A young woman's lifelong conviction that her father was a killer has been shaken to its core. Heather Thiel had spent years believing her dad, Jeff Thiel, was responsible for the gruesome double murder of Tim Mumbrue and Tanna Togstad in rural Wisconsin over three decades ago.
However, in 2022, police announced that they had finally solved the case - with her cousin, Tony Haase, as the prime suspect. The revelation stunned Heather, who had spent years advocating for her father's involvement in the murders.
According to investigators, a DNA analysis linked Haase's genetic material to the crime scene, while the original DNA evidence collected from Jeff Thiel excluded him as a suspect.
The trial of Haase, which took place earlier this year, ended in acquittal, with jurors concluding that he was coerced into making a false confession. Heather has since expressed doubts about the forensics used to exclude her father and believes Haase's admission was fabricated.
Heather Thiel remains unconvinced by the new findings, insisting that her father was guilty all along - even though DNA evidence proved otherwise. She says her long-held conviction will stand until she receives definitive proof of her cousin's guilt.
However, in 2022, police announced that they had finally solved the case - with her cousin, Tony Haase, as the prime suspect. The revelation stunned Heather, who had spent years advocating for her father's involvement in the murders.
According to investigators, a DNA analysis linked Haase's genetic material to the crime scene, while the original DNA evidence collected from Jeff Thiel excluded him as a suspect.
The trial of Haase, which took place earlier this year, ended in acquittal, with jurors concluding that he was coerced into making a false confession. Heather has since expressed doubts about the forensics used to exclude her father and believes Haase's admission was fabricated.
Heather Thiel remains unconvinced by the new findings, insisting that her father was guilty all along - even though DNA evidence proved otherwise. She says her long-held conviction will stand until she receives definitive proof of her cousin's guilt.
I mean, come on... this is just insane! The woman's spent 3+ decades thinking her own dad was a killer and now someone else's cousin is taking the fall for it? 
And to make matters worse, she's still not convinced because of some "doubts" about the forensics. Like, what are you gonna do with that DNA evidence that excluded her dad from the original investigation? It's there, it doesn't lie! 
And now she's just waiting for someone to come along and tell her "hey, we messed up"? 
This case is a wild ride...
I feel so bad for Heather, this must be like a nightmare come true. Three decades of living with the weight of that belief about her own dad... it's crazy how one piece of new evidence can shake everything up. But at the same time, I'm also kinda impressed by Jeff Thiel's conviction. It takes a lot of courage to stand by your convictions even when they're not supported by DNA or any other concrete proof. And what's wild is that Heather isn't just questioning the forensics used against her dad, but also the fact that her cousin confessed. Like, how do you even make a fake confession without getting caught? 
. It's like your mind is made up and nothing else matters, even when faced with new evidence that says otherwise 
. I've seen this happen before, where someone's convinced that one person is guilty, only to find out later that they're innocent 
. It's a tough pill to swallow. I wish Heather could see the DNA evidence for what it is – a fact-based conclusion 
. But at the same time, I get why she wouldn't give up on her dad's guilt without a second thought 
But at the same time, I feel bad for Tony Haase and his family - being accused of something he didn't do must've been super hard to deal with 
The thing is, DNA evidence is pretty much foolproof these days... I just hope Heather gets some solid proof to convince her that her dad wasn't involved after all 
. Maybe Heather's just holding out hope that there's more to the story?
... but at the same time, if DNA evidence says Haase is the real culprit, how can she keep believing otherwise? 
. The fact that Haase was coerced into a false confession just adds another layer of complexity... what do you guys think?
. And now she's still not buying it? Like, isn't DNA proof supposed to be like super reliable or something? 
. It's just so... complicated 
.
. And what really gets me is how much faith she puts in the system - I mean, come on, you've been down this road for 30 years, only to have it turned around like that? You gotta wonder if there's more to this story than we know 
. Maybe Heather's conviction was justified all along? 