On February 26, 1970, the body of Donna Willing, 9-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Willing, of Milwaukee, was found in a garage on Milwaukee’s North Side. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted.
EMMA FICK
On June 16, 1970, Emma Fick, 76, was murdered in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Her body was found in St. Mary’s Cemetery on the city’s south side. The coroner determined that she’d been killed by numerous blows to the head.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17458891/16_jun_1970_emma_fick_bulletin/
In the reporting on Fick’s murder, we learn that she had a son who told authorities that she was planning on moving into a nursing home.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17463476/ficks_only_child/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17459172/22_jan_1943_oscar_fick_son_of_emma_fick/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17458921/24_sep_1966_oscar_h_fick_gets_promotion/
The Green Bay Press Gazette covered the story.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7705876/17_june_1970_emma_fick_found_dead_in/
As did the Sheboygan Press, replete with a picture of kids in a cemetery.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17458408/widow_75_killed__police_probing/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/16149390/17_jun_1970_emma_fick_pt_2/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17463466/17_june_1970_emma_fick_death_scene_st/
And, of course, the Manitowoc paper covered it too.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17458783/17_jun_1970_widow_killed_by_head_blows/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17458764/17_jun_1970_emma_fick_death_scene/
Sadly, Emma Fick’s husband had passed away many years before in what can only be described as being a horrific manner.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17460327/05_aug_1921_flies_responsible_for_mans/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17460292/02_aug_1921_kick_of_horse_fatal_to_town
Emma Fick’s maiden name was Carstens.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/77253015/emma-anna-fick
She had four brothers, and one of them was named Herman.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17459222/carsten_family_reunion/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17464175/gypsy_bands_and_the_county_line/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17459730/mcbs_chairman_herman_carstens_gives/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17464327/11_feb_1963_carstens_posse/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17459577/sheriff_carstens/
Emma Fick’s brother Herman was the Sheriff of Manitowoc County from 1929 to 1932; prior to that he was the Chairman of the Manitowoc County Board of Supervisors.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/77247698/carstens
Very little has been written about Emma Fick since her murder in 1970. In 2012 a piece about unsolved murders in Manitowoc County was published, and it was reported that no progress had ever been made in determining who was responsible for the death of Emma Fick
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17464428/20_may_2012_emma_fick_unsolved/
In 1970, Elmer Scherer (cousin to Dolores Avery, Steven Avery's mother) was Chief of Police for the City of Manitowoc.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17458436/manty_pd_chief_elmer_scherer/
TERI LEE ERDMANN
On June 24, 1971, in an open field near the Moreway Department Store at 10130 W. Appleton Ave, Milwaukee, the body of Teri Lee Erdmann, 15, was found. She had been stabbed about 50 times and sexually assaulted. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Du Wayne L. Erdmann, of Milwaukee.
SUSAN LYNN KLEIST
On June 18, 1972, the body of 16-year-old Susan Lynn Kleist, who lived at 168 W. College Ave., Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was found in an Oak Creek field.
She had been stabbed at least 39 times in the chest and abdomen and was believed to have been sexually assaulted.
Her mother had discovered her daughter was not home when she returned from her job as a waitress late on Saturday, June 10th. Susan had intended to stay home that Saturday night, but when her mother returned home she found a note from Susan saying that she had gone bowling.
Susan's closest friend, Mary, said Susan told her over the telephone that night that she might visit her while Mary was babysitting at a neighbor's home. Since Mary lived several miles away from Susan, she said she thought Susan might have hitchhiked over to see her.
It was reported that Richard L. Greenier, 3033-A S. Clement Ave., Milwaukee, had been charged in the murder.
CYNTHIA JANE ALLEN
On July 1, 1972, 17-year-old Wisconsinite Cynthia Jane Allen's nude body was found partially hidden under branches in a wooded area at the edge of a field in the Town of Grover, Marinette County, Wisconsin.
She had been stabbed to death.
A jacket and other clothing items were found hanging from nearby tree branches.
She was last seen on June 11th walking alone after a dance at Marinette Catholic Central.
The coroner said that Cynthia Allen had only been dead for several days, which means she was held alive in an unknown location for about 17 days before she was killed.
TINA DAVIDSON
On Tuesday morning March 27, 1973, the nude body of Tina M. Davidson, 15, was discovered lying against a cyclone fence in Racine, Wisconsin. The cyclone fence was next to a pathway, which was south of the beach off of 17th Street, on the lakefront. Tina often hitchhiked in this area.
Tina was stabbed 61 times in the neck and chest, and was last seen alive on Monday evening, March 16, 1973.
Tina was a white female with long straight hair that was brown in color. Tina also had a slender build.
Tina was wearing a worn leather jacket, a dark sweater over a white blouse, brown baggy pants, and construction work boots. The clothes were never found.
She left her home in the 2800 block of 20th Street at around 7:30 p.m., after telling her mother, Kathleen Davidson, that the backpack she was carrying was filled with a friend’s clothes she had to return.
Davidson left her friend’s home in the 1500 block of Quincy Avenue around 9 p.m. She told three of her friends she intended to hitchhike west on Washington Avenue.
When Davidson did not return home, her mother said she thought her daughter was spending the night at a friend’s home.
“She did that sometimes,” Kathleen Davidson told Journal Times reporter Alice Anne Conner in one of the first stories on the murder.
Some 15 hours later, Kathleen Davidson found out her daughter was dead. Davidson would have turned 16 on April 1 of that year.
Several tips came in over the next couple of days about the Davidson murder. Journal Times reports indicate that police had several different descriptions of possible suspects and their vehicles.
One description was that Davidson had been seen with a man, aged 35 to 40, at an ice cream shop on Durand Avenue at about 9:30 p.m. the night she was killed. The man was described as about 5 feet, 8 inches tall, about 170 to 180 pounds, reddish hair and green eyes. Police said his car was bronze or gold in color.
Body Discovered on Beach
The Milwaukee Sentinel
March 28, 1973
Racine, Wis. – The nude body of a 15-year-old Racine girl, with 61 stab wounds in the chest and neck, was found Tuesday on a Lake Michigan beach on the city’s South Side.
Police said the murder victim was Tina Davidson, of 2810 20th Street., who would have been 16 Sunday. Authorities said she had not been reported missing.
An autopsy disclosed that the girl died as a result of massive hemorrhaging caused by a stab wound in the heart, Racine County Coroner David Cunningham reported.
Cunningham said that she had apparently been hit on the head first with a blunt instrument and knocked unconscious, “as indicated by the fact that there was hemorrhage of one eye.”
He added there were no clues and no suspect had been picked up.
The coroner said earlier that it appeared that the body had been dragged to the rocky area where it was found.
A 44-year-old woman walking a son along the beach discovered the body about 10 a.m.
The victim was a pupil at The Academy, a South Side school for pupils in the Racine Unified District with disciplinary problems. She formerly attended Washington Park High School.
The girl’s mother, Mrs. Kathleen Davidson, told a report that she last saw Tina about 7:30 p.m. Monday.
“She was here with a friend with whom she had been going from time to time when I got home,” said Mrs. Davidson.
“A little later he left – he had a bicycle last night, but he does have a car.
“Right after he left, Tina went to her room and came out with a canvas bag. She said she had some clothes in it and was going to take it to a friend’s house.
“I didn’t get worried when she didn’t come back because she often slept overnight at homes of her friends.
“The next thing I heard about Tina was about 4 p.m. today when the coroner and police came here and told me her body was found on the beach.”
Tina’s girl friend told police that Tina left her house about 8:30 p.m. Monday, saying she was going to another girl’s house. She never arrived there, Cunningham said.
He added, “She hitchhiked all over town. That was her mode of transportation.”
Mrs. Davidson said that another daughter, Bonnie Jacobs, 23, lives with her. Mrs. Davidson said that she last heard of her husband “several years ago.” She said that she believes that he is living in the Washington (D. C.) area.
DEBRA SUKOWATY
On October 2, 1976, the body of a Debra Sukowaty, 18, was found in a gravel pit in an area north of Manitowoc near County Highways Q and VV. She was last seen on September 24th.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17438292/q_and_vv/
This is the story of Debra Sukowaty and Ronald Fencl.
Sukowaty was to report as a waitress at the Big Boy restaurant on September 24th but she never showed up for work.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17439899/a_man_namedget_outta_here/
You've got your common rumor mongering......
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17437197/rumor_mongering/
Funny, or not so funny business with the Wisconsin State Crime Lab........
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17437392/funny_crime_lab/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17437447/no_blood_found_in_cars/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17438110/09_jun_1978_no_blood_on_jacket/
And too bad they didn’t have that pesky Denny ruling to contend with yet.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17438147/dc_eagles_did_it/
Like Steven Avery, Fencl was portrayed as some kind of horn-dog who couldn’t keep it in his pants.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17438234/unrequited_love/
Miscommunication between LEO’s.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17439381/miscommunication__again/
His awyer who wasn’t acting in the best interests of his client.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17438435/lawyer_acting_in_bad_faith/
Missing records.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17438578/missing_records/
Lawsuits.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17438734/hilton_did_it/
And like Steve Avery, Ronald Fencl was no stranger to the law.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17437068/12_apr_1975_man_bound_over_for_trial/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17437121/10_jul_1975_ronald_fencl_indecent/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17437144/02_jan_1976_ronald_fencl_reckless_use/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17313720/07_jan_1976_60_day_jail_term_ordered/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17438824/09_sep_1977_paiderfencl/
On November 7th, 1977, Ronald Fencl was charged with first degree murder in the death of Debra Sukowaty.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17439318/04_oct_1977_sukowaty_woman_was_murder/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17439922/10_oct_1977_sukowaty_disappearance/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17437267/08_nov_1977_manitowoc_man_24_charged/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17437345/11_nov_1977_hearing_scheduled_in_murder/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17437563/17_nov_1977_fencl_bound_over_for_trial/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17313960/fencl_bound_over_for_trial_bail/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17437572/17_nov_1977_fencl_pt_2/
Sukowaty was the niece of Joseph Sukowaty, who ran for the office of Sheriff of Manitowoc County in 1976.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17439464/joseph_sukowaty/
Sukowaty was the cousin of Carmen Boutwell.
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/htrnews/obituary.aspx?pid=177774999
Due to pre-trial publicity, Fencl’s lawyers had tried to get a change of venue out of Manitowoc County but were unsuccessful in doing so.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17437866/03_feb_1978_fencls_trial_is_not_moved/
The trial was swift.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17315673/08_jun_1978_fencl_knew_areas_pt1/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17315680/08_jun_1978_murder_trial_continues/
On June 10th 1978, Ronald Fencl was found guilty of murdering Debra Sukowaty.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17315556/10_jun_1978_fencl_found_guilty/
He was sentenced to life in prison.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17438321/15_jul_1978_gets_life_term/
In 1979, Fencl sought a retrial.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17438420/07_sep_1979_fencl_seeks_new_trial_in/
And like the Avery case, some of the court files went missing.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17313066/14_dec_1979_ronald_fencl_trial_records/
Hearings, hearings, and more hearings…...
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17438595/26_jan_1980_new_trial_hearing_is_feb_14/
Until, surprise of all surprises, he was denied a new trial by Judge William Carver.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17438617/01_nov_1980_judge_denies_new_trial_for/
In 1989, Fencl sued authorities when he was held captive in a prison uprising.
One other common thread between Steven and Mr Fencl is that their mothers never gave up on them.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17315173/02_mar_1989_inmate_sues_in_waitress/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17438705/02_mar_1989_lawsuit_pt2/
And on a strange, but true, side note…..
Judge Carver? The guy who denied Fencl his new trial?
Oh yeah, he and his daughter need a whole thread onto themselves.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17075511/03_apr_1993_new_twist_in_gambling_case/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17057192/11_sep_1998_law_not_followed_in_carver/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17057488/11_sep_1998_carver_still_not_booked_pt2/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17059481/31_mar_2001_jilted_wife_charged_for/
Oh, and that gravel pit in Shoto where the body of Debra Sukowaty was found?
The pit was owned by the same family that owns the pits adjacent to Avery salvage yard.
https://imgur.com/f2e3edl
https://imgur.com/t2eEsY4
There is something else that’s very very interesting about this neighborhood, and it involves a reclaimed gravel pit. The story goes that a new subdivision was created, and some of the current residents of that subdivision are major players in Steve and Brendan's cases.
70's murder of a young woman found in Radandt's gravel pit? Only miles from the one where Halbach's bones were found? And to top it off this guy said he was innocent too......
The 18-year-old, Debra Sukowaty, killed in 1977 and left in the quarry, seems to be the aunt of Carmen Boutwell, who died the day Teresa Halbach was reported missing. Obit of Carmen's aunt also mentions a Tom Tadych.
This girl goes missing and this guy says he finds her stuff in his car and freaks out and throws it into the river. Said stuff is found along with a ticket connected to him, so the cops find him. The guy, Ronald Dennis Fencl, denies everything but he's convicted of 1st degree murder. They found what they said was a hair of hers in his car.
Debra was found in a gravel pit (one newspaper said it was an abandoned gravel pit). It was believed she was killed at that spot with hits to the head.
Sukowaty is Carmen Boutwell's mother's maiden name.
Carmen's mother: Judith Sukowaty Boutwell Wilson
Carmen's father:
John R Boutwell DOB 12/10/1960
ETA: I believe he died on 7/20/2009
ETA: I believe he died on 7/20/2009
Debbie Sukowaty was Carmen's cousin. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/htrnews/obituary.aspx?pid=177774999
"Joseph Sukowaty was also preceded in death by: (among others) ...one granddaughter: Carmen Boutwell... and one Niece: Debbie Sukowaty."
Debbie's parents were Leroy and Virginia, Carmen's great uncle and great aunt.
Carmen's mom and Debbie would have been cousins. Joseph - grandpops had three children, Leroy had Debbie, and one of his daughters had X, who was Carmen's mother.
Check out this obituary from 2010 for a Sukowaty that lists as survivors a Debra Sukowaty and Tom Tadych, Manitowoc.
http://www.wieting-funeralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=888952
https://wcca.wicourts.gov/caseDetails.do;jsessionid=38DCBD1CA01A988AEF7788F3D75E8D13.render6?caseNo=1998FA000089&countyNo=36&cacheId=F25D6A513AE99697C576465D6F3D3744&recordCount=26&offset=25
Any link to the anonymous letter? SIKIKEY?
http://www.stevenaverycase.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Trial-Exhibit-497-Investigator-Riddle-Report-on-Anonymous-Letter-KT.pdf
Debra Sukowaty
Last seen 9/24/77
Body Found 10/2/77
Pamela Claflin
Last seen: 9/13/93
Body Found: 9/21/93
Teresa Halbach
Last seen: 10/31/05
Remains found: 11/8/05
8 days, 8 days, and 8 days respectively.
It's just TOO weird that all of these women disappeared, and then 8-9 days later their bodies are found in an open area, isn't it? How many sloppy murderers are there in Manitowoc? Or, is there one very skillful one who targets women who've been with men who are easy to pin a murder on?
Someone has started another post after learning of two new killings in area and added one where the body was found near Zander Road area or Morrison:
https://www.reddit.com/r/MakingaMurderer/comments/4do45j/guilters_say_there_is_no_such_thing_as/
Let's organize this:
Based on obituary, Lynabelle Sukowaty had one more daughter who died before her.
http://www.stevenaverycase.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Trial-Exhibit-497-Investigator-Riddle-Report-on-Anonymous-Letter-KT.pdf
Debra Sukowaty
Last seen 9/24/77
Body Found 10/2/77
Pamela Claflin
Last seen: 9/13/93
Body Found: 9/21/93
Teresa Halbach
Last seen: 10/31/05
Remains found: 11/8/05
8 days, 8 days, and 8 days respectively.
It's just TOO weird that all of these women disappeared, and then 8-9 days later their bodies are found in an open area, isn't it? How many sloppy murderers are there in Manitowoc? Or, is there one very skillful one who targets women who've been with men who are easy to pin a murder on?
Someone has started another post after learning of two new killings in area and added one where the body was found near Zander Road area or Morrison:
https://www.reddit.com/r/MakingaMurderer/comments/4do45j/guilters_say_there_is_no_such_thing_as/
Let's organize this:
- Judith Boutwell (Carmen's mother, alive) = Judy Wilson = Judith Sukowaty (maiden name), DOB 04-1964
- Debra Sukowaty - disappeared on 09-24, 1977 , DOB 10/9/1958
- Lynabelle Sukowaty, died in 2010, DOB 1933
- Debra Sukowaty (alive in 2010, one of 6 daughters of Lynabelle Sukowaty), husband (??) Tom Tadych (connection to Scott Tadych)
- Judy Sukowaty (alive in 2010, is another daughter of 6 daughters of Lynabell Sukowaty).....is it the same person as Judith Boutwell (Carmen's mother)?; might be the mother of Carmen
- Carmen's Boutwell Great Grandmother was Salome (Schmitz) Sukowaty (on mother's side)
- Garmen's Boutwell Grandfather, Joseph Sukowaty (died 2016, son of Salome Sukowaty)
Based on obituary, Lynabelle Sukowaty had one more daughter who died before her.
DAWN MARIE SCHNETZER
On November 4, 1978, the nude, decomposing body of 17-year-old Dawn Marie Schnetzer of Menasha, Wisconsin, was found in a wooded area off of Willow Road near County Road BB, in Calumet County, Wisconsin.
She was last seen on September 15th, after being dropped off by a motorcyclist (a man she met in a Hortonville tavern) in the 600 block of Broad Street, where it's believed she was going to visit a friend.
A farmer found Dawn's decomposed body propped against a log in a wooded area.
Either she had been strangled or her throat was cut.
She was wearing only red and white socks.
Her undergarments and T-shirt were found hanging in a nearby tree.
A pathologist was unable to determine the exact cause of death because of body decomposition.
In 2013 police released photos of a plaid shirt linked to the murder.
1978 murder of Menasha teen not forgotten
USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
September 6, 2016
MENASHA – Residents of this community haven’t forgotten Dawn Schnetzer.
It’s been nearly 38 years since the 17-year-old girl disappeared after being dropped off by a motorcyclist in the 600 block of Broad Street. Roughly six weeks later, her decomposed body was found by a farmer in the Calumet County Town of Woodville, just east of Sherwood.
While it has the appearance of an unsolvable case, authorities say it remains under active investigation – including scientific testing of crime scene evidence, examining potential suspects and interviewing people who were acquainted with her.
And plenty of people were acquainted with Schnetzer, said Investigator Stephanie Gruss of the Menasha Police Department.
“Periodically, we get people calling in about Dawn,” said Gruss, who is working with Calumet County Sheriff’s Department detectives on the Schnetzer case. “They still remember her and know of her. Dawn was well-known in the community.”
Gruss says it’s important for investigators to learn as much about Schnetzer as they can through friends, acquaintances and relatives of those who knew about Dawn and her lifestyle.
“That’s what we need – that base information,” Gruss said.
Learning as much as possible about Schnetzer could be the key to finding her killer, according to Gruss.
“I found it beneficial to focus on her and how she conducted her life,” Gruss said. “I think that will someday lead us to who (killed her).”
Despite the long and detailed investigation into her death, investigators continue to look for every bit of information they can about Schnetzer.
“It’s definitely an open book,” Gruss said. “It’s a book that’s still being written.”
Lt. Mark Wiegert of the Calumet County Sheriff’s Department said investigators are taking a deliberate approach in trying to determine what happened to Schnetzer.
“We’re still taking baby steps,” he said. “We are continually looking at the case and evaluating where we’re at.”
Wiegert, along with Gary Steier, a sergeant-investigator with the sheriff’s department, told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin that some evidence from the Schnetzer case has already been tested at the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Va., and other items are being examined there now.
They declined to divulge any test results.
“We continue to do some testing and follow up on leads,” said Wiegert. “(The case) is a work in progress."
Wiegert said improvements in technology can lead to breakthroughs in unsolved cases – even those as old as Schnetzer’s.Dawn's body was found two miles north of the home of Teresa Halbach, who disappeared on Halloween 2005, 27 years after Dawn was murdered.
“We know these cases get solved (decades) later,” he said. “Hopefully we can bring some justice for Dawn’s family.”
Investigators ask anyone with information about 1978 murder victim Dawn Schnetzer to call Sergeant/Investigator Gary Steier of the Calumet County Sheriff’s Department at 920-849-2361, ext. 791; Investigator Stephanie Gruss of the Menasha Police Department at 920-967-3500; or Calumet County Crimestoppers at 877-SOLVE CRIME.
Dawn Schnetzer’s body was found on Nov. 4, 1978, by a farmer who was cutting wood. But the story of what happened to the Menasha girl and the mystery surrounding her disappearance began unfolding two months earlier. Schnetzer reported to work on Sept. 15 at the former Hortonville Manufacturing Co. – better known as the toy factory – to work a shift as a toy painter. After leaving work that night, Schnetzer visited a Hortonville tavern.
A man gave Schnetzer a ride home on his motorcycle, dropping her off early the following morning in the 600 block of Broad Street, a short distance from where she was staying with a friend. It was the last time Schnetzer was seen alive.
Then came the report of an unidentified body discovered in Calumet County. The remains were found just north of then-Calumet County B and Brant St. John Road, which is now known as Willow Road. County B is now known as County BB. The site of the discovery is a short distance from U.S. 10 and 3 miles east of Sherwood.
CHERYL SPAETH DUVALL
In 1988, a Manitowoc, Wisconsin woman named Cheryl Spaeth-Duvall disappeared without a trace.
Cheryl Spaeth Duvall was 38 years old went she went missing. She had divorced and was last known to be living on a farm just outside the city of Manitowoc.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17547256/18_nov_1972_cheryl_spaeth_duvall/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17548523/25_aug_1973_mrs_michael_duvall/
A sister and her ex-husband filed a missing persons report in 1988, but the case went cold because of limited information.
In June 2006, Speath-Duvall’s family asked Sheriff’s authorities to take another look at the case due to advances in forensic testing.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17614704/11_jan_2007_police_search_farm_for/
They searched the properties of the gentlemen with whom Spaeth-Duvall had been living when she disappeared. It was not his first brush with the law.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17548459/13_dec_1974_john_m_neuser_shining_deer/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17548263/28_jul_1979_case_is_dismissed_by_judge/
There was another write-up in the local paper about a year later. The gentleman whose properties were searched hired an attorney and was not cooperative with authorities.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17235417/24_jan_2008_missing_woman_case_still_a/
There’s been only one other write-up about Cheryl Spaeth Duvall, which was in 2012.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17614923/20_may_2012_cheryl_spaeth_duvall/
What story about a woman who went missing long ago in Manitowoc would be complete without a tie-in to the 2005 story?
Oliver Mott (1885–1972) and Willard Mott Jr (1883–1972) were the sons of Willard and Anna Chaloupka Mott. Oliver had a daughter named Cathern Mott who married Joseph Spaeth. Their daughter was Cheryl Spaeth Duvall. Loretta Mott was the daughter of of Willard Jr and married Earl Avery. One of their sons is Allan Avery, so Allan is Cheryl's cousin. Allan is Steven Avery's father.
The Unsolved Murder of Patrolman Leo Rocque
ReplyDeleteThis is the story of Two Rivers Police Patrolman Leo Rocque
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17521173/20_may_2012_leo_rocque/
Patrolman Rocque was gunned down in cold blood in the early morning hours of October 5th, 1926.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17466192/05_oct_1926_unknown_slayer_is_at_large/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17520665/rocque_transferred_to_night_duty/
On a side note, I did find this, which may or may not be related to this story.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17521187/02_sep_1926_two_rivers_chief_is_fired/
Keep ‘er movin;….
During the 1920's, the nation was in the throes of prohibition, all sales of beer and alcohol had been banned by the federal government.
Rum runners were prevalent in the Great Lakes region
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17544320/06_may_1925_great_lakes_to_be_scene_of/
And the breweries in Manitowoc were putting up a resistance to the Feds
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8101663/04_dec_1919_manitowoc_company_to/
With Chicago in such close proximity, it’s no wonder the business of booze was so profitable for many in Wisconsin.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8770335/29_dec_1926_tiajuana_of_wisconsin/
So when Leo Rocque was gunned down, interest immediately turned to the booze syndicate as a possible reason as to why someone would want the hard-nosed Rocque, dead.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8011485/07_oct_1926_theory_is_that_paid_gunmen/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17521252/08_oct_1926_think_rocque_slain_by_hired/
The theory was that it was the local moonshiners who wanted Rocque dead, so they hired a hit man out of Chicago to do the job.
There were other leads too.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17468392/08_oct_1926_unknown_woman_now_in_two/
And threatening letters sent anonymously to investigators.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8011710/11_oct_1926_have_clue_on_gun_in_two/
The sheriff conducted raids on local moonshiners as a result of the investigation
Deletehttps://www.newspapers.com/clip/17468509/25_oct_1926_murder_of_two_rivers/
And interest in the crime never waned.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8013384/01_dec_1926_renew_interest_in_murder/
Finally, there was a break. A man named Grant Raymond was named as a suspect and brought in for questioning.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8013609/18_feb_1927_rocque_murder_suspect_held/
And released.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8013628/19_feb_1927_unable_to_identify_man_from/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8013900/23_feb_1927_is_ordered_released/
The body of a Two Rivers man was found in Algoma, and was thought to be tied to the crime.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8013933/12_mar_1927_mystery_at_two/
A “Poison Pen” letter was sent to the Two Rivers city manager,
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8014240/29_feb_1928_city_manager_is_warned_in/
And another was sent a month later.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17520590/05_mar_1928_second_poison_pen_letter_at/
And of course, like any good crime that needs to be covered up in Manitowoc County, records mysteriously disappeared.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8014748/25_jul_1928_new_mystery_in_two_rivers/
By 1929, and with years passing, the Two Rivers City Council posted a $1000 reward for any information that lead to the solving of the crime.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8014828/05_feb_1929_offer_reward_of_1000_for/
Fourteen years after the killing of Leo Rocque, authorities thought that they finally had their man.
The suspects name was Frank Tadych, a saloonkeeper and former Justice of the Peace in Manitowoc.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8003723/04_feb_1935_plan_rites_for_mrs_frank/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17520937/19_dec_1940_former_official_is_given/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17520949/20_dec_1940_talked_too_much/
But alas, it was not to be, as Frank Tadych was not only administered truth serum, he also passed a lie detector test. Frank Tadych was set free
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17520979/21_jan_1941_free_frank_tadych_of_murder/
No person was ever tried for the murder of Leo Rocque.
Over the years the name of and memory of Patrolman Rocque hasn’t been forgotten, and some of his descendants still live in the area.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17521086/22nd_st_bridge_in_two_rivers_dedicated/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17521095/01_jul_2002_bridge_honors_slayed/
Rest in Peace, Patrolman Leo Rocque.
https://www.reddit.com/r/TickTockManitowoc/comments/7yao8k/the_unsolved_murder_of_patrolman_leo_rocque/
There were several other similar unsolved slayings in south eastern Wisconsin and Madison in the late 1960s. The victims include:
ReplyDeleteMiss Diane June Olkwitz, 19, who was stabbed nearly 100 times on Nov. 3, 1966, in the Menomonee Falls factory where she worked. Miss Olkwitz lived in an apartment at N56-W13777 Silver Spring Rd., Menomonee Falls.
Miss Mary Ellen Kaldenberg, 17, whose frozen body was found February 13, 1967, in an abandoned hearse in Kenosha. She was the daughter of Mrs. Daniela Kaldenberg, of Kenosha. She had been stabbed 12 times. She had walked from her home to the store (a short distance) and was to return back home quickly as she was meeting her boyfriend for a date. There have been numerous theories, to include serial killers; however, this case has gone unsolved. It seems to have been put to the bottom of the pile, due to lack of evidence. The police detectives have worked diligently for many years to solve this and still nobody has been brought to justice.
Miss Cheryl Ann Packard, 22, of rural Pewaukee, and Miss Sharon Malone, 25, of rural Hartland, who were stabbed a total of 31 times. Their bodies were found April 23, 1967, in a New Berlin farm field.
Christine Rothschild, 18, a freshman at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, whose body was found on May 26, 1968, in a clump of bushes on the UW campus. She had been stabbed 14 times in the chest and three times in the throat, and strangled. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Emanuel Rothschild, of Chicago.
Stephanie Casberg, 17, whose dismembered body was found in northern Racine County in July, 1969. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Casberg, of Milwaukee.