'Heart-wrenching': No remains found in Fond du Lac County home tied to boy who went missing in 1983
WI Department of Justice/CBS 58 FOND DU LAC COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- For more than 40 years, one question has haunted a Fond du Lac County community. What happened to 5-year-old Bobby Joe Fritz?
Now, a new search inside his Campbellsport home has led to new evidence in the case.
Old newspaper clippings tell the story of when Bobby Joe went missing outside his home. Now, after investigators excavated the basement of this house, neighbors are hopeful Bobby Joe’s family may finally get closure.
It was May 14, 1983. Bobby Joe was playing outside like he normally did. This time, he never made it home.
“My daughter said the last time she saw him was right down the river. Right down this street here,” said Spencer Labrent, Bobby Joe’s next-door neighbor.
"Bobby Joe" Fritz
For more than four decades, investigators searched fields and followed countless leads, but Bobby Joe was never found.
“Heart-wrenching. It’s the best I can describe it,” said Labrent.
Labrent remembers every moment.
“He was a cute little kid, blonde hair, blue eyes, adorable little kid,” said Labrent.
He remembers Bobby Joe, his family, and the days that followed.
“It was pretty major for a small community like this back in '83. Everybody in town was looking around for him and it was a hard time,” said Labrent.
The year that Bobby Joe went missing, his mom told newspapers she hoped her son would return so she could take him to a Milwaukee Brewers game to celebrate his birthday.
Now, 43 years later, this community is reliving the tragedy once again.
“Because there’s so many technical improvements over the last 20 years with the DNA and all that,” said Labrent.
After conducting new interviews, investigators executed a search warrant and excavated the basement at the Campbellsport home where Bobby Joe lived.
The Fond Du Lac County Sheriff’s Office says while Bobby Joe’s remains were not found, they’ve uncovered new potential evidence.
“Well, they were bringing out the buckets of soils one after the other, and they had 12 buckets of soils in no time,” said Labrent.
For Labrent, he remembers the little boy who played in his yard.
“Little Bobby Joe wanted a ride on my tractor, and so sometimes I gave him a ride in my tractor and he really liked that,” said Labrent.
He hopes that little boy, little Bobby Joe, gets justice.
“Just like to see it closed. Closure for everybody, really,” said Labrent.
Anyone with information is encouraged to reach out to the sheriff’s office.
