UPDATED Wednesday, November 11, 2009 --- 3:20 p.m.

JEFFERSON, Wis. (AP) -- A trial date has been set for the drifter charged with murder in the deaths of two Fort Atkinson-area teens nearly 30 years ago.

A judge on Tuesday said 76-year-old Edward W. Edwards of Louisville, Ky., will go on trial on March 8, 2010, on two counts of first-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty.

He's charged with killing Kelly Drew of Fort Atkinson and Tim Hack of Hebron. They disappeared in August 1980, after leaving a wedding reception. Their bodies were found months later.

Edwards did not appear on court on Tuesday. He's being held in the Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, where he is receiving medical treatment.

The trial is expected to take about two weeks.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Friday, October 16, 2009 -- 4:30 p.m.

A Kentucky man - accused of a decades-old double murder - enters pleas Friday in Jefferson County.

Edward Edwards pleaded not guilty in the deaths of two beloved teens, found murdered in 1980.

"Do you understand the two separate charges against you, Mr. Edwards?"

"Yes."

Edward Edwards appeared by video conference from Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun for his arraignment.

The 76-year-old from Kentucky is charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

Back in August of 1980, Tim Hack and Kelly Drew vanished after attending a wedding reception at the Concord House. Their bodies were found about 2 months later.

The criminal complaint against Edwards says, at the time, he worked as a handyman at the dance hall and nearby campgrounds.

Prosecutors say DNA found in Drew's pants links Edwards to the murders.

"Not guilty plea or does he stand mute?"

Jeff De La Rosa, Edwards's public defender, entered not guilty pleas on his client's behalf.

Tim Hack's younger brother, Patrick, says he has hoped Edwards would plead guilty.
"You hope...I don't think he's ever done anything good in his whole life. No we weren't surprised," Patrick Hack says.

District Attorney Susan Happ requested two weeks for trial in February, but Edwards's defense team asked for more time, saying it would be almost impossible to be ready for trial before April or May.

"The state's request is asking us to do ... to have 2 attorneys, one investigator do do the work of dozens of cops and citizens over a number of decades...can't be done," De La Rosa says.

"I would like to see it sooner than that. We've got a gentleman, a defendant who's at DCI... the taxpayers are paying for him to be there so we need to keep it moving," Happ says.

The state later requested a speedy trial, and a tentative trial date was set for January.

"I think our family's ready to get this thing wrapped up," Patrick Hack says.

A status conference is scheduled for early November, at which time a new trial date could be set.

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UPDATED Friday, October 16, 2009 -- 1:15 p.m.

From NBC15's Dana Brueck

Edward W. Edwards appeared Friday morning by video conference for his arraignment, during which he pleaded not guilty to two counts of 1st degree murder.

The 76-year-old man from Kentucky is charged in the deaths of 19-year-olds Tim Hack and Kelly Drew, two Jefferson County teens who disappeared after a wedding reception in the summer of 1980.

District Attorney Susan Happ initially requested two weeks for trial in February, but Public Defender Jeff De La Rosa indicated he would need more time. At that point, the state requested to reserve the right to demand a speedy trial. The judge set a tentative trial date in January, but it's expected a new trial date could be set during a status conference in November.

Edwards appeared by video conference from the infirmary of Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun.

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UPDATED Friday, October 16, 2009 --- 11:35 a.m.

JEFFERSON, Wis. (AP) -- A former drifter has pleaded not guilty to killing two teenage sweethearts nearly 30 years ago.

Seventy-six-year-old Edward W. Edwards of Louisville, Ky., faces two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Kelly Drew and Tim Hack. The two 19-year-olds vanished from a rural Jefferson County wedding reception in August 1980. Their bodies turned up in the woods about two months later.

The case went unsolved. This past July, though, state analysts said they had matched Edwards' DNA to samples taken from Drew's body.

Edwards wrote an autobiography detailing how he traveled the country in the 1950s, stealing cars, running scams and seducing women. Investigators claim he told them a group of men stomped Drew and Hack to death.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Friday, October 16, 2009 --- 8:15 a.m.

JEFFERSON, Wis. (AP) -- A former drifter accused of killing a pair of teenage sweethearts nearly 30 years ago is due to enter pleas in Jefferson County Circuit Court.

Seventy-six-year-old Edward W. Edwards faces two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Tim Hack and Kelly Drew. The couple disappeared from a wedding reception in Jefferson County in August 1980. State analysts say they connected DNA recovered from Drew's body to Edwards earlier this year.

According to a criminal complaint, Edwards allegedly told police he had sex with Drew but a group of men stomped her and Hack to death.

Edwards is scheduled to enter pleas at an 11 a.m. arraignment Friday.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Friday, August 28, 2009 -- 11 a.m.

By NBC15's Dana Brueck:

In an exclusive interview, we're hearing from a daughter of the suspect in a 1980 double homicide out of Jefferson County.

The woman says she is working with investigators to help bring closure to families with loved ones who may be victims of her father. That, she says, is her "agenda."

The woman has asked NBC15 not identify her by name. She has a business and says she, and her siblings, are all law-abiding citizens, living their lives the opposite way in which they were raised.

But, she says she is "well aware of her father's activities." When asked to elaborate, she said "no comment." But she also said she forgave her father a long time ago.

Edwards was arrested last month in Kentucky for the murder 29 years ago of Tim Hack and Kelly Drew. His daughter says she has not talked to him since his arrest. She refused to describe her relationship with him before he was taken into custody. She says she holds out hope her father will cooperate with investigators and help other families. And regardless of what he may have done, she is concerned about him - Edwards is 76 and in poor health.

She says, growing up, Edwards did the best with what he had. An autobiography details his self-described life of crime. He's also been characterized as a drifter. His daughter makes clear, however, she wants families of potential victims to see justice. Again, she says wants to be judged by her character - not by what her father is accused of doing. She also asked about the Hack and Drew families, expressing concern about how they're dealing with all of these developments.

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UPDATED Thursday, August 27, 2009 -- 5:30 p.m.

"Everything he says had to happen, probably within 1/2 hour to 45 minutes, not very likely," Mike Drew says.

Family of two Jefferson County teens, murdered 29 years ago, react to new details - coming from the suspect himself. The suspect in this decades-old, double homicide offers disturbing new details of what he says happened the night two high school sweethearts disappeared.

The bodies of the two were found two months later.

The 76-year-old suspect waived the preliminary hearing - sparing the victims' families hours worth of testimony by witnesses. But, in an amended criminal complaint, Edward Edwards apparently claims he was with the victims.

"It's hard... I don't think anything is as hard as those days, weeks... 29 years ago... the unknown... Now we know," Patrick Hack says.

The Kentucky man facing two counts of first-degree murder in the 1980 deaths of Tim Hack and Kelly Drew answered a few 'yes or no' questions in court. Court records show, investigators questioned Ed Edwards in Louisville after his July arrest. In the complaint, he apparently denied knowing who killed the couple. He also denied being with Drew when she was killed - but later changed his story, after being questioned about his DNA, to say he had consensual sex with the 19-year-old victim. He also told investigators he witnessed men beating Hack to death and Drew but did nothing to stop it.

"Everything he says, had to happen probably within 1/2 hour to 45 minutes, not very likely."

"It's certainly not a confession... not an admission ... if you look at the criminal complaint, he doesn't say I did it... I was involved...He doesn't say I knew about it," defense attorney Jeff De La Rosa says.

Defense attorney Jeff De La Rosa says he's not talking or thinking about a plea for his client. Prosecutors say DNA found in Drew's pants links Edwards to the murders.

"I think you assume DNA evidence is infallible... It's not. Lots of things can happen," De La Rosa says.

Patrick Hack, Tim's younger brother, and Mike Drew, Kelly's brother, thanked the community for its support the last 29 years - saying each day in court though difficult is a step toward justice.

"I'd like him to admit ... face up... if that means going to trial ... rot in hell," Hack says.

The District Attorney declined to comment after Thursday's hearing. We've learned Assistant Attorney General Gary Freyberg, with the Department of Justice, will assist the DA with this case, as needed.

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UPDATED Thursday, August 27, 2009 --- Noon

NBC15's Dana Brueck just talked to a spokesperson in the the Jefferson County DA's office. Edwards is now expected to waive his preliminary hearing today.

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UPDATED Thursday, August 27, 2009---9:37 a.m.

NOTE: Click on the link above to read amended criminal complaint.

JEFFERSON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin prosecutors say a Kentucky man accused of killing a young couple in 1980 told detectives he had consensual sex with the woman and that he watched other men beat the two to death.

Edward Edwards of Louisville, Ky., is charged with killing 19-year-olds Tim Hack and Kelly Drew after the couple left a wedding reception. Prosecutors say DNA from semen found on Drew's pants matched Edward's.

Jefferson County, Wis., prosecutors filed an amended criminal complaint Wednesday that states Edwards told investigators in July that he had consensual sex with Drew in a field outside the reception hall. He says he saw Hack fighting two men, who stomped Hack to death.

Prosecutors say Edwards said he saw three men stomp Drew to death but did nothing to help because he didn't want to get involved.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press

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UPDATED Thursday, August 27, 2009 --- 7:30 a.m.

NOTE: NBC15's Dana Brueck will be covering this afternoon's hearing. Watch for her reports on NBC15 News at 4:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m. and right here at NBC15.com.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- A Kentucky man accused of killing two Wisconsin sweethearts in 1980 is due in court for a preliminary hearing.

Edward Wayne Edwards is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 19-year-old Tim Hack and Kelly Drew, who disappeared from a wedding reception in August 1980.

Investigators say they matched DNA from Drew's pants to Edwards earlier this year.

At Thursday's preliminary hearing, a judge will decide whether there's enough evidence to continue to trial. The 76-year-old Louisville man would get life in prison if convicted.

Edwards spent several years running scams, stealing cars and robbing banks. But he claimed to have turned his life around after leaving federal prison in Pennsylvania in 1967.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Wednesday, August 26, 2009 ---- 10:45 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Wisconsin investigators say police across the country have contacted them about a man arrested in a 1980 double slaying.

Jefferson County prosecutors charged Edward Edwards with the murders of Tim Hack and Kelly Drew, both 19, last month. Edwards spent a good deal of his life drifting across the country, running scams, stealing cars and robbing banks.

Jefferson County Sheriff's Det. Sgt. Lawrence Lee says a dozen or so police agencies from around the country have contacted his department, looking for information that might tie Edwards to unsolved crimes.

Most of the calls deal with missing persons or unsolved homicides -- many involving a boyfriend and girlfriend, similar to Hack and Drew.

Lee says such calls aren't unusual in cold case arrests. He says his department is sharing a timeline on Edwards' whereabouts.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Thursday, August 20, 2009 --- 5:10 p.m.

New information about murder suspect Edward Edwards. He's in custody for the double-murder of Tim Hack and Kelly Drew, back in 1980.

The "Wisconsin State Journal" reports Edwards is also a person of interest in a 1996 murder case. It involves a young man who once lived with Edwards back in Ohio.

The man's body was found in a shallow grave less than a mile from the home he had shared with Edwards. The Sheriff tells the paper Edwards' been a person of interest since the onset of this case. He was questioned back then but was never arrested.

Click HERE for article in the Wisconsin State Journal

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UPDATED Thursday, August 13, 2009 - 6:00 p.m.

"We believe Tim and Kelly are in heaven... this guy is going to spend eternity in hell. If you believe that ... you can make it through the day," Patrick Hack says.

Thursday, the Kentucky man suspected of taking the lives of two beloved teens almost 30 years ago appears before a Wisconsin judge for the first time. Cash bail has been set for the suspect in this 1980 double homicide.

The Kentucky man is facing two counts of first-degree murder. It was an emotional day for the victims' family members who filled the court.

"I promised myself, family and others, I would bring this car up here today if this day came... and this day is here."

It's the day Patrick Hack will see a suspect charged with killing his older brother, Tim, 29 years ago.

"I don't think I'm ready for today. I don't know how you get ready for today."

But Hack brings with him something dear to his brother - his Oldsmobile. Tim's car was found at the Concord House dance hall, the morning after he and his high school sweetheart and beauty school graduate, Kelly Drew, disappeared in August of 1980.

"It was given to me when I turned 18, and I've taken care of it ever since."

Wednesday, Edwards arrived in Wisconsin by private airplane from Kentucky to face two counts of first-degree murder.

District Attorney Susan Happ requested and was granted a cash bail of two-million dollars, saying her case is a strong one - with DNA evidence linking Edwards. She says he has a criminal record, no ties to Wisconsin and is facing two life terms, if convicted.

"In 1980, as soon as police talked to him, he packed up his entire family... in the middle of the night during the school year and left without any advanced notice to his landlord or to his employer," Happ told the court.

The criminal complaint against Edwards says, in 1980, he worked as a handyman at the Concord House and nearby campgrounds. But the defense disputed how a strong case, telling the judge the state has little physical evidence tying Edwards and no admission.

"I think the court can take those weaknesses into account in setting bond... whatever court sets... Mr Edwards will likely be unable to post," Jeffrey De La Rosa told the judge.

Patrick Hack plans to give his son, Tim, his brother's car. But hopes it's first a witness to justice.

"I hope he faces up to everything he has done... and the DA takes care of putting him away for the rest of his pitiful life ... if you believe, you can make it through."

A preliminary hearing for Edwards is scheduled for August 27th. Edwards pleaded not guilty in Kentucky - he's expected to do the same here.

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UPDATED Thursday, August 13, 2009 --- 5:40 p.m.

JEFFERSON, Wis. (AP) -- The defense attorney for a man charged in a 29-year-old double murder says his client will plead not guilty.

Public defender Jeffrey De La Rosa is representing Edward W. Edwards. The 76-year-old Edwards made his initial appearance in court on Thursday and a preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 27.

De La Rosa says it's too early to talk about what his defense strategy will be for Edwards, but his client will plead not guilty in the 1980 murders of 19-year-old high school sweethearts Tim Hack and Kelly Drew.

De La Rosa says the state has no confessions or admissions from his client at this point.

Edwards was arrested in Kentucky based on DNA evidence prosecutors say link him to the murders. De La Rosa says he has not analyzed that evidence yet.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Thursday, August 13, 2009 --- 2:10 p.m.

JEFFERSON, Wis. (AP) -- Bond has been set at $2 million for a man charged in a 29-year-old double murder.

Edward W. Edwards didn't speak Thursday during his first court appearance in Wisconsin on the charges. The 76-year-old was handcuffed to his wheelchair and flanked by sheriff's deputies during the 15-minute hearing in Jefferson County Circuit Court.

Edwards, who was most recently living in Kentucky, faces two charges of first-degree murder in the killings of 19-year-old high school sweethearts Tim Hack and Kelly Drew, who disappeared from a wedding reception on Aug. 9, 1980.

Judge Randy Koschnick set an Aug. 27 preliminary hearing date for Edwards, who is being represented by the public defender's office.

Family members and friends of the victims left the courtroom without commenting.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Thursday, August 13, 2009 --- 1:30 p.m.

From NBC15's Dana Brueck:

A two-million dollar cash bail has been set for Edward Edwards. This is what the state requested because of his past (history as a drifter, previously escaped from jail, etc).

Edwards just appeared before a judge in Jefferson County. His next court date is set for August 27th.

Edwards faces two counts of first degree murder in the deaths of 19-year-olds Tim Hack and Kelly Drew.

The couple disappeared from the Concord House Dance Hall in Jefferson County.

Their bodies were found about two months later.

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UPDATED Thursday, August 13, 2009 --- 8:20 a.m.

Edward Edwards will appear in a Jefferson County Courtroom Thursday afternoon.

NBC15's Dana Brueck will be there. Watch her reports on NBC15 News at 4:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. She will also post updates throughout the afternoon right here at NBC15.com.

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UPDATED Wednesday, August 12, 2009 -- 3:30 p.m.

Murder suspect Edward Edwards arrived Wednesday at the Watertown Municipal Airport to face murder charges from 1980.

The suspect in the murder of two Jefferson County teens is in Wisconsin. As we've reported, Edwards was arrested in Kentucky in late July. But with his medical condition, Jefferson County needed to make special arrangements to transport him to Wisconsin.

Wednesday, he arrived in Watertown shortly before noon.

A number of deputies, as well as the sheriff, were waiting at the airport. Also there, a van to take Edwards to the Jefferson County Jail.

He is facing two counts of 1st degree murder for the deaths of 19-year-olds Tim Hack and Kelly Drew.

Medical personnel, the Jefferson County detective for the case, Chad Garcia and state agent Rick Luell, accompanied Edwards for the hour, 40 minute trip from Louisville to Watertown.

"He didn't say anything during the trip at all other than ... moving around and getting comfortable on the plane," Det. Chad Garcia says, "He'll be booked and then he'll be evaluated medically and they'll decide from there."

Edwards is 76-years-old. He was initially in jail in Kentucky, then in a secure medical facility there this past week. He agreed to extradition to Wisconsin last week.

The Jefferson County sheriff will not disclose where Edwards will stay for good - only to say Edwards is in his custody. He makes his first appearance in a Jefferson County court Thursday afternoon.

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UPDATED Wednesday, August 12, 2009 --- 12:40 p.m.

NBC15 was the only news media at the Watertown Municipal Airport when Edward Edwards arrived shortly before noon Wednesday.

He arrived by private plane with medical personnel aboard. The trip from Louisville, KY, to Watertown took one hour, forty minutes. Jefferson County Det. Chad Garcia and state agent Rick Luell accompanied Edwards.

Edwards was taken to the Jefferson County Jail.

Edwards will be Jefferson County Circuit Court Thursday afternoon for his initial appearance.

Edwards faces two counts of first degree murder in the deaths of 19-year-olds Tim Hack and Kelly Drew.

The couple disappeared from the Concord House Dance Hall in Jefferson County.

Their bodies were found about two months later.

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UPDATED Wednesday, August 11, 2009 --- 8:30 a.m.

The Kentucky man accused of the murders of two Wisconsin teens in 1980 will be extradited today.

The Wisconsin State Journal is reporting 76-year-old Edward W. Edwards could be in Jefferson County Circuit Court tomorrow afternoon for his initial hearing.

Edwards faces two counts of first degree murder in the deaths of 19-year-olds Tim Hack and Kelly Drew.

The couple disappeared from the Concord House Dance Hall in Jefferson County.

Their bodies were found about two months later.

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UPDATED: Monday, August 3, 2009 -- 5:30 pm

He produced an album. Wrote a book. Admitted to a life a crime. Now, he's facing the most serious of charges: murder.

Edward Wayne Edwards agreed Monday in a Kentucky court to extradition to Wisconsin to face two counts of first degree murder. He's accused of killing a pair of Jefferson County teens in August of 1980.

The criminal case is only beginning, but the suspect has a colorful past.

Edward Wayne Edwards, now 76-years-old and with a number of health problems, is accused of killing Tim Hack and Kelly Drew in August of 1980.

The two were leaving a wedding reception at the Concord House when they disappeared. Investigators say DNA links Edwards to the crime, but he has pleaded not guilty.

Through the years, Edwards has admitted to his share of other crimes.

He wrote about himself on the back of his own album.

Edwards was born in June of 1933 in Akron, Ohio. He says, at age 7, he was sent to an orphanage. By 1952, Edwards says he was sent to a federal reformatory for two years for stealing cars.

Four years later, he was given another 10 years for armed robbery. And by 1960, was arrested as a suspect in a double murder in Portland, Oregon.

Edwards says he broke out of jail, putting him on the FBI's most wanted list. The FBI confirms Edwards was placed on the list in November of '61for fleeing a conviction for armed robbery. He was later captured in Atlanta in 1962.

Again in prison, Edwards says he was paroled in 1967. And by 1972, he wrote a book "Metamorphosis of a Criminal." But his apparent occupations vary from bricklayer, to carpenter and salesman, and at one time was considered an avid bowler and weight lifter.

We're still trying to confirm much of what Edwards says about his criminal history. We do know he has a history of robbery, theft and illegal wearing of a U.S. Marine uniform.

Now, he's facing the most serious charges: two counts of first degree murder.

Jefferson county investigators say the earliest Edwards could be in Wisconsin is next week. Jefferson County investigators say they're also still trying to put together the pieces of his life. But they do not believe he was in Wisconsin when another teenager - Cathy Sjoberg disappeared from the Concord House - six years before Hack and Drew.

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UPDATED Monday, August 3, 2009 --- 9:10 a.m.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- A Kentucky man has agreed to return to Wisconsin to face charges he killed a couple nearly 30 years ago, then dumped their bodies in the countryside.

Edward Edwards said "I'll go," when Jefferson County District Judge David Armstrong Jr. asked on Monday if he wanted to fight extradition.

The 76-year-old Edwards, who appeared in court in a wheelchair with a cast on his left arm, is accused of killing 19-year-old high school sweethearts Tim Hack and Kelly Drew. The couple disappeared from a wedding reception Aug. 9, 1980.

Two months later, searchers found their bodies a few miles from the reception hall.

Wisconsin investigators armed with a DNA match arrested Edwards on Thursday in Louisville. He faces two counts of first-degree murder.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Saturday, August 1, 2009 --- 11:20 a.m.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky man arrested in the slaying of a Wisconsin couple nearly 30 years ago has pleaded not guilty at his first court appearance.

An officer pushed 76-year-old Edward W. Edwards into the hearing Saturday in a wheelchair with an oxygen tank. Edwards also had a cast on his left arm.

Edwards is accused of killing 19-year-old high school sweethearts Tim Hack and Kelly Drew. The couple disappeared from a wedding reception Aug. 9, 1980.

Two months later, searchers found their bodies in the countryside a few miles from the reception hall.

Wisconsin investigators armed with a DNA match arrested Edwards on Thursday. He faces two counts of first-degree murder and life in prison if convicted.

He was held on $500,000 cash bond, and a judge scheduled a probable cause hearing for Monday.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

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UPDATED Friday, July 31, 2009 -- 6:30 pm

"Mr. Edwards is implicated by DNA evidence as well as other corroborating evidence," Sheriff Paul Milbrath says.

"I think everybody's happy to know they're not living next to a killer," Mike Drew says.

New details about a Kentucky man accused of the murder of two Jefferson County teens almost 30 years ago. This is a story you saw first on NBC 15 Thursday night: an arrest in the deaths of Tim Hack and Kelly Drew, two 19-year-old high school sweethearts.

Edward Wayne Edwards faces two counts of first degree murder. State and county investigators traveled to Louisville, Kentucky, to take him into custody Thursday.

In August of 1980, Hack and Drew disappeared after attending a wedding reception at the Concord House dance hall in Jefferson County. Their disappearance prompted a massive search on foot and by air. Hunters found their decomposed bodies in October of 1980.

Edwards has a number of grown children. He's 76-years-old and reportedly in poor health, but his arrest is bringing relief to families of the victims.

"I'm kind of excited ... it's mixed emotions," Mike Drew says. A mix of joy and relief for the families of Kelly Drew and Tim Hack. "I'm very relieved an arrest has been made... and awfully happy to find out it's not anybody local," Dave Hack, Tim's father, says.

It's also an arrest that's a long time coming for state and county investigators.

"Any detective who works on a case of this magnitude... gives part of themselves," Det. Sgt. Larry Lee says.

Det. Sgt. Larry Lee says Thursday, Jefferson County Det. Chad Garcia and retired state agent Rick Luell arrested Edwards in Kentucky.

Edwards was questioned in 1980, as were hundreds of people... but he was only in Wisconsin for a couple of months, living and working as a handyman in the area of the Concord House.

Days after the couple's disappearance from the dance hall, items of Drew's clothing were found along a roadway.

"In 2007, evidence was re-submitted to the state crime lab and a DNA profile was created. Due to new information, investigators from the Sheriff's Department and Department of Justice developed Mr. Edwards as a person of interest. Mr. Edwards is implicated by DNA evidence as well as other corroborating evidence," the sheriff says.

A criminal complaint shows Edwards was at the dance hall the night of the couple's disappearance. It also says witnesses reported Edwards having a bloody nose the same weekend... but at the time, Edwards reported he'd injured his nose while deer hunting. Investigators questioned him in June of this year, during which he denied ever going deer hunting. In March, NBC 15 News profile the unsolved case... which family say generated tips.

"Of course they followed through with lots of tips but this one hit the closest so it was really good. I had no idea it was gonna be solved this quick," Dave Hack says.

"Hopefully, people will see this and realize, it is worth giving tips to law enforcement... because that's really what makes a difference," Mike Drew says.

Thursday night, Drew's family indicated they were told the couple was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's unknown whether Edwards will waive extradition to Wisconsin or when he could arrive here.

Sheriff's Department investigators say the case never was forgotten. This year, it was given a fresh look by local and state investigators. In March, NBC 15 revealed the case was being reviewed as part of a federal grant given to Wisconsin for cold case investigation.

The 500-thousand dollar grant allows Wisconsin's department of justice to hire back three retired state agents and a criminal analyst, dedicated to cold cases.

"The attorney general has worked hard to secure a cold case grant for the DOJ for the very purpose to support local departments who may not have the resources or the ability to stay focused on these kinds of cases which require an extensive amount of manpower," Tina Virgil with the Wisconsin Department of Justice says.

The attorney general's office says during a previous grant, four convictions were obtained for cold case homicides.

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UPDATED Friday July 31, 2009 -- 4:40 pm
By Zac Schultz

Madison: Detectives often take it personally when a murder goes unsolved. Former Dane County Sheriff Gary Hamblin says this case was number one on his list.

In 1980, Gary Hamblin was a Special Agent with the Department of Criminal Investigation. A week after Tim and Kelly disappeared, the Jefferson County Sheriff asked the state for help. "I was assigned to the case. As time went on it became apparent that we weren't going to find them alive."

Hamblin remembers the enormous search. "It was probably one of the largest searches ever conducted in the state of Wisconsin, that I'm aware of."

He also remembers when hunters found the bodies. "This (case) has stayed with me for a variety of reasons."

Hamblin was in charge of the body bags containing Tim and Kelly's remains. "I had- a couple of times- moved body bags containing the remains of these two kids."

He had a two year old daughter at home. "I picked her up when I got home and her weight was about the same of Tim and Kelly earlier in the day. (It) just left a lasting impression on me that no matter how much parents love their children there's nothing you can do that's going to protect them from something like this."

Twenty-nine years later Hamblin works for the Department of Justice, where he's the Administrator for the Division of Law Enforcement Services. He's in charge of the State Crime Lab-the State Crime Lab that recently processed the DNA evidence that led to the arrest. "It's a tremendous development after all of these years."

Semen found on Kelly's pants matches Edwards' DNA. At the time Edwards was a handyman at the Concord House and lived at a nearby campground. Hamblin doesn't recognize Edwards' mugshot, because in his mind, the killer is a younger man. "You look at it realistically, that's what he would look like today."

Hamblin has spent four decades in law enforcement and says this was the number one case he wanted solved. "Just the chance to get to know a little bit about the families and the victims. This was the one that I wanted to get wrapped up."

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UPDATED Friday, July 31, 2009 -- 11:45 a.m.

New details from the Criminal Complaint: the examination of Kelly Drew revealed ligature marks on her ankles and wrists. Strangulation is listed as a probable cause of death.

On June 9 of this year investigators made contact with Edward Edwards. He told them he remembered living in the campgrounds next to the Concord House in 1980. He denied recognizing the names Hack and Drew, and he remembered being interviewed at the time of their disappearance.

In the latest police interview, when the couple was described to Edwards, he says he may have seen them or maybe they had seen him as he had a couple of beers at the bar at the dance hall.

According to the complaint, witnesses recall that Edwards had a bloody nose when Drew and Hack disappeared. At the time Edwards told people he was deer hunting. In the June interview with investigators, Edwards said he had never been deer hunting and the only time he hunted was for elk in Colorado.

Kelly Drew's clothing items that were recovered back in 1980 were submitted to the Wisconsin State Crime Lab. Investigators found semen on her pants. DNA analysis says Edwards is a possible match for fluids.

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UPDATED Friday, July 31, 2009 -- 9:45 a.m.

Det. Sgt. Larry Lee with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office tells NBC15 News the suspect in the 1980 double murder of Kelly Drew and Tim Hack was under surveillance in Louisville, KY, for hours before investigators received a warrant for the arrest of Edward W. Edwards.

Det. Sgt. Lee says Edwards has a number of children. He was arrested at his trailer home on Sailor Road. Lee says Jefferson County Detective Chad Garcia and retired state DCI agent Rick Luell were in Kentucky for the arrest of Edwards.

Back in 1980, Lee says Edwards was working as a handyman in Jefferson County, and he was only in the area for a couple of months.

He was interviewed at the time but was not considered a major suspect. Lee points out there were two weddings happening at the time Drew and Hack vanished from Concord House dance hall, and there were hundreds of people interviewed.

Lee says, "It's a huge case for us. It's a case, for obvious reasons, we wanted to solve... to get some closure for the families. It's a case that's hung over our heads for 30 years. It feels really good to possibly get to a closure."

Lee also says, "Modern technology is what did it."

Investigators say they've linked DNA from the suspect to DNA found on evidence, re-submitted to the crime lab in 2007. Investigators also received a tip after NBC15 News profiled the case in March of 2009.

Lee says, "The tip made us look at him hard as a suspect, and when we looked at him, things were starting to fall into place as him being a possible good suspect. Obviously good enough we were able to get a search warrant for his DNA."

Lee says because Edwards was in Jefferson County for such a short time, people didn't know him and he didn't have a reputation. He says, "Even though he was talked to, there were no red flags... that's what made it tough."

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UPDATED Friday, July 31, 2009 --- 9:30 a.m.

JEFFERSON, Wis. (AP) — Prosecutors have charged a Kentucky man with killing two high school sweethearts who disappeared from a wedding reception nearly 30 years ago in Wisconsin.

Seventy-six-year-old Edward Edwards, of Louisville, Ky., faces two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Tim Hack and Kelly Drew, both 19. Investigators from Wisconsin arrested Edwards Thursday afternoon in Louisville. Jefferson County District Attorney Susan Happ filed the charges after her office closed Thursday afternoon.

A criminal complaint says analysts at the state crime lab matched DNA taken from semen found on Drew's pants to Edwards.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

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UPDATED Friday, July 31, 2009 --- 3:00 a.m.

From the Attorney General's Office:

MADISON - Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen and Jefferson County Sheriff Paul Milbrath announced that the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, in conjunction with the Wisconsin Department of Justice, arrested Edward W. Edwards late this afternoon in connection with the murders of Kelly Drew and Timothy Hack. The suspect was taken into and remains in custody in Louisville, Kentucky.

“I am pleased the work of law enforcement and the success of our cooperative cold-case efforts have resulted in the arrest of a suspect in this matter,” said Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen. “My thoughts are with the family and friends of Ms. Drew and Mr. Hack.”

The Hack/Drew Murders, dating back to 1980, were the subject of a cooperative “cold-case” investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and have been the subject of recent media attention into the murders.

Sheriff Paul Milbrath said, “My goal has always been and remains to get justice for the victims of these crimes. This arrest brings us closer to that goal.”

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UPDATED Thursday, July 30, 2009 --- 9:05 p.m.

First on NBC15: A suspect is under arrest for the double murder of two high school sweethearts almost 30 years ago.

It’s a case dating back to 1980 in Jefferson County. NBC15’s Dana Brueck just profiled this cold case in March of this year. That script can be found below.

The double homicide happened in August 1980. 19-year-old’s Timothy Hack and Kelly Drew were both killed.

A suspect was arrested this afternoon in Louisville, Kentucky. He's 76-year-old Edward Wayne Edwards. He is reportedly in poor health. He was characterized as a drifter. He was working in the area at the time of the murder. According to Drew's family, investigators told them it appears that Timothy Hack and Kelly Drew were at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Hack was the son of a local farmer. Drew was a beauty school graduate.

The two attended a wedding reception on August 9th at the Concord House Dance Hall. They arrived at 10:30 pm in Tim’s old Cutlass Supreme, which his younger brother Patrick owns to this day. Afterwards, they were set to meet up with friends at a carnival in Ft. Atkinson. But they never arrived.

Police believes Hack and Drew were abducted from the parking lot at the reception. They were reported missing the next day.

Their bodies were found by hunters on October 19th, 1980. They were located just off of Hustisford Road, south of Highway 16. Drew was found nude, in some woods. Hack was found in a cornfield.

Stay with NBC15 and NBC15.com for continuing coverage on this breaking news story.

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Posted Monday, March 9, 2009 --- 10:00 p.m.

Two teenagers with bright futures found murdered. The double homicide in one rural community has puzzled investigators for nearly 30 years. In this special assignment, NBC 15's Dana Brueck explores new details of the case.

"It hasn't changed. I mean the little stuffed animal -- still in the backseat," Patrick Hack says.

This Olds Cutlass Supreme dates back more than 30 years. But Patrick Hack still holds onto it.

"Every time you get in and drive it, it's a little connection. It's kind of hard talking about it," he says.

The car's a connection to his older brother, Tim.

"I'll never get rid of it," Patrick says of the car.

But Sunday, August 10th of 1980, loved ones found Tim Hack's car outside of the Concord House Dance Hall... a popular place off of the Interstate.

"The vehicle was locked. Cigarettes, wallet... checkbook. Everything was intact, in plain view in the car, undisturbed," Det. Chad Garcia says.

But 19-year-old Tim Hack and his high school sweetheart, Kelly Drew, were missing.

"They would always call and she hadn't called so we knew something was wrong."

19-year-old Kelly Drew was one of four children. A local salon owner had recently hired the beauty school graduate as a stylist - her dream job. Life was going well for the adventuresome teen.

"She'd come home, and she always talked, talked, talked, talked, talked. She'd come home and sit on her bed and she'd bounce up and down, and the more she talked, the more she bounced and she'd tell us every single little thing and we'd say go to bed, go to bed. We're trying to go to sleep," her mother, Norma Walker, says.

Son of a local farmer, Tim Hack was known for his skill at tractor pulling. The two were close.

"I would say it would be pretty safe to assume that the two of them would eventually get married," Tim's father, Dave Hack, says.

Sadly, a wedding reception was the last place the two were seen alive.

On Saturday, August 9th, they arrived at the Concord House around 10:30 pm. Tim bought a beer and a diet soda for Kelly... and the teens walked out the door after about a half hour.

"It was a muggy evening with a lot of mosquitoes so there weren't too many people that were outside of the reception hall," Garcia says.

After the reception, the pair was supposed to meet friends at Fortfest, a carnival at the time here in Ft. Atkinson. But by the next day, family members knew something was wrong.

"I guess the first couple of days were probably the worst, as far as I was concerned," Dave Hack says.

Investigators launched a massive search on foot and by air.

"The girl's clothing has been taken to the state crime lab in Madison for analysis," a reporter said at the time.

Investigators recovered pieces of Kelly's clothing along highways leading from the dance hall. Pieces of rope and part of a yellow plastic tube also were found with the clothes. For weeks, tokens of support flooded the families of the missing teens.

"I pray for the hostages. Now she's praying for my daughter -- and for Tim," Walker said at the time.

Then, more than 2-months after the disappearance, the remains of Hack and Drew were found near Hustisford Road and Highway 16 -- several miles from the dance hall.

Investigators were unable to determine a cause of death. Drew was discovered naked in the nearby woods; Hack was found clothed, in the cornfield.

"There's nothing there to indicate what happened to the people or how it was done," the sheriff said at the time.

But today, decades-old evidence is revealing new details about a possible suspect. Jefferson County Detective Chad Garcia says the crime lab isolated DNA from an unknown donor. It was found on a piece of evidence. Now, investigators need to match the DNA!

"There's over 75 suspects in this case," Garcia says.

Throughout the years, investigators generated thousands of pages of reports... traveled out of state to follow leads... questioned some high profile murderers. Though he cannot know for sure, Garcia says his gut tells him someone local is responsible.

"Who knows who did it. It could be somebody I know well," Walker says.

Tim Hack's father, Dave, has his own list of suspects.

"One thing I would really like to know is who's not responsible because I always have suspicions."

Hack also has hope. He hopes whoever kidnapped his son and his sweetheart will see justice...

"I'd like to see it end... It needs to have an ending," Walker says.

But until this 30-year-old mystery turns its final page, the families hold onto what they can... a vintage car...

"Some day I'll give it to my son Timothy," Patrick Hack says.

... an image of a bubbly young lady...

"I'm sure I would've had lots of grandchildren by now," Walker says.

... a memory of a first born son...

"We'd sit in the tub, and I'd have a bar of soap, and I'd squirt it up in the air, squeeze it, make it fly up and he would let giggles so loud... it just thrilled him," Dave Hack says.

Investigators desperately want information. A a federal grant is giving the state Department of Justice the chance to help local investigators take a fresh look at some unsolved cases.

If you have any information about this one, call the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office at 920 - 674-7310.