WI WI - Lisa Christine Staes, 21, murdered, traveled from Oak Park IL, Baraboo, 1976

[BooImAGhost]

I'm hoping to find more information regarding the 1976 murder of Lisa Christine Staes.

Lisa was from Leawood Kansas, had travelled to Oak Park Illinois, and was found a year later naked and frozen in a creek in a rural area near Baraboo, WI. Lisa was 21 when she was killed and it was believed by law enforcement that she was smothered to death.

Lisa was a Jane Doe for a long time and was buried in a rural cemetery near North Freedom, WI before she was identified. Below I will list all of the information I have found regarding her case, there is not much. Any help is much appreciated.

20 May 1977, 1 - Wisconsin State Journal at Newspapers.com

Lisa Christine Staes (1955-1976) - Find A Grave...

Search

 

[Quoththeraven]

I wonder what came out of that investigation in Chicago and it would be interesting to see what her cousin had to say about it since she was the last known person to see her alive that night.

UNSOLVED HOMICIDE LISA C. STAES (20-Years-Old) On January 24, 1976, a local Baraboo resident was trout fishing at Harrison Creek in the Township of Delton, Sauk County, Wisconsin, and discovered the body of a young woman under the Mirror Lake Road Bridge. On May 13, 1977, the woman was identified as Lisa C. Staes, age 20, from Leawood, Kansas. The investigation into her death at that time took investigators to Chicago, Illinois, where she was last seen alive. At the time, she was staying with a cousin in Oak Park, Illinois. The last night she was seen alive was on January 13, 1976, when she had gone out with another cousin. If you have any information about this case, please contact the Sauk County Sheriff’s Department in Baraboo, Wisconsin at 608-356-4895

https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.tow...-11e0-a440-001cc4c002e0/4e33849d844c3.pdf.pdf

 

[Timekeeper65]

@BoolmAGhost WELCOME!!

Interesting case. Baraboo...I lived there once. Beautiful small town. There is another case (can’t remember the name) of a young man found deceased in the Baraboo River.

@Quoththeraven - yes the cousin should be able to shed some light on this case.

 

[Quoththeraven]

@BoolmAGhost WELCOME!!

Interesting case. Baraboo...I lived there once. Beautiful small town. There is another case (can’t remember the name) of a young man found deceased in the Baraboo River.

@Quoththeraven - yes the cousin should be able to shed some light on this case.

The above link I gave shows several unsolved Baraboo-related cases. Yours is maybe mentioned there.

 

[BooImAGhost]

I wonder what came out of that investigation in Chicago and it would be interesting to see what her cousin had to say about it since she was the last known person to see her alive that night.

UNSOLVED HOMICIDE LISA C. STAES (20-Years-Old) On January 24, 1976, a local Baraboo resident was trout fishing at Harrison Creek in the Township of Delton, Sauk County, Wisconsin, and discovered the body of a young woman under the Mirror Lake Road Bridge. On May 13, 1977, the woman was identified as Lisa C. Staes, age 20, from Leawood, Kansas. The investigation into her death at that time took investigators to Chicago, Illinois, where she was last seen alive. At the time, she was staying with a cousin in Oak Park, Illinois. The last night she was seen alive was on January 13, 1976, when she had gone out with another cousin. If you have any information about this case, please contact the Sauk County Sheriff’s Department in Baraboo, Wisconsin at 608-356-4895

https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.tow...-11e0-a440-001cc4c002e0/4e33849d844c3.pdf.pdf

Interesting! Thank you, I didn't find this information in my original search.

 

[BooImAGhost]

@BoolmAGhost WELCOME!!

Interesting case. Baraboo...I lived there once. Beautiful small town. There is another case (can’t remember the name) of a young man found deceased in the Baraboo River.

@Quoththeraven - yes the cousin should be able to shed some light on this case.

It's a great town, I enjoy it There are a lot of unsolved cases in the area, actually one from last year...it's odd to be such a small town but little intel on some of the weird things that have happened here.

 

[Quoththeraven]

It's a great town, I enjoy it There are a lot of unsolved cases in the area, actually one from last year...it's odd to be such a small town but little intel on some of the weird things that have happened here.

Come a little north. Lots of young girls missing recently. These aren't all runaways.

Without a trace: The missing people of central Wisconsin - Wausau Pilot & Review

 

[Richard]

Does anyone have a photo of Lisa?


Lisa Christine Staes
BIRTH 1955
DEATH 1976 (aged 20–21)
BURIAL
Pleasant Valley Cemetery
North Freedom, Sauk County, Wisconsin, USA

LINK:
Lisa Christine Staes (1955-1976) - Find A Grave...

 

[SimsGuy67]

I may have a photo of her. 3 actually. Yearbook photos from Shawnee Mission, Kansas. There's a newspaper article that says Lisa was from Leawood, Kansas which is a 10 or so minute drive form Shawnee Mission. I don't think you need the membership to view this article clipping:

Lisa Staes ID - Newspapers.com

Clipping found in The Fond Du Lac Commonwealth Reporter published in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin on 5/19/1977. Lisa Staes ID

www.newspapers.com

1971-

Join Ancestry

1972-

Join Ancestry

1973-

Join Ancestry

Of course we can't say this her her without a doubt, but the info we have lines up for this to be her.

 

[SimsGuy67]

<modsnip - not an approved source>

Article clipped from The Kansas City Star

Clipping found in The Kansas City Star published in Kansas City, Missouri on 5/19/1977.

www.newspapers.com

This confirms the yearbook photos to be of Lisa too, as the article confirms she attended the high school the photos were from.

 

[Richard]

The murder of Lisa Christine Staes likely occurred in or near Oak Park, Illinois - or possibly near Baraboo, Wisconsin where her body was found in January of 1976.

Baraboo is the original home of the Ringling Brothers Circus and has (since 1963) been home to the Circus World Museum. Could she have been travelling there with someone to see the museum? Or was Baraboo just a convenient place close to the state line to dispose of her body?

LINK:

Circus World Museum - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Richard]

Lisa Christine Staes, age 21
Murdered on or about 13 January 1976

 

[Teamir]

A quote from this article:

““From my understanding, she liked the nightlife,” Zunker said. “But we don’t know where she was prior to her death.”

To clarify location, I believe when they say she was found by Mirror Lake Rd Bridge, they are talking about the interstate bridge that goes over Mirror Lake. It is far closer to Lake Delton and Wisconsin Dells than Baraboo. (Red dot on map)

 

[Teamir]

Can anyone locate her interests and hobbies? There’s a race track (cars) near Wisconsin Dells that was active in 1976. Wisconsin Dells has been a major tourist attraction destination since the 1950s. Per this FB post, there was a club called Purple Haze near there, in 1973 for sure, maybe later.



And then this post lists attractions in the area and mentions “The Haze” along with other party sounding spots. ?nocturnal groping on Newman’s Dam?



Someone convinced her to go up for for a good party time, seems like.

 

[Teamir]

 

[Quoththeraven]

Here's a close up map of Harrison Creek which runs under the Mirror Lake Road Bridge where Lisa Staes was found. The second map shows the surrounding area. The third map shows many of the unsolved missing persons & murders in the area towns (white dot with the black circle) which are listed at:

Area cold case mysteries keep investigators searching | Wisconsin Association of Homicide Investigators

In the town of Hesper, a remote area in northeastern Iowa, a marked gravestone lies in a cemetery without a body. The headstone reads: Ricky Jean Bryant, 1945-1949, but no casket will be found underneath the soil. It’s another odd twist in the mysterious case of Bryant, a four-year-old girl from...

wi-homicide.com

Now that's a lot of unsolved murders & missing persons so close together in the Devil's Lake State Park area! The most recent missing person is James Yoblonski and the most recent unsolved murder is John Craig Schmutzer. Both listed on Websleuths.

 

[Teamir]

Here's a close up map of Harrison Creek which runs under the Mirror Lake Road Bridge where Lisa Staes was found. The second map shows the surrounding area. The third map shows many of the unsolved missing persons & murders in the area towns (white dot with the black circle) which are listed at:

Area cold case mysteries keep investigators searching | Wisconsin Association of Homicide Investigators

In the town of Hesper, a remote area in northeastern Iowa, a marked gravestone lies in a cemetery without a body. The headstone reads: Ricky Jean Bryant, 1945-1949, but no casket will be found underneath the soil. It’s another odd twist in the mysterious case of Bryant, a four-year-old girl from...

wi-homicide.com

Now that's a lot of unsolved murders & missing persons so close together in the Devil's Lake State Park area! The most recent missing person is James Yoblonski and the most recent unsolved murder is John Craig Schmutzer. Both listed on Websleuths.

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Excellent info, I wasn’t sure of the bridge location but I think you nailed it.

 

[Teamir]

I finally found that The Purple Haze was operating in 1976 yet. I had to really dig through that Facebook page I linked on the ad above for the Purple Haze. Location in the ad was 1/2 mile west of I-90 , ON Hwy 23.

I found a comment that The Haze closed in the winters due to no heat, but per the ad, they opened in December so I’m taking that they WERE open in the winter. That aligns with when she went missing (January).

 

[BooImAGhost]

I'm wondering if there are records that can be requested from the Sauk County Sherriff's office on this case? I'm curious to know who her family is and if any of them have additional information to share. My guess is that someone local to the area killed her. I'm intrigued by the possibility that she travelled up here to party in the area - maybe with someone associated with the Purple Haze or someone planning to go there themselves? It's a fairly small area, I'm certain that the place had "regulars" who may have information.