the car.

Natalie Morales: There was humor connected it. It was a execution scene.

Ted Green: It was a execution scene. I deliberation the execution limb is determination also.

So, Green tried to find what was astatine the bottommost of that reservoir. It was a process, seen here, that went connected for astir 5 years, including having a information dredged.

Ted Green: And we started coming up with bits and pieces of weird steel.

But helium needed to travel up with more.

Then Green saw a YouTube video from an underwater hunt and betterment dive team, called Adventures with Purpose. The enactment is chiefly focused connected searching underwater for missing persons.

Ted Green: I called 'em up and said … this is an active, ongoing investigation. We don't person a assemblage successful there. I'm looking for evidence. And they agreed to bash it.

Ted Green: We pulled up much and much metal. We besides … pulled up fibre … accordant with the colour of the interior of the car we're looking for.

Still though, they could not beryllium the metallic and fibre were from a car. To find thing more, the reservoir would request to beryllium drained — which was not feasible.

If the reservoir couldn't supply much clues, Green and the region lawyer thought possibly Mary Kay herself could. In 2024, the determination was made to person her assemblage exhumed and execute different autopsy.

Jennifer Joakim: The archetypal autopsy was not a prime autopsy oregon astatine slightest by today's standards. … Obviously, it's science, things evolve.

But first, the household had to consent. Green and Kathy Tull had been successful adjacent interaction done the people of his investigation. Kathy was ever pushing to larn more, truthful she gave her support to person Mary Kay's assemblage exhumed.

Kathy Tull: It was — it was hard. I, uh — thing that possibly would get the answers we were looking for, but it was a hard choice.

But what benignant of answers could beryllium recovered from a assemblage that had been buried for much than 50 years?

Ted Green: We didn't cognize what we were gonna find.

What clues could Mary Kay Heese provide?

Mary Kay had been buried for 55 years erstwhile her casket was lifted retired of the crushed to execute different autopsy. Remarkably, accidental prosecutors, her assemblage was well-preserved, allowing a pathologist to larn much astir her weapon wounds.

Jennifer Joakim: The 2nd autopsy was highly valuable. It added clarity to the … mode of killing.

According to investigators, the mode successful which Mary Kay was stabbed was accordant with however slaughterhouse workers are taught to termination animals.

Richard Register: The angle, precisely however her assemblage was showed successful the autopsy, is precisely however they were told to bash it.

For Ted Green, it was different portion of the puzzle tying Joseph Ambroz, who had worked connected the termination level of a slaughterhouse, to Mary Kay's murder. There was besides that shoeprint astatine the execution country -- a size 9 1/2.

Ted Green: And helium wore a 9 1/2 shoe. And that's the size of the footwear that was there.

But it was much than conscionable the size. Green says it was besides the signifier of the print. It matched a prison-issued footwear that Ambroz, connected parole astatine the clip of Mary Kay's murder, could person been wearing.

Ted Green: So these small consistencies are starting to adhd up.

Natalie Morales: At what constituent though … bash you consciousness you person capable … that you tin past spell to the region attorney's bureau and say, I deliberation I've got a beauteous bully lawsuit here?

Ted Green: It was his interview.

In 2021, Green interviewed Ambroz, traveling to Ohio wherever helium was living. According to Green, radical told him they had seen humor connected Ambroz's car astir the clip of the murder. Green says erstwhile helium asked Ambroz astir this, helium admitted determination was humor connected his car due to the fact that helium ran implicit a cervid oregon rabbit.

Ted Green: He said that humor is connected the near rear fender.

Natalie Morales: The backmost — the backmost fender.

Ted Green: You don't deed a cervid oregon rabbit connected the near rear fender and enactment humor connected that. And helium admitted the humor was determination the nighttime of the homicide.

Green believed Ambroz pinned Mary Kay connected the car trunk, and the humor was hers from those 14 stab wounds.

In 2023, Green presented his investigation's findings to the region attorney: the witnesser statements, the shoeprint evidence, Ambroz's interview. Prosecutors knew it would beryllium a challenging case. The execution limb was ne'er found, nor was determination DNA grounds connecting Ambroz to the killing. But they besides knew clip was moving out.

Jennifer Joakim: We were getting to a constituent that … 55, 56 years ago, this occurred, truthful we're starting to suffer witnesses. … So the determination was made to instrumentality it earlier the expansive jury.

The expansive assemblage rapidly indicted Joseph Ambroz for the first-degree execution of Mary Kay Heese. The then-77-year-old was arrested connected Nov. 18, 2024, successful Oklahoma, wherever helium was living. Ambroz was past extradited to Nebraska.

Mark Miller: Thrilled to death.

Kathy Tull: I was thrilled.

Mark Miller: Thrilled to decease that finally, yet … Mary Kay volition person justice.

For Mary Kay's family, the apprehension was gratifying, particularly for Kathy. She had promised Mary Kay's mother, Dorothy, who died successful 2007, that she would combat for justness and not hide Mary Kay.

Kathy Tull: This is Aunt Dorothy asking for america to proceed to hunt for immoderate happened to Mary Kay ...

Kathy Tull: I didn't privation to fto her down …

Kathy Tull: I told her that I would not stop, that I would continue.

Kathy and Mark were preparing themselves to yet person immoderate answers to 56 years of questions astir what happened to Mary Kay. There were pre-trial hearings wherever Ambroz appeared frail and connected oxygen.

Months passed, and then, successful July 2025, Kathy and Mark got quality they were not expecting. A plea woody had been reached — not for archetypal grade execution arsenic charged — but for conspiracy to perpetrate first-degree murder. As portion of the deal, Ambroz pleaded nary contest, which meant helium did not person to springiness immoderate details astir the murder.

Mark Miller: The household ne'er got the accidental to accidental no.

Kathy and Mark accidental they weren't consulted astir the deal, which besides named the deceased Wayne Greaser arsenic the different idiosyncratic conspiring to termination Mary Kay. It was a stroke to Kathy and Mark — and to Ted Green.

Ted Green: There's nary justness for Mary Kay, there's nary justness for the family.

Natalie Morales: And nary answer.

Ted Green: And nary answer.

In an email to "48 Hours," Joseph Ambroz's lawyer stated that, "Mr. Ambroz maintains his innocence … Due to Mr. Ambroz' property helium states helium took the plea bargain owed to his wellness issues … since helium whitethorn not person lived until proceedings to effort to wide his name."

Ted Green: He gets disconnected — I didn't bash it, really? … I'm sorry, if you're gonna fold similar that, I laid my keys connected the array and walked retired 2 minutes aft helium pled. … I retired close past and there.

Jennifer Joakim: I recognize with immoderate folks the plea woody wasn't peculiarly appealing.

County lawyer Jennifer Joakim knew determination would beryllium a backlash for accepting the plea deal. But she besides felt, arsenic they proceeded to trial, the lawsuit was lone getting weaker.

Jennifer Joakim: You know, you person to look astatine the likelihood of adjacent getting to trial.

There were concatenation of custody issues from the grounds going done truthful galore hands implicit the years. And with immoderate witnesses dead, grounds could beryllium deemed inadmissible. It was leaving them uncertain the lawsuit could beryllium proven beyond a tenable uncertainty

Jennifer Joakim: We had to analyse the lawsuit and the evidence. … It was important to get the conviction.

But since Mary Kay's execution occurred successful 1969, sentencing guidelines from past would person to beryllium used. A condemnation of conspiracy to execution successful 1969 carried lone 2 years of situation time.

Jennifer Joakim: We're bound to usage those statutes arsenic they existed astatine that time.

Kathy Tull: Oh, I'm angry. I'm plain angry.

On Aug. 27, 2025, conscionable earlier ceremonial sentencing was to occur, "48 Hours" spoke with Kathy and Mark. They already knew the maximum condemnation that could beryllium imposed was 2 years.

Mark Miller: We each cognize this isn't justice.

Kathy Tull: His happening was helium didn't privation to dice successful jail. He didn't privation to dice successful prison. Mary Kay didn't privation to dice that time either.

At sentencing, Kathy and Mark addressed the court.

MARK MILLER (in court): I retrieve Mary Kay Heese arsenic a idiosyncratic who would ne'er wounded anyone.

Joseph Ambroz chose to accidental nothing.

JUDGE MARROQUIN (in court): Mr. Ambroz, is determination thing you privation to accidental earlier a condemnation is imposed?

JOSEPH AMBROZ: No.

JUDGE MARROQUIN: The maximum penalty, nether the law, arsenic it existed successful 1969, and which is applicable contiguous successful the matter, is 2 years of imprisonment.

Due to Nebraska's Good Time sentencing simplification law, Joseph Ambroz's condemnation was chopped successful half. With clip served, helium was released connected Nov. 15, 2025.

Mark Miller: He got each these years to live, and Mary Kay ne'er had the accidental to live.

For Mary Kay Heese's family, the quest for justice, aft much than 50 years, remains elusive.

Kathy Tull: She didn't merit this astatine all. She was a 17-year-old miss afloat of life.

Produced by Ruth Chenetz. Michael Loftus is the tract producer. Richard Barber and Michael Vele are the editors. Anthony Batson is the elder broadcast producer. Nancy Kramer is the enforcement communicative editor. Judy Tygard is the enforcement producer.

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