Walworth County investigators carry bags full of material from a West Allis apartment Wednesday after picking up a suspect involved in two homicides where the bodies were found in suitcases along a rural road in the Town of Geneva several weeks ago. Credit: Gary Porter

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A former West Allis police officer was charged Thursday with two felonies for hiding two women's bodies — one for more than a year — that were found in suitcases along a road in the Town of Geneva.

Although Steven M. Zelich, 52, has not been charged with homicide, he admitted to meeting both women online, killing them during their first meetings and hiding their bodies in suitcases, according to the criminal complaint. He eventually tossed the suitcases in high grass alongside N. Como Road during the first week of June, police said, and a highway worker cutting grass found the suitcases June 5.

Zelich, who has been linked to a sadomasochistic web forum, met the first woman — police have not released her name and she is referred to as Jane Doe in court documents — through online dating in 2012, seeing her in person in late 2012 or early 2013 in Kenosha County, the complaint says.

Zelich told investigators he caused the woman's death, put her in a suitcase and hid her body at his home in West Allis, later moving her body in his vehicle in 2014, according to a criminal complaint.

He also admitted to meeting Laura Simonson online, arranging to meet her in Rochester, Minn., in November 2013 and killing her during that encounter, the complaint says. Like the first woman, he put Simonson's body in a suitcase and hid her body in his vehicle, court documents state.

Simonson, 37, of Farmington, Minn., was reported missing Nov. 22.

Although the complaint does not specify how the women died, it does say that Simonson was found with a rope around her neck and a gag strapped into her mouth with a collar. The body of the second woman was found partially inside a garbage bag with her hands tied behind her back.

Zelich, who was arrested Wednesday, is scheduled to make his first court appearance Friday afternoon in Walworth County.

Suspect's background

In 2001, Zelich was forced to resign from the West Allis Police Department after an off-duty altercation with a prostitute, according to police sources.

Although the circumstances may have warranted criminal charges against Zelich, the earlier case was never referred to the Milwaukee County district attorney's office for possible prosecution, sources said.

Zelich was hired as a patrol officer in West Allis in 1989, according to the Police Department. With his resignation, he was able to avoid both criminal charges and department discipline. After he left the Police Department, Zelich obtained a state license to work as a security officer.

He later was forced to resign from another company, Comprehensive Title LLC, where he served as a partner.

Catherine Harnett, also a partner there, said Zelich was embezzling from the company. She said she cut all ties with Zelich in 2007.

First American Title Insurance, which was an underwriter for policies written by Comprehensive Title, sued in 2010 over unpaid premiums, said First American's attorney, Joseph L. Cook. A court entered judgments against both Zelich and Harnett in the case. According to court records, Zelich owes $58,000.

Zelich has worked for Securitas Security Services USA since June 28, 2007, and was placed on administrative leave after his arrest, according to the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services and a statement from a company spokeswoman.

In addition to verifying his state security license, which requires a criminal-background check for renewal every two years, the company did additional screening before hiring Zelich, according to the statement from Lynne Glovka, manager of public relations and special events at Securitas.

The screening included "verification of previous employment, personal references, drug screening, criminal records check, a work traits assessment questionnaire and a Wisconsin (Division of Motor Vehicles) background check," the statement says.

The statement goes on to say: "His employment records reflect no extraordinary or remarkable incidents and indicate a satisfactory work record."

Evidence found

Zelich was arrested after physical evidence linking him to the slain women was recovered this week in Wisconsin, Capt. John Sherwin of the Rochester, Minn., Police Department said Thursday.

A monthslong missing-person investigation by the Farmington Police Department led to the Microtel Inn and Suites in Rochester, where motel employees recognized Simonson's photo and told officials she had stayed in a room with Zelich Nov. 2 and 3, Sherwin said.

Zelich checked out of the motel alone on Nov. 3.

"Basically, after Nov. 2 she was never seen from or heard from again," Sherwin said.

The captain said officers had recovered potential evidence of Simonson's death in a room at the motel. He would not comment on the manner of either woman's death.

On Wednesday, Walworth County deputies, Town of Geneva police and West Allis police searched Zelich's apartment on Lincoln Ave. in West Allis and removed bags of evidence.

Relative speaks

Simonson's sister, Niki Carlson, said Thursday that Simonson was a loving mother who had struggled with mental illness. Her seven children were placed in foster care with her father, Richard Wierson, in 2010.

Family and friends knew Simonson was with Zelich "from the beginning," a family member said. The family contacted authorities multiple times in an attempt to locate her, and one of Simonson's friends placed an ad on SecondCityClassifieds.com that claimed Simonson was mentally disabled and had been enslaved, tortured and abused by Zelich. Richard Wierson said his daughter had sought work as an escort on Craigslist.

The ad in SecondCityClassifieds also provided a cellphone number for Zelich — it matches the contact number on the website for LegalShield, which Zelich works for as an independent contractor — and an email address for him that appears on an online discussion board titled "MasterB Slave Club."

West Allis Police Chief Charles Padgett issued a news release Thursday confirming the dates of Zelich's employment and that he had resigned. Padgett would not answer questions, deferring all inquiries to the Town of Geneva police.

Gitte Laasby, Bruce Vielmetti and Sarah Maslin, all of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel staff, contributed to this report.