WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The remains of an unknown soldier were exhumed from a Wausau cemetery last week.
The man died by suicide in Marathon County in 1930, leaving behind a note that said he served in World War I but left no additional information. Despite efforts to identify him, his identity was never discovered, and he was later buried with full military honors with a headstone reading “Unknown Soldier.”
Officials from multiple agencies dug up the remains “with great care and respect,” according to a news release. Participating agencies included local police, Wisconsin Department of Justice-Division of Criminal Investigation, Wisconsin State Crime Lab, University of Wisconsin – Madison Missing in Action (MIA) Recovery and Identification Project, Peterson Kraemer Funeral Home, and Schreiner Excavating.
Marathon County Public Information Officer Sarah Severson told WSAU News that efforts to identify the remains date back to the late 2010s. Those efforts were put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic. The effort was rekindled when Director of Operations for Wausau’s Regional Forensic Science Center, Jessica Blahnik, found a laboratory willing to take on the case. No specific lead or tip factored in the recent action.
The remains are now being held in a secure location where forensic specialists will begin DNA analysis to match the soldier’s genetic profile to that of a living relative, a process that could take months.
If a living relative is found, officials will attempt to contact them to identify the soldier, bring closure to the family, and complete their story.
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