A man whose body was found in Pleasant Prairie in 1993 has been identified as Ronald Louis Dodge, the Kenosha County Medical Examiner’s Office and Pleasant Prairie Police Department announced. The case, which had remained unsolved for over three decades, is now being treated as a reopened homicide investigation.
Dodge was born on December 27, 1952, in Keshena, Wisconsin, on the Menominee Indian Reservation. His remains were discovered on August 27, 1993, in an advanced state of decomposition near the Soo Line rail tracks close to the Illinois border. At that time, efforts to identify him were unsuccessful and he was buried as a John Doe at St. John’s Cemetery in Randall.
Advancements in forensic technology and collaboration with agencies such as NamUs (the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System), the Michigan State Police Crime Lab, DNA Doe Project, and forensic anthropologist Dr. Janamarie Truesdell led to Dodge’s identification earlier this year. In December 2014, Kenosha County Medical Examiner Patrice Hall resumed the investigation after learning that evidence from the original case had been preserved.
“The Kenosha County Medical Examiner’s Office remains committed to identifying those individuals who do not have their name,” said Hall. “In my almost 20-year career in working in death investigation, Ronald’s case has proven to be the most difficult to solve. I am humbled to have the honor of giving Ronald back his name, reuniting him with his family, and bringing the Dodge family the answers they have been looking for all of these years.”
Pleasant Prairie Police Chief David Smetana said: “Our work now continues in the case as new forensic testing has determined that Ronald Dodge suffered a gunshot wound near the time of his death. Our detectives are requesting anyone with any information on this case to come forward and help our agency in bringing justice to the Dodge family.”
Investigators learned that Dodge was married and may have been living on Chicago’s north side at the time of his death. His wife died in Chicago in November 1993.
The timeline of the investigation includes several key developments: In October 2015, DNA from John Doe was sent for analysis; by June 2016 it was determined he was likely between 40 and 60 years old and possibly of Native American ancestry; and by April 2017 a skull reconstruction was completed and released publicly. In 2018 collaboration began with DNA Doe Project for genetic genealogy analysis. In June 2023, after seeing a press release and reconstruction image, Dodge’s brother contacted authorities and provided DNA samples that confirmed Ronald’s identity.
On September 22, 2023, Dodge’s body was exhumed for further analysis by Dr. Truesdell, who confirmed a new cause of death while ruling it a homicide.
Authorities are seeking information from anyone who may have knowledge relevant to this case. Tips can be submitted to Pleasant Prairie Police Department or anonymously through Kenosha Area Crime Stoppers.
In Kenosha County schools during the 2023-24 school year, American Indian students—like Dodge—represented just 0.2% of total enrollment (https://dpi.wi.gov/).
