Joel Bremer has been indicted by a Christian County grand jury on two counts of second-degree murder in connection with the 1988 deaths of his wife, Ronna Bremer, and her unborn child.
Ronna Bremer was seven months pregnant when she died.
According to the Christian County Sheriff’s Office, Joel Bremer reported his wife missing in December 1988.
In April 1991, a skull was anonymously sent to the Greene County Sheriff’s Office. It was later transferred to the University of Colorado for examination but remained unidentified for several years.
Testing conducted in 2001 confirmed that the skull belonged to Ronna Bremer.
The investigation was reopened in 2016 but eventually went cold again. Christian County detectives began working the case once more in November 2024 with assistance from a documentary team. Investigators also traveled to Iowa and Nebraska as part of the renewed investigation.
According to a news release, a DNA sample originally obtained in 1989 was undergoing additional analysis in 2024. That testing produced a DNA profile that assisted investigators in the case.
A Christian County grand jury indicted Joel Bremer on July 24, 2026. He was arrested in Kansas City by the U.S. Marshals Service on July 31 and transported back to Christian County.
Bremer appeared in court Monday, Aug. 3, and was being held on a $200,000 bond.
The charges are allegations, and Bremer is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
