Wisconsin missing persons: Advocacy groups assist police, families
Wisconsin missing persons: Advocacy groups get involved
Thousands of people are reported missing every year in the United States. Right now, Wisconsin counts nearly 200 people as missing. But there are hundreds of families still searching for answers.
MILWAUKEE - Thousands of people are reported missing every year in the United States. Right now, Wisconsin counts nearly 200 people as missing. But there are hundreds of families still searching for answers.
Missing persons advocacy
The backstory:
Earlier this year, Beaver Dam police and the Dodge County Sheriff's Office put out a plea for information in the case of 42-year-old Alexis Nelson, who was reported missing.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
Last week, Dodge County prosecutors charged 43-year-old Aaron Nelson with first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse.
Aaron Nelson
Prosecutors say Nelson's wife, Alexis Nelson, was last seen alive with Aaron Nelson at a Beaver Dam Kwik Trip in March 2025. Court filings say evidence found, including blood and human decomposition, point to Alexis Nelson no longer being alive. Investigators are still looking for her remains.
Search for answers
Dig deeper:
The Nelson case is just one missing persons case of many in Wisconsin.
Heather Vancil co-founded Wisconsin Rapids-based Rapid Search and Rescue more than ten years ago, to help with law enforcement searches.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, it has 171 people in its statewide missing persons' database, including the well-known Milwaukee area cases of Isaiah Cramer and Alexis Patterson. But there are many more whose names and images Vancil says are forgotten with time.
What they're saying:
"So it’s important to keep pushing and utilizing hope, by getting their names out there even if the searches aren’t being done," Vancil said.
Heather Vancil
For families and loved ones missing, it can be a roller-coaster ride; learning to live day to day without that loved one.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Vancil said once they are found, or an arrest is made, it often renews the pain.
The Source: Information in this post was provided, in part, by Rapid Search and Rescue and records from the Wisconsin Department of Justice.