By Shereen Siewert
More than a year after a missing man’s body was discovered in a Marathon motel closet, a Wausau man is facing felony charges in connection with the case.
Daniel D. Allen, who also goes by the name Daniel Mitrovich, faces a single felony charge of hiding a corpse in connection with the death of 28-year-old Brian Kienast. Police were called in April 2018 to the Village Inn in Marathon after the property owner discovered Kienast’s decomposed body.
Police said Kienast likely died on or around Nov. 22, 2017, possibly the same day he was reported missing from his Adams County home. According to toxicology results, Kienast died of a suspected heroin overdose.
Detecitves suspected, based on the position of Kienast’s body, that he was pushed into the closet by another person who could have been present at the time Kienast overdosed and died. On Monday, Aug. 12, prosecutors filed official charges against Allen after new information became available.
The hotel room where Kienast’s body where discovered was unoccupied for the winter months. Police say the hotel owner discovered the body after detecting a foul odor in the room.
Kienast was reported missing Nov. 22, 2017 from Adams County.
Allen, 41, is currently serving a seven-year prison term on unrelated drug charges and was renting a room in the motel across the hall from the room in which Kienast was found.
A witness told police Allen was in the room when Kienast overdosed and tried to revive Kienast with Narcan but was not successful. Allen then allegedly hid the body because he was afraid of returning to prison. Court records show Allen was released in July 2017 after serving nearly 10 years in prison on cocaine charges. He was arrested again in February 2018, two months before Kienast’s body was discovered.
Hiding a corpse is a class F felony in Wisconsin with a maximum penalty of 12 1/2 years in prison.
A date for Allen’s initial appearance in Marathon County Circuit Court has not yet been filed.
