Pleasant Prairie investigators reveal identity of 1993 homicide victim exactly 31 years after his remains were found

 

PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A decades-old cold case has been reopened after the Kenosha County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Pleasant Prairie Police Department positively identified a homicide victim from 1993.

Decomposed remains were discovered on Aug. 27, 1993, near the Soo Line rail tracks in Pleasant Prairie, close to the Illinois border.

During a news conference on Tuesday, Aug. 27, exactly 31 years after the body was found, officials confirmed the victim as Ronald Louis Dodge, born Dec. 27, 1952, in Keshena, Wisconsin, on the Menominee Indian Reservation.

Dodge initially remained unidentified and was buried in St. John’s Cemetery in Randall, Wisconsin.

The case was reopened in December 2014 when it was discovered that the Pleasant Prairie Police Department had retained Dodge’s skull as evidence. Over the next nine years, the medical examiner’s office and the police department worked with several agencies, including the DNA Doe Project and the Michigan State Police Crime Lab, to identify Dodge.

"Everybody deserves to have their name returned," said Kenosha County Medical Examiner Patrice Hall, who added that in her many years of expertise, Dodge's case is the most "difficult" she's ever solved. 

While the identification is the result of years of collaboration and testing, it wasn't until June 2023 when Dodge's brother would reach out to authorities after seeing facial reconstruction images.

“They saw the reconstruction and they knew right away that it was Ronald," Hall said.

In Dodge's obituary, loved ones said he was the fifth oldest of 13 siblings and had a wife named Kathryn who has since passed away.

While his family was unable to attend the news conference, Menominee Tribal Vice Chairman Joey Awonohopay read out a letter they had written instead.

“It came to a point where hope seemed to be lost, his loved ones began to believe that we would never know what became of him," Awonohopay said. “We finally have the closure that has eluded us for so many years.”

Dodge's remains have been reburied with his ancestors on the Menominee reservation.

"We're thrilled to have this new information and kind of a new start to this investigation," said Pleasant Prairie PD Chief David Smetana.

New forensic testing revealed Dodge suffered a gunshot wound near the time of his death.

Now officials are asking anyone with information to come forward so they can continue bringing justice to Dodge and his family.

If you want to reach out, contact the Pleasant Prairie PD at (262) 948-8910 or via email at [email protected].

Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Kenosha Area Crime Stoppers at (262) 656-7333.