HERMANN, Mo. -- Karen Brinkley, 54, of Hermann, was charged Saturday with second-degree murder for the death of her roommate, Marion Gerloff, 64.
A Missouri Highway Patrol news release Saturday said Brinkley was being held in the Crawford County Jail on the Gasconade County charge, with bond set at $500,000, cash only.
The Patrol news release said Troop F members of the Division of Drug and Crime Control (DDCC) began conducting a murder investigation at about 4:15 p.m. Friday, at the request of Hermann Police Chief Marlon Walker.
The patrol's officers joined the case after Gerloff's body had been found inside her home - but the release didn't say when the body was discovered or how much work Hermann's police did before asking the DDCC officers to join the case.
The news release said Brinkley was identified as a suspect during the investigation, and was "taken into custody without incident."
The patrol said the cause of Gerloff's death "is not being released pending the results of an autopsy," and "due to the ongoing investigation."
The release didn't say when or where the autopsy would be conducted.