Dodge County man charged with murder for hiding estranged wife's body

Dodge County, Wisconsin – The Dodge County District Attorney has filed two charges against 43-year-old Zachariah Rasch in connection with the death and disappearance of his estranged wife, 37-year-old Crystal Rasch of Clyman.

The Dodge County District Attorney charged Rasch with first-degree premeditated murder with a domestic violence amendment and concealing a corpse. Rasch was previously charged with seven counts of misusing identification information to obtain money.

This began when Crystal Rasch disappeared on June 11, but was not reported missing until June 23. The Dodge County Sheriff eventually arrested Zachariah Rasch on multiple counts of unauthorized use of a person's personal information. Rasch admitted to making transactions with her debit card without her consent. The purchases at multiple stores included carpet cleaners, chemical-resistant gloves, stain removers, and drain cleaners totaling over $6,500.

In addition to searching financial records, the Dodge County Sheriff also tracked down two phone numbers belonging to Crystal Rasch. The last known location of one phone was near Juneau on June 8, and the other phone was near Adams, Wisconsin on June 17. Additionally, a call was reported on June 10 from the same area. A vehicle registered to Crystal was found in Adams County on property owned by relatives of Zachariah.

Authorities initially arrested Rasch on identity theft charges and held him on $250,000 bail before today's charges were filed. He remains in custody at the Dodge County Jail and is due back in court on October 3.