Manslaughter Conviction in Minnesota Cold Case

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — An Anoka man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the disappearance of his wife 18 years ago.

As part of Norman Bachman's plea deal Friday, a charge of second-degree murder will be dismissed.

The 53-year-old Bachman had long denied involvement in the 1997 disappearance of his wife, Toni Bachman, who was 38 when she was last seen alive at their home in White Bear Lake Township. While police long considered him a suspect, he wasn't charged until April this year.

After she vanished, he told police she wanted a divorce. According to the charges, he told a now-adult son that he killed her but that nobody could prove it.

Toni Bachman's body has never been found, though DNA tests on apparent blood spots in the couple's basement matched her DNA.