Prosecutors in Portage County now say a couple who are accused of fraudulently cashing the Social Security checks of an elderly relative also killed the woman. The new development came the same day that investigators stopped the search for human remains.
Husband and wife, Delores and Ronald Disher, have been charged with Social Security fraud for allegedly cashing her mother Marie Jost’s Social Security checks since around 1982.
Prosecutors on Friday told the court that Ronald Disher had two fellow jail inmates that his wife killed Marie Jost, and they buried her body in Amherst Junction. A defense attorney said that the statements weren’t credible.
Portage County Sheriff’s Department Captain Dale O’Kray announced Friday morning that they have stopped processing the property where the elderly woman lived. O’Kray said several small bone fragments have been sent off to the State Crime Lab in Madison for testing, to determine if they are human.
Marie Jost would be 101 next month if she’s still alive. Son Theodore Jost would be 75. Neither has been seen since 1982. Delores Disher’s brother Charles Jost also faces charges, but must be evaluated to see if he understands and can assist in his defense. A competency hearing for him is scheduled for October 15th.
WSAU