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Peter Cox
Paynesville, Minn.

Grandson charged with killing Paynesville couple

Wilbert (Willie) A. Scheel, 93, and Gloria A. Scheel, 80
Wilbert (Willie) A. Scheel, 93, and Gloria A. Scheel, 80, were last seen alive on March 21, 2018 at 11:30 am at Teal's Market in Paynesville, Minnesota. They were found murdered.
Stearns County Sheriff's Office

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Updated 2:48 p.m. | Posted 12:34 p.m.

A Paynesville, Minn., man has been charged with murdering his elderly grandparents who had taken him into their home.

Gregory Scheel
Gregory Scheel, 30, is a suspect in the murder of his grandparents, Wilbert and Gloria Scheel.
Stearns County Sheriff's Office

The criminal complaint alleges Gregory Scheel, 33, used a plastic bag to suffocate Wilbert Scheel, 93, and strangled Gloria Scheel, 80, with a cord.

Last Thursday, the Stearns County Sheriff's Office and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension sent out a request for help in finding missing people.

The couple didn't show for a family dinner on Wednesday and Gregory Scheel was absent from work, according to the criminal complaint. Their cars were missing.

The three lived together on Mill Street in Paynesville. The complaint says on Wednesday night, a family member stopped over to ask where Wilbert and Gloria were, and Gregory said they'd left earlier in the day with unknown individuals go to Sauk Rapids, Minn.

The next day, on request from the family, Paynesville Police went to the residence again. In the garage, police found what appeared to be blood. It appeared the garage floor had recently been cleaned. They also found an eye glass lens in the garage floor drain.

Wilbert and Gloria's Toyota Prius was found Thursday afternoon on a rural road in Kandiyohi County. When Kandiyohi County Sheriff's deputies searched the vehicle, they found the bodies of Wilbert and Gloria Scheel.

Deputies also found eyeglasses in the vehicle with a missing lens, which the BCA was able to match to the lens found in the garage.

The bodies were covered with a section of carpet and the vehicle smelled of gasoline, the complaint says. Portions of the car's interior were charred or covered in soot.

About four hours later, Gregory Scheel was found about a mile away from the vehicle. Footprints near the driver's side of the vehicle appeared to be consistent with the shoes he was wearing, the complaint says.

Scheel made his first appearance on the charges Monday morning. Unconditional bail was set at $3 million. His next court appearance is scheduled for April 9.