Crime & Law
After 31 Years, New DNA Testing Helps Identify Body of Man Found Near Illinois-Wisconsin Border
Photos of Ronald Louis Dodge. (Courtesy of Kenosha County)
A man whose body was discovered in Wisconsin near the Illinois border in 1993 was known only as John Doe for more than three decades. He is now confirmed to be Ronald Louis Dodge following nearly a decade of renewed DNA testing and analysis by local investigators and partner organizations.
Dodge was known to have connections to Chicago.
The Pleasant Prairie Police Department of Wisconsin has reopened a homicide investigation. The latest forensic testing determined Dodge suffered a gunshot wound near the time of his death, according to Pleasant Prairie Chief of Police David Smetana.
During a Tuesday news conference, Kenosha County Medical Examiner Patrice Hall said Dodge’s case has proven to be the most difficult to solve in her nearly 20-year career working in death investigations.
“I am humbled to have the honor of giving Ronald his name back, returning his remains to his family and bringing the Dodge family the answers that they have been looking for for all these years,” Hall said.
Dodge, who was Native American, was known to frequent Chicago and possibly lived on the North Side of the city with his wife around the time of his death, investigators said.
On Aug. 27, 1993, his body was found in an advanced state of decomposition alongside rail tracks in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, near the Illinois border, according to investigators.
The case went cold after failed attempts to identify Dodge’s body, despite his distinctive tattoos. Dodge’s body was later buried at St. John’s Cemetery in Randall, Wisconsin. Hall resumed the investigation in late 2014 after learning that the Pleasant Prairie Police Department had retained the 1993 John Doe skull as evidence.
The Kenosha County Medical Examiner’s Office partnered with the nonprofit DNA Doe Project, along with several other genomic research organizations, over the course of several years to see if newly developed investigative genetic genealogy techniques could be used to find the man’s identity.
However, cases of Jane and John Does that are of Native American heritage are extremely difficult to research due to the population being underrepresented in DNA databases, according to DNA Doe Project team co-lead Robin Espensen.
“Sharing DNA is an especially sensitive issue for Indigenous communities, and we were so fortunate to have the support of Ronald’s relatives to make this identification possible,” Espensen said in a statement.
DNA Doe Project team co-leaders said that upon learning John Doe was Native American, they were able to confirm the Dodge’s identity by narrowing the search within a family tree and reaching out to potential relatives to take DNA tests.
Dodge was born on Dec. 27, 1952, at the Menominee Indian Reservation in Keshena, Wisconsin.
During the Tuesday news conference, Menominee Tribal Vice Chairman Joey Awonohopay read a note written by Dodge’s family, who were unable to be in attendance. In the note, his family expressed their gratitude and appreciation of the agencies and individuals who helped identify and bring their family member home.
“It’s been over 30 years of searching and wondering, worrying and praying about Ronnie and his well-being,” the note read. “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.”
Officials are seeking the community’s assistance to help bring the case to a close.
“If you may have seen him, known him — even just in passing — even if it’s something little that you think might not be significant, it could be extremely significant to us,” said Captain Paul Marik of the Pleasant Prairie Police Department. “We would love to hear from you.”
Anyone with information can contact Pleasant Prairie police at 262-948-8910 or [email protected]. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Kenosha Area Crime Stoppers at 262-656-7333 or 800-807-8477.
Contact Eunice Alpasan: @eunicealpasan | 773-509-5362 | [email protected]
