WI WI - Charles Theis, 76, Phelps, 14 Oct 1975

[res6jya6]

1 - Last seen in his son's truck near the "Anvil Lake Fire Tower" as per VC News Review 10/14/2025 (Yes, 2025)
2 - Location where 3x Bloodhound searches led to as per VC News Review
3/4 - ".45 miles north of Kentuck Lake Road" leaves some room for error - could they mean spot 3 just north of lower Kentuck Lake rd known as Tuttle Road - or do they mean the very far northernmost portion of Kentuck Lake Road where it ends (which would put the truck location closer to Cnty Hwy A)
It's nearly 5 miles from spot 1 to spot 4 and nearly 4 miles from spot 1 to spot 2 (as the crow flies - actual distances are greater with the curvy road)
This is all just dense national forest - would have been even worse fifty years ago. Location 1 is also the entrance to "Old Firetower Road" - this would have been there in the mid-seventies as the fire tower wasn't moved until later (albeit, probably named Fire Tower Road at the time)...
I believe that location 1 is the accurate last location he was seen in the truck. Assuming Imogen Lake Road was called Kentuck Lake Road at one point in time, that matches.

Today was my first time hearing about this case that is so close to home! I spend TONS of time out in these woods (Northern Lights, hiking, camping) and would have been more vigilant about my surroundings while out there had I known about it! I will see if anyone from the VC Sheriff's department is willing to share the exact location the truck was parked - and start doing some more hiking around the area!

 

[res6jya6]

This article confirms what the above poster says and gives more detail than previous articles

50 years on, the mystery of the missing Charles Theis continues - Vilas County News-Review

On a fall day in 1975, an elderly man walked away from a vehicle in the Nicolet National Forest and was never seen again despite one of the area’s largest manhunts and the use of highly …

www.vcnewsreview.com

I could have sworn I just uploaded a map with references but that just disappeared from the forum!

 

[Keiri]

I could have sworn I just uploaded a map with references but that just disappeared from the forum!

No I see it! thank you. I will save it. Much appreciated. I try to do hunter maps for people each year to look in the areas people went missing. You input is priceless.

 

[res6jya6]

FWIW

There are a lot of factors I am trying to put together in this one...

I regularly drive Military Road. Literally the /exact/ route that the bloodhound dogs "tracked" Charles. There's a spectacular overlook on Vista Lake, walking trails all around the wildlife preserve, a single campsite on the river.. I've taken some spectacular photos of the Northern Lights out in that area and there is plenty of traffic in the form of ATVs and UTVs... However, in the 1970s, these were quite uncommon. Even twenty years ago - when my friends and I would drive those dirt roads doing things that our parents would probably question had they known we were doing them - those roads were not busy. Anyone you did see was either hunting (the forest roads around here were literally purpose built for hunting - see Deadman's Lake Road - Dad's Lake Road - Katie Lake Game Trail) or they were doing something they didn't want to get caught doing (like my friends and I).

Charles had a vacation home on Spectacle Lake. Spectacle Lake is visible on my previously posted map to the left of Kentuck Lake. While I know that dogs have tracked people before... I kind of doubt their abilities in this one. I feel that if Charles had willingly left his vehicle in an attempt to walk somewhere, he would NOT go north. He would go south. Anywhere SOUTH of his location would have been at least somewhat familiar to him (it's only a short distance from State Highway 70 and his own vacation home). Just verified on the Wisconsin State Historical Image website that Imogen Lake is/was known as Kentuck Lake Road and the Kentuck Lake Road you see on my map was/is Kentuck Rd. He would have regularly driven/been driven on Hwy 70, gone east (correction - north) on Military Road, and then taken a right at Imogen/Kentuck Lake Road in order to get to his own vacation home.

I have a strong suspicion that Charles - growing tired of waiting for his son to return or worrying about him and wanting to get home to notify someone - left his vehicle and traveled SOUTH on Military Road. From there, he would have gone a short distance to Highway 70, or he would have taken a left on Imogen/Kentuck Lake Road.

I don't quite know the murder rate for Vilas County - specifically, middle-of-nowhere Vilas County (it takes about twenty minutes to get from the City of Eagle River to Old Firetower Road) but I don't think he was robbed or taken and killed... I do think he wandered off as is common with dementia patients.

I will post two updated maps for you shortly with a more accurate location . I have a map from 1981 and a current map I can drop for you. I'm quite certain that the "north of Kentuck Lake Road" they are referring to is Imogen Lake Road on my map and my marker should be a little further north on Military.

 

[res6jya6]

 

[res6jya6]