Naman Shrestha
CBS’ ’48 Hours: What the Neighbors Saw’ delves deep into the mysterious disappearance of Gary Albert Herbst from his Elko New Market home in the summer of 2013. Years later, his disappearance case turned into a homicide case when his remains turned up in another state. The investigation uncovered a dark family secret with the help of his neighbors’ testimonies, who noticed something suspicious around the time of his disappearance. Featuring in-depth interviews with Gary’s loved ones and the officials linked to the case, the documentary provides a detailed account of the entire investigation.
Gary Albert Herbst’s Remains Were Found in Wisconsin Years After His Disappearance
Born around 1956, Gary Albert Herbst was a beloved family man who lived with his wife, Connie Herbst, and their son, Austin Herbst, in Elko New Market, Minnesota. In July 2013, he mysteriously went missing, but it wasn’t until July of the following year that a missing persons report was filed. Despite the best efforts of the authorities, Gary was nowhere to be found. As the evidence and leads got thinner, the case got colder. A few years later, on December 3, 2017, a human skull with a bullet hole was found near a residence in rural Wisconsin, in Maple Grove Township. The authorities then arrived at the scene and searched the nearby area, where they found more human remains, including ribs, backbones, and leg bones.
After the remains were examined by the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office, it was determined that the victim had died from a close-contact gunshot wound to the head. However, the remains were identified more than two years later in February 2020, and in the following month, it was concluded that they belonged to Gary Albert Herbst of Elko New Market. After the revelation, they learned that he had been missing since July 6, 2013. His disappearance was reported to the police on July 6, 2014, by his wife, Connie. The police launched a homicide investigation in order to get to the bottom of the case.
Gary Albert Herbst’s Killers Were Suspected to be the Two People Closest to Him
As part of the investigation, the detectives talked to Gary’s family members, including his wife, Connie Herbst. She claimed that her husband left the house on July 6, 2013, but never returned. According to her, when he left the house, she was at the library and was called by their son, Austin, to let her know that he had left, allegedly with an unknown person in a grey car. When she returned home, she claimed to have found the house ransacked, with $5,000, her wedding ring, and a .45 caliber pistol missing. A few months later, on June 16, 2020, Connie and Austin were interviewed by the police again. Austin told them that Gary was allegedly physically and verbally abusive towards him and his mother. He claimed to know the truth about what happened but told the police that he was not interested in revealing it yet.
Later that same month, the authorities searched the former Herbst residence, where the new owners told them that they had found a stain on the concrete floor of the basement. With the help of a cadaver dog, it was confirmed that the stain contained human blood. Upon talking to the neighbors in the area, the investigators learned that Connie and Austin allegedly loaded what appeared to be a rolled-up carpet in the back of Gary’s pickup truck late one night. Several neighbors claimed to have seen the mother and son scrubbing the windows and the basement floors, before leaving the residence for a few days. In August 2013, Connie and Austin also reportedly held a garage sale where they mostly sold men’s clothing and tools. His former employer also confirmed that he stopped showing up to work after July 8, 2013.
The Killers Were Brought to Justice Nearly a Decade After His Murder
For the next course of action, the detectives executed a search warrant for Connie and Austin’s Elko New Market home on July 9, 2020. During the search, they used Luminol and UV rays to detect bloodstains on the drywall in the basement, the lower track, and near the sliding glass door that led out of the basement, and on rubber mats. The investigators also searched the mother and son’s current home in New Prague and seized their cell phones. As they dug into the cell phones of the suspects, they found a string of texts sent by Connie to Austin on July 18, 2020. They read, “You need to call me ASAP, actually right away,” “Might have a problem, they are searching (the former Herbst family home in Elko New Market). Don’t mean to f- up your vacation just wanted u to know. It’s in the paper.”
Armed with enough evidence against Connie and Austin Herbst, the police arrested them on November 19, 2020, for the murder of Gary Herbst. They were also charged with hiding a corpse. The investigators theorized that the pair killed Gary in the Elko New Market home and kept his remains inside for several weeks before disposing of them in western Wisconsin’s Barron County. In May 2021, Austin pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree intentional murder and was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison for his involvement in the killing. A few months later, in October 2021, Connie also pleaded guilty to aiding an offender as an accomplice after the fact by hiding and transporting her husband’s remains to Wisconsin. Ultimately, in January 2022, she was sentenced to 27 months in prison, receiving credit for 462 days served.
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