Cold case on infant mortality in Greenfield; Testimony will resume on Thursday

GREENFIELD, Wis. – Testimony will resume Thursday morning in the trial of Ronald Schroeder, the man accused of killing his seven-week-old daughter in 1991.

New details emerged on Wednesday. Milwaukee County’s chief medical examiner took the stand on the second day of testimony.

Dr. Milwaukee County Chief Medical Examiner Wieslawa Tlomak said she based her findings on previous reports, photos, records and documents related to the case. She said seven-week-old Catherine Schroeder had brain and retinal hemorrhages, as well as other injuries to her ribs.

Ronald Schroder in court on October 16

“The injuries were so severe that it resulted in the death of this child, that the child suffered three fractures,” she said. “There is no explanation for how these three fractures occurred.”

Schroder’s defense questioned whether there could have been other factors that led to Catherine’s injuries, such as a car accident that occurred just days before her death.

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A former neighbor of Schroder also testified Wednesday, as did a domestic violence expert. Elizabeth Ghilardi, a social worker who interviewed Schroeder and his wife in the summer of 1991 for suspected child abuse, also took the stand.

The trial is expected to take place next week.

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