White Bear Lake man charged after long-dead mother, brother found in his home

It was a grisly scene for White Bear Lake cops.

On Sept. 20, 2016, they were called to the home of Robert James Kuefler to check the residents inside.

They forced entry into the house at 4708 Sandra Lane and encountered the stench of decay, according to criminal charges.

In an upstairs bedroom they found the mostly skeletal remains of Kuefler's mother, Evelyn Lucille Kuefler. In the basement, they found the body of his twin brother, Richard John Kuefler, which had reached the point of mummification.

Kuefler, 59, was charged on Wednesday with one count of interference with a dead body or scene of death, a gross misdemeanor.

Autopsies showed that both of Kuefler's family members died of natural causes. Evelyn Kueffler, 93, died in August 2015, more than a year before she was found, while Richard Kuefler died in July 2015.

When police interviewed Kuefler, he said that he found his brother dead in a chair and that he "eventually moved the body to the bathroom as it was 'in the way,' " according to the criminal charge.

Kuefler said he knew his mother was dying but "didn't want to be around when she died, so he left the house to drive around a couple of hours." When he returned, his mother was dead in her bed.

The charges said a Christmas card Kuefler sent in 2015 said both of his family members were alive but were in bad health, but that neither could hear the phone ring and his mother didn't want any visitors.

Kuefler was initially arrested last year on suspicion of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult, but there was apparently no evidence to support the charge.

Brandon Stahl • 612-673-4626