South Dakota man charged in 2013 death of woman in the Black Hills
KWAT
July 19, 2021
RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota man is accused in the death of Custer woman, whose decomposed body was found in the Black Hills in 2013.
Richard Melvin Schmitz, was arrested at his home near Hill City on Friday.
Schmitz will make his initial court appearance today (Monday) on the second-degree murder charge.
Thirty-eight-year-old Meshell Will was last seen alive on Aug. 24, 2013.
Originally from Wisconsin, she had been in Custer for about six months.
Someone taking photos along a road near Mount Rushmore discovered the body about a week after she went missing.
Authorities say Schmitz has long been a person of interest in the case.
