12 replies to this topic

[Lori Davis]

Project Jason Profile:

 

Name: Victoria Prokopovitz

 

Alias Vicki

Date of Birth: 09/10/1953

Date Missing: 04/25/2013

Age at time of disappearance: 59

City Missing From: Pittsfield

State Missing From: WI

Gender: Female

Race: White

Height: 5 ft 6 in

Weight: 117 lbs

Hair Color: Dark Blonde

Eye Color: Brown

Complexion: Light

Identifying Characteristics: She has scarring on her abdomen from several surgeries, pierced ears, a mole on the back of her neck, a rose tattoo on her upper breast area and a tattoo of a skunk on her hip.

Clothing: She was last seen wearing a pair of grey stretchy pants, a black and white shirt, a white coat, and black shoes with a stacked heel.

 

Circumstances of Disappearance: Victoria was last seen at her residence in the Township of Pittsfield on 4-25-13 at about 10:00 P.M. She was discovered missing on 4-26-13 about 4:00 A.M. She left behind her purse with all of its contents to include her ID, money, as well as her cell phone and cigarettes. She has no known credit cards and no vehicle. Search and Rescue teams using dogs, horses, and divers have not found any trace of Vicki. Early reports pointed to her depression as the cause of her disappearance, but in May of 2015, investigators found evidence of blood at her home along with other items that point to possible abduction or homicide.

Medical Conditions: She suffers from depression and had recovered from colon cancer the summer prior to her disappearance.

Investigative Agency: Brown County Sheriff's Office

Agency Phone: (920) 448-4230

Link To Poster:  http://www.projectja...Prokopovitz.pdf

[Lori Davis]

http://www.fox11onli...g-april-29-2013

Pittsfield woman reported missing
Last seen at 10 p.m. April 25

Updated: Monday, 29 Apr 2013, 5:21 PM CDT
Published : Monday, 29 Apr 2013, 8:50 AM CDT



TOWN OF PITTSFIELD - Brown County sheriff’s officials are looking for a missing woman they believe could be endangered.

Authorities say Victoria L. Prokopovitz, 59, was last seen at 10 p.m. Thursday at her home on Kunesh Road in the town of Pittsfield. She was discovered missing at 4 a.m. the next day.

Prokopovitz suffers from depression, say authorities, who believe she may be a threat to harm herself. Her medication is also missing. She left behind her purse, which included her identification, money and her cellphone. She has no vehicle.

Prokopovitz is 5-foot-6 and weighs 117 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She may be wearing shoes with a wide stacked heel and a white jacket.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Brown Co. Sheriff’s Office Investigative Division at (920) 448-4230.

 

 

http://www.wbay.com/...r-missing-woman

Rescue Groups Expand Search for Missing Woman

Updated: Jun 01, 2013 7:00 PM EDT
By Tony Ullrich

Town of Pittsfield - Rescue groups expanded their second search to find 59-year-old Victoria Prokopovitz since she went missing about a month ago.

Volunteers looked for her around the area where she lived and was last seen Saturday.

The Brown County Sheriff's department reports Prokopovitz was last seen at her Pittsfield home on April 25th.

Officials say she left behind her purse and cell phone and has no vehicle.

They tell us she suffers from depression and may harm herself.

Rescue groups headed out on foot, on horses and with K-9's during this weekend's search.

"Every day that goes by, you give up hope that you're going to find her alive. Very thankful for everybody that has come out to help us. But, I hope we find her," Stacey Deer, daughter of the victim, said.

Volunteers spent the day taking a targeted approach.  They looked for her in specific areas like the trees and brush along the Mountain Bay Trail and in a nearby Quarry.

Volunteers last searched the Pittsfield area on May 12th.

This weekend, they covered a roughly 3-mile radius and beyond.

"We had done a search and it was more concentrated around the point last scene, which was her residence. And, now, we've expanded outward from that point last seen," Summer Olson, Valley Mounted Volunteers spokesperson, said.

Volunteers say they haven't found anything significant so far.

Family members of the victims say they're looking for any answers from doing searches like this to help bring them some closure.

"Considering it's been five weeks, we just want closure on to where she is.  "It's hard to keep going and know where to look, but it's getting tiresome," Deer said.

Rescuers say they'll keep searching for as long as they can.

[Lori Davis]

https://www.facebook...02402413171364/

 

6298 Cottonwood in Pulaski, WI

Friday, April 25 at 5:00pm

 

 

We are approaching 1 year that Victoria Help Find Victoria "Vicki" Prokopovitz has been missing. We are going to plan a gathering in honor of Vicki. Thank you to a dear friend, Rhonda Schmidt for offering a location to hold the event. She has been a part of every single search and her sister is a part of the search and rescue group. She has been gracious enough to offer a location large enough to hold everyone that wants to attend, with a shelter should the weather not cooperate. All events will go on Rain or Shine as this is the anniversary date to our mom disappearing. 

We couldn't decide if we should do a balloon release or a candle light vigil and after talking to several people, and hearing the same response... "why can't you do both?" we decided we should make this more of an event to honor our mom... that we should incorporate both ideas into the event. We hope you can join us for the whole event, but if not... please stop out for the parts of the event you would like to attend. We are going to start out by gathering and having a potluck dinner, please bring a dish to share. We'll sign a banner in honor of our mom and follow it up with the balloon release. After the balloon release, it will be starting to get dark, and we will have the candle light vigil and for anyone wanting to stay, we'll complete the night with a bonfire. If you are planning to stay for the bonfire, please bring a chair and your beverages. 

We are asking if you are attending, to consider wearing something red, as that was our mom's favorite color. Please consider coming out and supporting us and supporting Vicki. Please be sure to rsvp so we know how many balloons to get for the event. Invite your friends.. we'd love to have as many people there as possible to show love and support to our mom. This is going to be a very difficult day and we want to be surrounded by people that care about her.

We will have balloons and candles available at the event, please consider giving a donation to help cover the expense.

We'll also have Team Vicki bracelets available if you haven't gotten yours yet. We'll also have the scarves available for purchase, as well as window clings. 

If you are not local, and can not attend, maybe you could release a balloon to Vicki, or light a candle on your own and post a picture here to show your support.Thank you!

[Lori Davis]

http://www.fdlreport...an-went-missing

 

1 year since Pittsfield woman went missing

 

Apr. 21, 2014

 

GREEN BAY — Much has changed since Victoria Prokopovitz vanished a year ago, but one constant remains: Her family is determined to find out what happened to her.

 

Police and volunteers searching the area around her Pittsfield home have found no sign of the 60-year-old grandmother, who disappeared the night of April 25, 2013.

 

Family members and friends plan a candlelight vigil and other events this week to mark the one-year anniversary of her disappearance — and of their painstaking search for answers. Family and friends are embarking on the second year by doubling their efforts to uncover the truth.

 

“I can’t sit back and just do nothing,” daughter Marsha Loritz said. “I need to find my mom.”

 

Prokopovitz, who vanished from her home without taking any money, identification or vehicle, has a history of mental health issues and past suicide attempts.Without evidence of her condition or whereabouts, police are stumped about whether there has been foul play or if there is another explanation.

 

“It’s one of those frustrating cases,” Brown County Sheriff John Gossage said. “We just don’t know.”

 

Prokopovitz, who lives with her husband and an adult son, was last seen the night of April 25, 2013, at her home in the 5100 block of Kunesh Road in Pittsfield. Family reported her missing the next morning when they discovered she was gone.

 

Searchers have scoured nearby fields, wooded areas and a quarry several times.

 

Sherri Jo Lucas, president of the volunteer group Rapid Search and Rescue, said she has come to believe that someone has information about Prokopovitz’s whereabouts and is not coming forward. If Prokopovitz had just wandered away by herself, Lucas said searchers would have recovered some evidence by now.

 

“We’ve just been there and been there and been there,” she said. “We’ve looked everywhere.”

 

Family members say Prokopovitz did not have access to a vehicle at the time of her disappearance.

 

A reward for information about her whereabouts is increasing from $1,000 to $2,500 because of donations. Family members also have hung posters, created websites, distributed wristbands and sent countless emails asking for help.

 

Their next move may be hiring a private investigator.

 

Stacy Deer, the missing woman’s other daughter, said she hopes the one-year anniversary will cause people to think again about whether they have seen Prokopovitz or whether they can remember any clues from past conversations with her.

 

Deer admitted she is starting to lose hope that the family will ever solve the mystery.

 

“There are all these questions we don’t have answers for,” she said. “I don’t know where else to go from here.”

 

The family has received support and assistance from a growing network of friends, some of whom have become just as obsessed as the family with uncovering the truth.

 

“It just breaks my heart every day,” said Rhonda Schmidt, a family friend from Pulaski.

 

At the Rite Place restaurant in Bellevue, owner Julie VanRite has hung posters, distributed fliers and helped with fundraisers. A longtime family friend, VanRite said people in the community are eager to help when they realize that Prokopovitz is missing and that the search has been going on for a year.

 

“It’s hard enough having a parent gone, but not knowing where they are out there,” VanRite said. “Let’s just try to find her and bring her home.”

[Lori Davis]

http://fox11online.c...oman-increased/

 

Reward for missing Pittsfield woman increased

By FOX 11 News

Published: October 28, 2014, 2:56 pm

 

 

TOWNSHIP OF PITTSFIELD – The reward for information on missing Victoria Prokopovitz has been increased to $10,000.

 

Prokopovitz was last seen at her Pittsfield home April 25, 2013.

 

This is the third time her family has increased the reward. Her family first offered a $1,000 reward earlier in 2014 and increased the amount to $2,500 in April of 2014.

 

Anyone with information is asked to call the Brown Co. Sheriff’s Investigative Division at (920) 448-4230, Crime Stoppers at (920) 432-7867 or send a text message to 274637 with the keyword GBTIP and the information. People who wish to remain anonymous can do so through the Crime Stoppers hotline.

 

This reward will expire in 90 days.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.jrn.com/n...-292844481.html

 

Family Hosts Fundraiser to Help Find Victoria Prokopovitz

 

By Katie Kozak. CREATED Feb 19, 2015

 

GREEN BAY -- Family members of a missing woman are hoping to raise money to help find her.

 

Victoria Prokopovitz was last seen at her home in Pittsfield in April of 2013. Thursday night's fundraiser at the Rite Place in Green Bay is a way to help fund the continued search for Vicki and help get her picture out to more people in the community. Family members say the response tonight was unbelievable.

 

"It's overwhelming. This is just very heartwarming. As time goes by, it gets harder and so to be reminded how many people still care is wonderful," says Vicki's daughter Marsha Loritz.

 

Earlier this month, the Brown County Sheriff's Department announced the reward for information was increased from $10,000 to $11,000.

[Kelly]

NamUs Profile: https://www.findthem.../cases/22597/0/

[Kelly]

http://www.greenbayp...-case/70974526/

Warrant suggests foul play in Prokopovitz case

Adam Rodewald, Press-Gazette Media 7:07 p.m. CDT May 7, 2015

Investigators found evidence of blood in the home of a missing Brown County woman last week while executing a search warrant under the suspicion of foul play in her disappearance.

Authorities also seized sexually explicit photos, a picture of a man pointing a handgun at the camera, seven computers, 12 hard drives, financial documents, a roll of tape and other items from the Pittsfield home Victoria Prokopovitz disappeared from more than two years ago.

Investigators believe "there is reasonable inference ... of foul play such as homicide and/or kidnapping," according to the warrant.

Victoria Prokopovitz's daughter, Marsha Loritz, said the development stirred "a whirlwind of emotion" in family members, who are happy for progress in the case but worry about the direction it may take.

"What is scary is they're implying foul play. It's scary in my mind to think that something terrible could have happened to my mom," Loritz said.

Authorities found evidence of blood in multiple locations of the house, including on a pillow and in a bedroom, hallway and kitchen.

The home on Kunesh Road in Pittsfield is still occupied by Prokopovitz's husband, James Prokopovitz, and her son, Wesley Edges.

James Prokopovitz reported his wife's disappearance on April 26, 2013. He told police he had last seen her around 10 p.m. on April 25, 2013, before going to bed.

According to the warrant, James Prokopovitz woke up around 4 a.m. on April 26, 2013, and began searching for his wife. He then left for work when he couldn't find her. He returned home in the afternoon and called the police.

He told authorities at the time that he believed his wife committed suicide, according to the warrant.

James Prokopovitz did not immediately return a message left at his home Thursday.

The Brown County Sheriff's Office also did not respond to messages left Thursday.

There is an $11,000 reward for information leading to the location of Victoria Prokopovitz. The reward will be increased to $13,000 starting Monday. Tips can be made anonymously through Crime Stoppers at (920) 432-7867.

[Lori Davis]

http://wbay.com/2015...-persons-cases/

 

Missing link holding up missing persons cases

 

By Sarah Thomsen

Published: November 12, 2015, 9:50 pm  Updated: November 12, 2015, 10:20 pm

 

Target 2 Investigates discovered a big problem that could make it difficult, if not impossible, to ever solve some missing persons cases.

 

Target 2 discovered there is no national law requiring police to share information on missing people and unknown bodies.

 

There are hundreds of people classified as missing in Wisconsin, but as we started looking at different databases most police and the public access, we discovered people listed as missing on one website, yet their names didn’t even show up on others.

 

We started asking why there’s no consistency and discovered even investigators didn’t know their own cases weren’t listed.

 

“We’re hoping and waiting every day,” says Marsha Loritz, whose mom is one of the missing.

 

“When the weather changes, you think, is she alive? Is she not? Is she suffering and that’s really something hard to live with every day.”

 

Marsha has been living that nightmare since her mother, Victoria Prokopovitz, vanished from her Town of Pittsfield home in Brown County in April of 2013.

 

Every lead, every search comes up empty.

 

“It’s a suffering that I wouldn’t wish on anybody,” says Marsha.

 

She immersed herself in the world of the missing, creating Wisconsin’s first awareness day for it earlier this year.

 

But when she tried to find all the names of the missing, Marsha found a big problem.

 

“I went through each one of those databases and cross-referenced if the person was listed on each one of those and found people to be listed in one and not the other,” she explains.

 

So Target 2 started digging.

 

Every database we checked lists a different number of missing people in Wisconsin.

 

NamUs: 128 open cases

The Wisconsin Clearinghouse for the Missing & Exploited: 53

The Charley Project: 90

The Doe Network: 56

 

Yet the official number from the Wisconsin Department of Justice lists 1,005 children and adults missing as of June 30, 2015, the most recent data released.

 

No where can we find exactly who is on that full list.

 

“That’s just scary for the family. I mean, they’re not going to get an answer,” says Marsha.

 

A similar problem exists for unidentified human remains.

 

There are 10,551 Jane and John Does across the country, including Fond du Lac County’s Jane Doe, found in the woods in 2008.

 

“We’re waiting for anything that might pop up, if her DNA would match a database somewhere,” says Fond du Lac County Sheriff Mick Fink.

 

But that may never happen unless she’s listed as a missing person somewhere.

 

She’s not on any database Sheriff Fink has found.

 

“So in a lot of ways, we’re a victim of the same problem,” he says.

 

That problem?

 

There’s no single national database listing every missing or unidentified person that’s accessible to the public.

 

Police automatically enter every case into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), but if the public searches that, all you see are stats. No names.

 

Police say families are crucial at helping solve these cases and want them to have that access.

 

“It’s frustrating that you can’t find them. It’s frustrating that you can’t help the family find them. I think the more information that’s out there, the better,” says Green Bay Police Detective Lee Kingston. He’s working on the high-profile 1998 disappearance of Amber Wilde.

 

A national, public database does already exist.

 

It’s called NamUs. The National Institute of Justice even funds it.

 

Yet we found people still missing from Northeast Wisconsin not listed on NamUs.

 

How? Target 2 found there is no law requiring agencies to enter information in it, so some don’t, telling us they didn’t even know it existed.

 

“I can’t access a filing cabinet that’s not digitized across the country, but I can access digitized files, so it is very very important that we have a single system, and that we’re allowed some access to it,” says Todd Matthews, Director, Case Management and Communications, National Missing & Unidentified Persons System (NamUs).

 

Lawmakers think that needs to happen.

 

Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy and Texas Representative Ted Poe introduced the Help Find the Missing Act, also known as Billy’s Law, on capitol hill this fall.

 

It would streamline the reporting process by connecting NamUs with NCIC, yet keep sensitive information accessible only to police.

 

“That could be someone’s loved one, and until they’re listed in NamUs, you don’t know,” says Marsha Loritz.

 

She’s pushing lawmakers and anyone she knows to support the bill.

 

“That is my hope, that this will help with other families,” she adds.

 

We also discovered something many could find shocking: police and NamUs say thousands of unidentified bodies across the country were cremated or buried about 10 years ago because of storage issues.

 

They tell Target 2 DNA was not typically collected, so some missing people may go unknown forever.

 

As for this law connecting the two databases, it’s been proposed before, but failed. However, it has bipartisan support for the first time.

 

House Bill 3653 (PDF format)

Senate Bill 2105 (PDF format)
 

We asked our local congressmen if they support it.

 

Senator Tammy Baldwin and Representative Reid Ribble say they’re reviewing it.  Sen. Baldwin’s office also says she has supported it in the past.

 

We have not heard back from Senator Ron Johnson or Representative Glenn Grothman.

[Deborah]

Victoria is still missing.

 

Family Facebook Page

https://www.facebook...ickiProkopovitz

[Deborah]

Victoria's case on WI Clearinghouse for missing.

 

https://www.missingp...a-l-prokopovitz

[Kelly]

http://wbay.com/2015...or-missing-mom/

Sisters Hope Teddy Bear Campaign Will Aid in Search for Missing Mom

by Sarah Thomsen Published: December 16, 2015, 6:05 pm Updated: December 16, 2015, 8:20 pm

The family of a missing Brown County woman is trying to draw national attention to her case in a unique new way.

They’re relying on the help of a travelling teddy bear to get their message out.

They’re doing it with the help of Miles, aka Miles for the Missing Superbear.

He’s travelled the United States this year, moving from coast to coast, covering more than 15,000 miles in 13 states and visiting 16 families.

His latest stop is in Brown County.

“It’s healing a little bit, you know. You wouldn’t think so, but it was amazing how uplifting it was to have him arrive here,” says Marsha Loritz.

She received the bear Monday night. It’s her latest effort to bring awareness and attention to her mom, Victoria Prokopovitz.

She disappeared without a trace from her Town of Pittsfield home in April of 2013.

For nearly three years, Marsha has become a voice for the missing, so when she stumbled across a Facebook page for the Superbear, she knew she had to chance it and asked to participate.

“It is a bear,” says Marsha, “but it’s something to make us smile. It’s something to be able to tell our loved one’s story.”

The travelling bear comes from Project Jason, a non-profit started by the mom of Jason Jolkowski, who disappeared in Nebraska in 2001.

Project Jason highlights missing persons cases and offers support for families.

With each visit from Miles, families share pictures and stories on Facebook, sharing a personal connection you simply can’t find on a missing person’s poster.

“Some will show where they worked or the last place they were seen,” says Marsha, describing the kinds of pictures families post. “We took him yesterday to Kroll’s and had dinner, my sister and I. Kroll’s is meaningful because my mom would take us there to celebrate any special birthdays.”

Marsha hopes this extra attention could help crack just one missing persons case.

In the meantime, she sees this project giving families a little hope.

“Just fun humor, and kind of makes you forget about what this really is about, a little bit, and just smile,” she says.

[Kelly]

http://www.nbc26.com...ittsfield-woman

Reward raised to find missing Pittsfield woman

12:29 PM, Feb 12, 2016

PITTSFIELD, Wis. -- - The Brown County Sheriff's Department reports the reward to find 60 year old Victoria Prokopovitz will continue at $17,000. Prokopovitz was reported missing on April 26, 2013. Investigators say she left her purse, ID, money and cell phone behind.

Prokopovitz has not been seen or heard from since the disappearance. "It is the desire of the Prokopovitz family to offer a $17,000 reward for information leading to the location of Victoria," the news release reads.

Anyone that may have seen Victoria after the date of her disappearance or knows of her whereabouts are asked to call any of the following: the Brown County Sheriff’s Investigative Division at (920) 448-4230; Text to “GBTIP plus your message” to: 274637 (CRIMES); or Crime Stopper Hotline at (920) 432-STOP [7867]. Persons who wish to remain anonymous can do so through the Crime Stoppers hotline.