How Sioux Falls investigators solved two cold cases in two weeks

In a span of less than two weeks, law enforcement officers made arrests last month in two separate Sioux Falls cold cases.

Investigators say the timing was coincidence, the result of two departments that independently decided to apply new perspective and technology to an old unsolved case.

In the case of Daniel Eastman, a homeless man murdered in 2011, Sioux Falls Police detectives Pat Mertes and Mike Webb were given the green light in March to dig back into the case.

In August 2011, Eastman was found between Main and Phillips avenues with stab wounds to his abdomen and chest. He was placed in hospice care, where he died three months later.

Detectives spent months interviewing members of the homeless community and eventually developed a suspect: Sadie Gwendolyn Redbear.

She was interviewed about the homicide in 2011 and 2012, but a lack of evidence kept them from making an arrest, said Sioux Falls Police Capt. Blaine Larsen, commander of the crimes against person, property crime, narcotics and crime lab units.

"I don't think we ever thought we would be done," Larsen said. "We knew we were going to continue to investigate."

Larsen said with the relationships Mertes built working the streets and investigative work by Webb, they were able to get a witness to come forward.

Redbear was arrested April 29 and charged with Eastman's death. She is awaiting trial in on a $500,000 bond.

"A lot of times we have a primary person of interest, but you have to be able to prove your case to jury," Larsen said. "It's about having a strong enough case."

On April 17, the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office announced charges against Kim Leroy Aune, 57, of Florida, for the 1989 murder of Kimberly Eidsness.

On Nov. 13, 1989, Eidsness was found dead in the home she shared with Aune. The two were in a relationships and authorities didn't know if her death was suicide or homicide, Capt. Paul Niedringhaus of the Sheriff's Office said.

Nierdringhaus, who oversees investigations at the sheriff's office, said every year on the anniversary on Eidsness' death he talks to the family.

"The family would stay in contact with us and support us," Nierdringhaus said. "I know they were frustrated at some points."

Then, three years ago they decided to reopen the case.

With a fresh perspective, detectives reviewed the entire case and redid the investigation. Improved technology allowed investigators to answer questions that were previously unknown, Nierdringhaus said.

"We made the decision that: let's get this case and give it a full review from top to bottom," he said.

That led to $1 million warrant for first-degree murder being issued for Aune's arrest, who was living in Lee County, Florida.

The case was the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office only unsolved homicide.

"I think there's satisfaction that we've finally come to a resolution," Nierdringhaus said, "not only for law enforcement, but for Kimberly Eidsness, who doesn't have a voice anymore."