79-year-old woman escapes kidnapping by alleged dating app predator (2024)

An alleged dating app predator linked to two death investigations has been arrested in the kidnapping of an elderly woman, officials said. Timothy Luther Olson Jr., 52, was wanted in several jurisdictions in Wisconsin after at least three women he met on dating apps allegedly fell unconscious, according to a public warning by theRacine Police Department.

He is also linked to the death investigations of two women: Kim Mikulance, 55, who passed out at a bar while on a date with Olson in South Milwaukee on Nov. 17 and died, and another unnamed woman on Nov. 8. in Racine. The Mikulance case is part of the three mentioned by Racine police; it’s not clear if the Nov. 8 fatality is as well.

Olson was ultimately arrested Nov. 29 in connection with kidnapping a 79-year-old woman in Franklin six days prior.

He was charged with kidnapping, misappropriating ID information to obtain money, two counts of burglary — all with increased penalties as the victim is an elderly person — as well as resisting a police officer, according to Milwaukee County court records.

The kidnapping

On Nov. 23, the 79-year-old woman was having drinks at Casa Di Giorgio, a restaurant bar she frequented,when Olson approached her going by the name Mario and offered her a drink, which she declined, according to Franklin Police Chief Rick Oliva and a criminal complaint.

When she left the bar, he approached her in the parking lot, got into the passenger side of her vehicle and told her “I have a gun, drive,” according to the criminal complaint. In another interview with police, she said he told her “I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

He held her “for a number of hours,” Oliva said at a news conference.

During the kidnapping, he took her phone, drove her to at least one ATM and took her credit card, Oliva said. He made $270 worth of fraudulent purchases on that card, the criminal complaint said.

The victim told police that Olson said he needed money to buy alcohol, asked for pain medication, used her phone to make calls to his drug dealer and forced her to drink whiskey, the complaint said.

He said he wanted to go to her bank, but she said the banks were closed for the Thanksgiving holiday, per the filing.

She was finally able to flag down help when he parked at a strip mall and exited the car and the victim waved her arms at a passerby, who called police.

Police officers searched for Olson for several days and finally spotted him on Nov. 29 pushing a bicycle in Franklin. When officers approached him, he fled to a nearby condominium complex. After a brief struggle, during which officers deployed a stun gun, he was taken into custody, Oliva said.

On the day of his arrest, Oliva said Olson was suspected to be involved in two burglaries in the city.

The elderly victim was “very shook up” after the incident, but, “she was very relieved to hear that we took him into custody,” Oliva said.

He said it’s “likely” that Olson has other victims in Franklin.

A string of dates gone wrong

Olson appeared to target women while on dates in the Milwaukee area.

Racine police said in a Nov. 21news releasethat he targeted at least three women in the area, including the Nov. 17 incident in which Mikulance died.

Olson was the last person to be present with Mikulance at a bar called Powers on 10th Street in South Milwaukee before she lost consciousness and later passed away at a local hospital,South Milwaukee Policesaid.

Police in Racine wanted to speak with Olson regarding a “similar” incident in their jurisdiction.

Prosecutors said Sunday at Olson’s first court appearance that he was also under investigation for a second death in Racine that took place on Nov. 8, NBC affiliateTMJ of Milwaukeereported. The Racine Police Department said that case remains under active investigation without any further comment.

The news release said that Olson also had a warrant for his arrest for five counts of Felony Personal ID Theft-Financial Gain out of Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, about seven miles away west of Racine. NBC News has reached out to Mount Pleasant Police for comment.

Olson was barred from entering establishments that serve alcohol, possessing firearms, and going on dating websites and his bail was set at $100,000, according to court records.He remains held in Milwaukee County.

His next court appearance is set for Dec. 14.NBC News has reached out to a lawyer listed for him.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com.