


SHEBOYGAN - The FBI has determined that several small bone fragments dug up 27 years ago from the yard of a man who has since died in prison were not those of Bobby Joe Fritz, who vanished in 1983.

"They were tested, and they had all come from animals, so we struck out there," Sheboygan County Sheriff's Department Inspector Jim Risseeuw told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.

The department made a renewed push in the past year to solve the case of the 5-year-old missing boy, even though he disappeared from neighboring Campbellsport in Fond du Lac County.

Authorities have long suspected that their prime suspect, Michael Scott Menzer, buried Fritz's body in rural Sheboygan County, perhaps near his property in the small community of Waldo.

Despite circumstantial evidence pointing to Menzer, he was never charged in the boy's abduction. Menzer died of cancer in federal prison in 2008 while serving a 40-year sentence for two counts of arson homicide. He killed his stepsons, ages 7 and 8, during a fire that burned down the Waldo Mill in September 1990. 

In October 1990, authorities dug up Menzer's property in hopes of finding Bobby Joe's skeleton. Instead, they recovered four small bones and remnants of decayed children's clothes buried around the property. 

At the time, DNA technology was in its infancy, and it remained unclear if the bones came from the missing child or if the clothes belonged to Bobby Joe.

Several weeks ago, Sheboygan County Sheriff's Detective Corey Norlander submitted the bones for advanced DNA testing at the FBI's laboratories.

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Learning the negative results doesn't make life any easier for Bobby Joe's family.

"I was extremely relieved that it wasn't Bobby Joe, but that just means still no closure for our family," said Lora Engel, his older sister, who lives in Michigan.

Bobby Joe disappeared while playing outside on a Saturday afternoon in May 1983, a couple of blocks from his mother's home along Highway 67. The prevailing theory is that he was abducted by a stranger and killed. He was three months shy of turning 6 when he vanished. 

Risseeuw said he was not surprised the buried bones turned out to be from an animal. At the time of their 1990 discovery, investigative reports reflect, a state archaeologist, "could not tell if it was animal or human, but stated ... it appeared to be that of a juvenile."

"This has occurred before," Risseeuw said. "We've had situations around Sheboygan County where people are building a house or digging a foundation, and we've gone ahead and checked it out, and it turned out to be cattle bones."

Despite the setback, Sheboygan County is still awaiting DNA test results on the decayed and soiled children's clothes. Those clues were discovered under a section of re-poured concrete inside Menzer's basement in October 1990.

Several months ago, Pennsylvania detective Kenneth Mains, founder of the American Investigative Society of Cold Cases, agreed to retest the decayed clothes at no cost to Sheboygan County. Mains has access to a police laboratory with revolutionary DNA testing equipment.

"The clothing, I'm really, really interested in that," Risseeuw said recently. "Whether we will find DNA on the clothing, it's still an unknown."

Wisconsin investigators made several attempts dating back to 1984 to interview Menzer about Bobby Joe's disappearance, but he refused. During a 1984 raid at Menzer's Waldo Mill, authorities found several newspaper articles pertaining to Bobby Joe's disappearance. 

Mains told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin last week that the clothing is being analyzed. 

"To the family of Bobby Joe Fritz I would like to say, do not ever give up hope," Mains added. "There are people who care about your plight and are dedicated to help solving the unsolved. Stay positive, and if I can personally help you in any way, please let me know."

Risseeuw said his agency would consider conducting other searches for Bobby Joe's remains if strong, credible information surfaced regarding a suspected burial site. 

"Right now," Risseeuw said, "we just don't have that additional lead."

Engel, Bobby Joe's sister, said she has "no idea where else they could look,"

"I will just keep praying that our family can get some closure on what happened to Bobby Joe."

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