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Search tied to 1983 Wisconsin cold case
Investigators are conducting a basement excavation at a Fond du Lac County home in connection to the 1983 disappearance of Robert "Bobby Joe" Fritz."
CAMPBELLSPORT, Wis. - Editor's note: This story is no longer being updated. Get the latest here.
Investigators are conducting a large-scale basement excavation at a Fond du Lac County home in connection to the 1983 disappearance of Robert "Bobby Joe" Fritz.
Robert "Bobby Joe" Fritz
The backstory:
Fritz vanished while playing with siblings outside his Campbellsport home on May 14, 1983. He was 5 years old at the time, and the community has been searching for answers in the 43 years since.
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What they're saying:
Spencer Lavrenz lives next door to where Fritz disappeared in 1983. At the time, the community combed the area – from the neighborhood to the nearby Milwaukee River.
"There was just no trace of him anywhere," he said. "Everybody was looking for him, and nobody could find him."
Over the years, age progression photos were released, but there were never any leads.
"Nobody knows what happened to that young man, that boy," said Lavrenz. "It gets me emotional."
Investigation excavation
What we know:
The Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office said detectives served a search warrant at that Campbellsport home on July 16. During the search, investigators said potential evidence related to the case was found.
The large-scale excavation currently underway inside the home's basement is a result of what was found. Detectives are collaborating with the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation and the state crime lab to identify and process further evidence.
Investigators are excavating the basement of a Campbellsport home tied to the May 14, 1983, disappearance of Robert 'Bobby Jo' Fritz.
Have information?
What you can do:
Investigators are searching for any new clues that could help thaw the cold case as the community looks for some answers to a decades-old mystery.
"I just hope they find a conclusion to it and everything comes to a positive end," Lavrenz said.
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The Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office said the investigation is ongoing and active, and additional details will only be released when it will not compromise the integrity of the case.
Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Tyler Tikkanen at 920-929-3384. To leave an anonymous tip, call 920-906-4777.
The Source: FOX6 News went to the investigation scene. Details about the case are from the Fond du Lac County Sheirff's Office.