Officials in Wisconsin identify victims of unsolved 1993 case with ties to Chicago

A decades-old, unsolved case from the region could just become a little more topical again.

Authorities in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, announced at a press conference on Tuesday that they had identified a 1993 murder victim of the John Doe Killer as Ronald Louis Dodge of the Menominee Indian Tribe.

The 31-year-old murder case has been reopened, officials said.

Dodge is believed to have had ties to the Chicago area and may have been living north of the city at the time of his death, authorities said. Dodge's wife, Kathryn Erickson, died in Chicago in November 1993, a press release said.

Dodge, who was born on December 27, 1952, was found dead on August 27, 1993, according to the press release. His body was in “advanced decomposition” next to what is now the Canadian Pacific Railroad tracks in the village of Pleasant Prairie, near the Illinois border.

According to Pleasant Prairie Police Chief David Smetana, Dodge suffered a gunshot wound “almost at the time of his death.”

At this time, no identification was possible and the remains were buried in St. John's Cemetery in Randall, Wisconsin.

Smetana said the identification was a major breakthrough in the case. He urged anyone with information about Dodge – “from the Menominee Indian Reservation to Chicago” – to contact investigators.

“From a practical standpoint, you can't start an investigation without knowing who the person was,” Smetana said. “I have high hopes that we can get justice for the Dodge family, but that depends on the public's help.”

Joey Awonohopay, vice chairman of the Menominee Indian Tribe in Wisconsin, thanked the investigators in his native language for their years of careful work.

“The most honorable way to express gratitude is through our primordial breath,” said Awonohopay.

He read a statement from the Dodge family, who also expressed their gratitude for providing the family with some closure after decades of uncertainty.

“The diligence of the Pleasant Prairie Police Department and the Kenosha County Coroner brought our search to an emotional conclusion,” the statement said. “Ronald was buried at home on the Menominee Reservation surrounded by his relatives.”

Kenosha County Coroner Patrice Hall said the case was one of the most difficult she has worked on in her 20-year career. She was “honored” to be able to provide some closure to the victim's family, she said.

“Over the years, we've had several John Doe cases, and we've been able to resolve those cases and bring closure to the family and give the person their name back,” she said. “Everyone has a right to have their name returned.”

Finding Dodge required using technology and techniques developed in the three decades since the case was solved. In December 2014, Hall reopened the investigation after learning that Pleasant Prairie police had kept the victim's skull as evidence.

Over the next nine years, the Kenosha County Coroner's Office and police worked with numerous agencies across the country to identify the victim, including the DNA Doe Project, which was able to find clues to Dodge's extended family.

Hall spoke with the family and provided a clay model of Dodge's face. On June 5, 2023, Allen Dodge, the victim's brother, called Hall. His brother had been missing since May 8, 1993. DNA samples were taken from Allen Dodge and another sibling, and authorities were able to confirm that the victim was Dodge.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the department at 262-948-8910 or [email protected]. Anonymous tips can be made to Kenosha Area Crime Stoppers at 262-656-7333 or 800-807-8477.