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Dateline reintroduces the story of one of Wisconsin's eerie cold cases in an electrifying and really hard-to-digest way. Dateline: Raising the Dead scrutinizes the occurrences of Tanna Togstad and Tim Mumbrue, and the truth is shocking and not legally cleared.
Initially, cops caught Tony Haase in 2022 based on a DNA match and later got a confession. However, the jurors declared him not guilty in 2025, thus giving rise to a tragedy that is hundreds of years old, wrapped in deep uncertainty. The current episode of Dateline is a human story of memory, trauma, and the boundaries of justice, rather than merely a crime rehash.
The audience is taken into the long, torturous road traveled by Tanna's family, the relentless investigators, and the man who claimed to be driven by past grief. The show does not support any side; it gives the story, the doubts, and the sadness, and the strength of its feelings comes from the fact that this cold case still seems very personal today.
The 1992 Murders as shown on Dateline
On March 21, 1992, two individuals, Tanna Togstad, aged 23, and Timothy "Tim" Mumbrue, 35, were found murdered in the former's remote farmhouse in Royalton, Waupaca County, Wisconsin. According to local news and police documents, Tanna got a single stab wound to her chest, while Tim was stabbed several times. Additionally, their dog was also found dead with them.
These brutal murders sent shockwaves through this rural community. Immediately following the murders, the police were completely baffled as to who committed the murders and the motive behind the crime, and even with such an extensive, long investigation, the case remained unsolved for over thirty years.
The cold case that refused to die
Despite the passing of several decades, law enforcement agencies never formally closed the case of Tanna and Tim's murders. Eventually, their perseverance rewarded them when, in 2022, during a traffic stop, the police arrested Tony Haase and took a sample of his DNA.
Dateline showed that later on, this DNA was found to be a match to the biological substance recovered from Togstad's corpse. Because of the forensic advancement, Haase was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide. This chain of events brought back to the limelight the case that had been quiet for so many years and brought new hope to Tanna's family and the detectives who had always believed in the case.
Confession and motive
After he was taken into custody, Haase made a comprehensive confession to the police. He claimed to be a heavy drinker that night of March 21, 1992, as per the criminal complaint and reports from local media. He recounted a brawl with Tim Mumbrue to the extent that he said he stabbed Tim during the fight.
He also mentioned beating Tanna, thinking she was out cold, and later stabbing her again when she regained her consciousness. Moreover, Haase connected his actions with a very sensitive memory: he thought that Tanna's father was the one responsible for the 1977 snowmobile accident where Haase's father died.
He said that, in his drunken state, the draining memories of the loss became too much for him. As per CBS News, the interrogation transcripts indicated that he showed little of the guilt he felt and ironically stated that,
"I didn't want it to sound like I had it planned"
When the extent of his confession dawned on him, he reportedly uttered to the detectives,
""Holy f***, what did I do?"
The trial: Forensics vs. memory
Waupaca County witnessed the start of Haase’s trial in July 2025. The prosecution relied primarily on forensic science: as proof of their argument, they presented the male DNA/biological fluids (including seminal fluid) that were found on the remains of Tanna.
Along with this, they pointed out other pieces of evidence, such as a bloody handprint on the door of Tanna’s apartment. The defense fought back very hard. They questioned the trustworthiness of DNA samples taken decades ago, saying that the evidence might have been compromised because of either degradation or contamination.
Besides, they contended that Haase’s confession, given in detail, was not voluntary, as his lawyers claimed that the detectives kept on saying the DNA was a “100% match,” which they assert led Haase to build up memories that would be compatible with the prosecution.
Most importantly, they mentioned another suspect: Haase’s uncle, Jeff Thiel, who was violent and died in 1995.
Verdict and aftershocks
The jury took several days to deliberate before they reached a verdict on August 11, 2025: not guilty on first-degree intentional homicide charges, two counts. The acquittal was granted notwithstanding the DNA evidence and Haase’s elaborate declarations, highlighting how complicated and troubled this case was.
The verdict led to Tanna Togstad’s family suing Haase for wrongful death in a civil case. The lawsuit indicates that even though the jury chose not to convict, the emotional and legal struggles over justice are still far from over.
Dateline: Resurrection
The episode not only presents the case’s facts but also addresses the human aspects: mourning, memory, and the quest for closure. It includes conversations with relatives, detectives, and legal professionals, and it gives insights into Haase’s pain, his confession.
Key themes and takeaways
Cold cases can never truly go away: The Togstad–Mumbrue case was sleeping for more than 30 years, but the combination of tenacious investigators and modern DNA tools brought it back to life.
Memory vs. Forensics: Dateline depicted that Haase’s confession is very emotional and connected to children's trauma - but was it trustworthy? Dateline compels people to consider how memory can be manipulated during pressing interrogations.
The limits of evidence: Notwithstanding a DNA match and a clear confession, the jury released Haase. This highlights the fact that even very strong forensic methods and admitting statements can sometimes not be enough in court.
The enduring impact on families: Dateline shows that for Tanna's family, the verdict was the beginning, not the end. Their civil suit shows that legal closure does not diminish grief.
Public awareness matters: Dateline not only highlights a case that has been running for too long but also the victims who have been suffering for ages and are finally able to express their opinions, thus giving them a voice.
It also brings to mind the fact that cold cases are not just the leftover stories of the past; they are stories of real people, real sufferings, and they also bear the complex truths.
Dateline: Raising the Dead narrates a story that is as human as it is horrifying. It does not claim that all the questions are now answered, but indicates how the overlapping of justice, remembrance, science, and mourning occurs in a case that has been plaguing a community for decades. Still, amidst the unproven innocence, the pain continues, the doubts are there, and the story is still very much alive, sadly and terribly.
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To say the least, Dateline reinforces one point: the passage of time is rapid in the vast area of cold cases, but it is never an easy process to heal, understand, and get closure.
Also read: Dateline: Raising the Dead - Everything we know about the latest true crime episode
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