22 replies to this topic

[Denise]

http://wkbt.com/Glob...0&nav=menu239_2

Detectives still working to solve year-old homicide

Associated Press - December 26, 2007 8:05 AM ET

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, Wis. (AP) - Detectives in Prairie du Chien (doo SHEEN') are working to find a woman they believe may have been murdered.

Shannon Fischer's parents reported her missing just after Christmas last year.

Police Chief Michael King says investigators theorize that Fischer is a homicide victim. King says around the time of her disappearance, Fischer had been staying with her boyfriend downtown, when they had a falling out.

King says police lack any hard evidence of what might have happped to Fischer.

Missing person signs still hang in the windows of downtown shops in Prairie du Chien.

Police say what makes this case so difficult to solve is that Shannon Fischer didn't have a permanent address, a job, credit cards or a cell phone -- many of the things they would use to track a person.

[Jenn]

http://www.mwnews.ne...on_fischer.html

Prairie du chien, WI woman missing

Prairie du Chien, WI - January 2, 2007 - Shannon Lynn Fischer, age 23, was last seen in Prairie du Chien on Dec. 18th, 2006.
 
According to her parents, Tom and Diane Bouzek, the last person to see her was the man she was dating. Reportedly, they had a falling out that evening and she left the apartment. No one has seen or heard from her since.
 
Her parents did not hear from her Christmas night and made many phone calls to people she might have been with, but no one had any information.
 
They notified the Prairie du Chien Police Department on Thursday, December 28th. Chief King confirmed to Midwest News that none of the people had any information as to her whereabouts.

According to her parents, she doesn’t drive, has no job, no permanent address and no money that they are aware of.
 
Mr. Fischer description is as follows: 23 years old, white, female, 5’03”, 135 lbs, brown eyes and hair.
 
If you have any information about Shannon Fischer, please call the Prairie du Chien Police Dept. at 608-326-2421.



A billboard on Hwy. 18/35 in Prairie du Chien reminds the community that we are still missing one of our own.

Prairie du Chien, WI - Monday, December 17, 2007 - Not every anniversary is happy, and on Tuesday, Dec. 18th it will be one year since anyone has seen or heard from Shannon Fischer.

The last time Ms. Fisher was seen, she was walking down Blackhawk Avenue in the afternoon after leaving her boyfriend’s apartment. Ms. Fisher would be 24 years old now.
 
The idea that someone can just disappear without a trace is always unnerving. There have been too many cases of young people being taken off the streets or from parties or bars and meeting with foul play. Unsolved crimes, and that is certainly what this is, makes society uneasy and less secure.   

Prairie du Chien Police Chief Michael King met with Midwest News in an exclusive interview to discuss the status of the Shannon Fischer case on its one year anniversary. Ms. Fischer disappeared without a trace December 18, 2006.

Despite working with the FBI and DCI, everyone on the case is frustrated for lack of evidence and leads. Basically, we have a missing girl and that’s it, said Chief King and indicated that without new information the case would windup in the cold case file. Chief King was very open about what they know and the current status of the case.

   

[Jenn]

http://www.thonline....e.cfm?id=185888

Thursday, January 3, 2008 
 
Missing woman's family hires psychic
The lack of clues to Fischer's disappearance plague investigation for Prairie du Chien police

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, Wis. -- It's been more than a year since a young Prairie du Chien woman's mysterious disappearance, and there is very little evidence to aid investigators in the case.

Shannon Lynn Fischer, a mother of two, was last seen Dec. 18 on the 400 block of Prairie du Chien's East Blackhawk Avenue with her boyfriend, according to police.

Fischer's family hired a psychic, who is consulting the family. According to Prairie du Chien Police Chief Mike King, the psychic told the family Fischer is dead and her body is in the area -- sparking searches at a quarry on the city's east side using cadaver dogs.

"There isn't anything that we aren't looking at," said King, who added that investigators theorize that Fischer is a homicide victim. "This investigation is still very much open, and we are looking for any information we can get."

King said there has been virtually no evidence found. He said the case is very unusual because Fischer had no driver's license, no cellular telephone, no credit cards or other personal effects.

It's also been one of the most frustrating cases in King's law enforcement career.

"It is extremely difficult to investigate a case that has no identifiable crime scene, no body, no physical evidence, no circumstantial evidence and no known witnesses," King said.

Around the time of her disappearance, Fischer had a falling out with her boyfriend, according to police. King said investigators have "looked at a number of people," including the estranged boyfriend, whom he declined to identify.

"There's really been nothing specific that's stood out," King said.

Nor has there been any activity on Fischer's e-mail address since she was reported missing, and no leads or information that has turned up on the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, a national database used by law enforcement agencies.

"There is just so little to deal with," King said.

Two Prairie du Chien police officers have been working on the case, as well as an investigator from the state Department of Criminal Investigation. Missing-person signs still hang in the windows of downtown shops in Prairie du Chien; two billboards showing Fischer's face and description have been put up asking for any information anyone can provide.

"At this point, we leave no stone unturned," King said, adding investigators are especially grateful to the media for keeping "Shannon's case alive with the public."




Project Jason does NOT recommend the use of psychics in missing persons cases. There is not a single proven case in which a missing person was found using paranormal means. Use of psychics wastes police and other resources, causes prejudice against the case, and emotional harm to the families.

To understand this issue, please see:

http://voice4themiss...ychics-and.html

[Lori Davis]

https://www.findthem...g.org/cases/295
NamUs profile for Shannon Fischer

[Jenn]

Charley Project profile for Shannon: http://www.charleypr...er_shannon.html

[Jenn]

http://www.nbc15.com...s/57816612.html

Special Assignment: Missing Woman - Murder Investigation
A new plea for answers to the mystery of what happened to a local woman, believed to have become the victim of a murder.

Reporter: Dana Brueck and Chief Photojournalist Curt Lenz

Posted Monday, September 14, 2009 --- 10:00 p.m.

"You know, if you don't want to rat somebody out, at least tell us where to find our daughter," Diane Bouzek says.

A new plea for answers to the mystery of what happened to a local woman.

Investigators believe she is the victim of a murder. But, years after her disappearance, they're still working almost every day to determine who's responsible.

At a Prairie du Chien truck stop, the smiling face of a young woman looks out from a blank wall in a back lounge.

"I've been asked numerous times within the last week... did you ever solve that missing person case," Det. Terry Sprosty says.

"I always say 'Good morning, Shannon!' It's how I get through."

At Diane Bouzek's place outside of the city...

"And at night, I say good night... and tell her I love her, miss her."

... a Christmas gift sits wrapped for almost three years.

"They're waiting for her, but I know we'll never get a chance for her to see them," Bouzek says.

Both tell the story of a young woman who vanished from the streets of this quaint, river community.

"This is Blackhawk Avenue. And Shannon spent a lot of time out here on Blackhawk Avenue. She knew a lot of people," Bouzek says.

But no one seems to know what happened to the 23-year-old.

"My gut instinct told me right away something's wrong," Bouzek says.

It was December 2006.

"December 16th is the last time I talked to her," Bouzek says.

The mother and daughter talked about when they'd see each other for the holidays.

"That's when she asked about spending Christmas with the boyfriend and his family, and matter of fact, I had to put her brother on the phone because she had his name for a gift exchange."

Two days later, in downtown Prairie, is the last time anyone would report seeing Shannon Fischer.

"There's apartments above there, and that's the last known place that Shannon was living at the time of her disappearance."

"It was determined she had a falling out with her boyfriend at the time. And then... had gone missing after that," Sprosty says.

Investigators say some of the boyfriend's initial comments raised suspicions.

"I believe his exact words were "She's annoying, and I got rid of her," which is a poor choice of words, which obviously made him an immediate person of interest," the local police chief, Mike King, has said.

But today, police say there's still a number of people of interest.

"There's always chatter about it, no matter where you go," Sprosty says.

And after three years of countless interviews, Det. Terry Sprosty describes a roller coaster of an investigation.

"We're still, um, looking for the so-called golden ticket to find out exactly what happened to Shannon."

What began as a wide open missing person case, is more focused. But part of what makes it difficult - a lack of physical evidence. No crime scene, no body. Shannon Fischer could be anywhere.

"We have done so much ground searching, looking for anything. We've trucked through woods. You would not believe where we've been trucking through," Bouzek says.

But Bouzek is realistic - She knows what police expect to find.

"If someone would say, hey, I heard so and so... say this is possibly where you need to look, please come forward. At least give us that much."

Bouzek used to look forward to her daughter's phone calls...

"I miss her phone calls 'cause she'd call... and go, "Mom, pick up."

"If I could just hear that one more time, "Mom, pick up."

Instead, she holds out hope someone else will call with information ...

"Any little bitty thing could be the big thing."

...to put the case to rest.

"Do I think that there are people out there that just haven't come forward yet and provided information? Yeah, I do," Sprosty says.

...information to put Shannon at peace.

"We won't quit until someone tells the truth because we know this person's out there...and they know exactly what happened to our daughter. And if they think they're going to get away with it, they're wrong 'cause we wont quit until this is solved."

Det. Sprosty says until he has more information, he cannot say if this is a random murder. The Division of Criminal Investigation in the Department of Justice is assisting local police.

If you have any information, contact Prairie du Chien Police or Crime Stoppers.

Prairie du Chien Police at (608) 326-2421 or
Crawford County Crime Stoppers at (866) 779-PAYS

[Lori Davis]

http://www.channel30...269/detail.html

Police: Man Confesses To Killing Missing Prairie Du Chien Woman
Fischer Disappeared In 2006
Updated: 6:24 pm CDT October 11, 2010



PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, Wis. -- Police in southwestern Wisconsin said a man has confessed to killing his girlfriend, who disappeared in 2006.

At a news conference Monday, Prairie du Chien Police Chief Chad Abram said Michael John Burroughs, 26, showed up at the police department Sunday morning and told officers he killed Shannon Fischer.

Fischer was last seen Dec. 18, 2006 at her apartment in Prairie du Chien.

In 2007, Fischer's mother, Diane, said she called Burroughs when her daughter went missing. Diane said Burroughs said, "I got rid of her. She was annoying."

Burroughs told investigators that he meant he had simply broken up with Fischer.

WXOW-TV reported that Burroughs was expected to appear in Crawford County Circuit Court Monday afternoon.

[Lori Davis]

http://lacrossetribu...1cc4c03286.html

Burroughs bound over for trial in 2006 disappearance

By Chris Hubbuch |  lacrossetribune.com | Posted: Friday, October 22, 2010 5:00 pm

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN - A Prairie du Chien man accused of strangling his girlfriend and dumping her body in the trash was bound over for trial today in Crawford County Circuit Court.

Michael John Burroughs did not enter a plea to charges of first-degree reckless homicide and hiding a corpse in the 2006 death of Shannon Fischer, but Judge James Czajkowski found probable cause for trial.

Authorities have yet to find Fischer's body, although they now are focusing their search on a 50,000 square-foot section of the Deer Track Park landfill in Watertown, Wis., Investigator Stacy Polodna said during questioning.

Fischer, 23, was reported missing in December 2006 and her disappearance confounded authorities until Burroughs walked in to the police station Oct. 10 and confessed to killing her.

According to a criminal complaint, the 26-year-old told investigators he fatally choked Fischer when he thought she had stolen his drugs. He said he kept her body in a closet for two or three days before dumping it in a garbage bin behind his building on Blackhawk Avenue.

Police questioned Burroughs shortly after Fischer disappeared, and he told them he had kicked her out of the apartment and hadn't seen her since. They have not indicated what motivated him to come forward nearly four years later.

Public defender Rose Oliveto indicated her client came to the police station suffering from mental health problems and believing he had been poisoned.

Burroughs said he had no help and didn't tell anyone of his crime, according to the complaint.

[Jenn]

http://www.pdctoday....-murder-update/

Breaking News: Shannon Fischer Murder Update

by Dan Moris on Monday, October 11th, 2010

After nearly four years, Prairie du Chien police report that a man walked into the police department on Sunday to confess to the murder of Shannon Fischer.

Here’s a statement from the Prairie du Chien Police Department:

    At approximately 9:30 Sunday morning October 10th 2010, a 26-year old male entered
    the Crawford County Jail, and confessed to the murder of Shannon Fischer. Fischer
    disappeared in December 2006, and her case remains an open investigation. After
    being interviewed by officers within my department, the suspect was taken into
    formal custody early Sunday afternoon.

    The suspect, Michael John Burroughs, will appear in Crawford County Court at
    approximately 2:30 PM this afternoon (Monday) for an initial bond hearing. The
    Prairie du Chien Police Department and the Crawford County District Attorney's
    Office are requesting homicide charges against Burroughs for the murder of Shannon
    Fischer.

    I also want to thank the Bouzek Family for their patience during this investigation,
    and we ask the media and public to respect their privacy during this time. Our
    department has shifted resources to allow a greater emphasis on this investigation.
    The case remains under investigation, and, due to the sensitivity of the case, many
    of your questions will not be answered until a later date.

[Jenn]

http://lacrossetribu...1cc4c03286.html

PdC man pleads not guilty to homicide

By Chris Hubbuch || Posted: Thursday, October 28, 2010 12:05 am

A Prairie du Chien man who authorities said confessed earlier this month to killing his girlfriend four years ago in a dispute over drugs pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges in her death. Michael John Burroughs, 26, withheld his right to plead not guilty by reason of mental disease on charges of first-degree reckless homicide and hiding a corpse, according to the Crawford County Clerk of Courts office.

His attorney also sought a change of venue from Prairie du Chien if the case goes to trial. A hearing is set for Nov. 24 to determine if Burroughs is mentally competent to understand the proceedings and assist in his defense.

The disappearance of 23-year-old Shannon Fischer in December 2006 confounded authorities until Burroughs walked into the police station Oct. 10 and announced he had killed her.

According to the complaint, Burroughs told investigators he fatally choked Fischer when he thought she had stolen his methamphetamine. He kept her body in a closet for several days, he said, before dumping it in a garbage bin behind his building on Blackhawk Avenue.

Burroughs faces up to 60 years if convicted on the homicide charge.

[Jenn]

http://lacrossetribu...1cc4c03286.html

Doc: Suspected killer not competent: Judge allows state to seek second opinion

By Chris Hubbuch  | Posted: Thursday, November 25, 2010 12:00 am

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN - A psychiatrist says a Prairie du Chien man accused of killing his girlfriend and hiding her body needs treatment in order to stand trial, but the prosecutor wants a second opinion.

Michael Burroughs believed for months he was being poisoned and attempted suicide before he showed up at the Crawford County Sheriff's Department on Oct. 10 and confessed to killing Shannon Fischer four years earlier, according to the report by a doctor with the Wisconsin Forensic Unit.

Burroughs suffers from a psychotic disorder and multiple substance dependency but could be treated enough for competency, the report said.

Crawford County Circuit Judge James Czajkowski granted a continuance Wednesday to give District Attorney Tim Baxter time to have another doctor examine Burroughs, 26.

Baxter said he had "serious questions about the findings" but declined to elaborate. Burroughs will return to court Dec. 16, unless the second evaluation concurs with the first.

Fischer, 23, was reported missing in December 2006, and her disappearance confounded authorities until Burroughs showed up almost four years later and announced he had killed her.

According to a criminal complaint, Burroughs told investigators he strangled Fischer when he thought she had stolen his methamphetamine, then kept her body in a closet for several days before dumping it in a garbage bin behind his building on Blackhawk Avenue.

Burroughs faces up to 60 years if convicted of the homicide charge.

According to the psychiatrist's report, Burroughs began feeling in January that someone - possibly his stepfather - was trying to poison him. He told the doctor his ears popped, his side would hurt and his stomach would rumble. He felt drunk and needed fresh air.

Burroughs said he turned himself in to escape those feelings, according to the report. He said he feels safer in jail, though he still gets the sensation of being poisoned.

Burroughs told the doctor he was a heavy drinker when he was 20 but went through treatment and cut back. He said he used crystal meth in the months around Fischer's disappearance but stopped.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.cdispatch...le.asp?aid=9317

Investigators gathering information at landfill

By Steve Sharp of the Daily Times staff
Wednesday, December 22, 2010 12:44 PM CST

JEFFERSON - The Prairie du Chien Police Department has been conducting an information-gathering investigation at the Deer Track Park Landfill related to the possibility that the remains of a missing Prairie du Chien woman could be buried there.

According to an article in the Vernon County Broadcaster newspaper, Shannon Fischer, 23, of Prairie du Chien, went missing in 2006. A check with Wisconsin's CCAP online court records Web site indicated this week her former boyfriend, Michael Burroughs, 26, also of Prairie du Chien, recently entered pleas of not guilty to charges of first-degree reckless homicide and hiding a corpse in connection with her presumed death. It is alleged he choked her to death.

Burroughs confessed to investigators in October that he killed Fischer because she stole methamphetamine from him. He allegedly hid the woman's body in his apartment closet for a few days and later disposed of it in a Dumpster behind his residence. The waste in that container is believed to have been taken to the Deer Track Park landfill in Farmington for disposal.

Prairie du Chien police Chief Chad Abram told the Daily Times this week the matter is an ongoing investigation and he could not discuss it.

“I will not be commenting on it at this time,” Abram said. He did not say if any evidence has been turned up at the landfill. 

Jefferson County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Jeff Parker said his department has had nothing to do with the investigation and has, so far, simply been notified by case investigators that the investigation was taking place within Jefferson County borders.

“They made us aware of their investigation,” Parker said.

A call to Lynn Morgan, a spokeswoman for Deer Track Park was not returned.

Burroughs, who investigators believe disposed of Fischer's body around Dec. 20, 2006, is scheduled for a mental competency hearing on Jan. 6, 2011.

[Jenn]

http://lacrossetribu...1cc4c002e0.html

PdC murder suspect ruled incompetent

By Chris Hubbuch  lacrossetribune.com | Posted: Friday, January 7, 2011 12:15 am

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN — Legal proceedings were suspended Thursday against a Prairie du Chien man accused of killing his girlfriend when a judge ruled him incompetent to stand trial. Michael Burroughs, 26, was committed to the state and will be treated for a disorder, diagnosed as either delusions or psychosis, that causes him to believe he’s being poisoned.

That belief, his attorney contended, is what led Burroughs to walk into the police station Oct. 10, nearly four years after the disappearance of Shannon Fischer, and confess to her killing. And it is compelling him to want to go to prison, where he believes the air will be fresher.

If treatment is successful, Burroughs again will face charges of first-degree reckless homicide and hiding a corpse. With medication, a psychiatrist testified, he should be well enough to aid in his defense within 12 months.

Fischer, 23, was reported missing in December 2006, and her disappearance confounded authorities until Burroughs came forward. According to a criminal complaint, he told investigators he choked Fischer when he thought she had stolen his methamphetamine. He kept her body in a closet for several days, he said, before dumping it in a garbage bin behind his  Blackhawk Avenue apartment.

In the months before his confession, Burroughs believed his stepfather was poisoning the air around him, according to psychological evaluations. As a result, he moved often, living for a time in a tent and a storage unit.

Two experts who examined Burroughs reached similar conclusions on his mental health but differed on his ability to aid in his legal defense.

Beth Huebner, a forensic psychologist brought in by the district attorney, diagnosed Burroughs with a delusional disorder she described as “well confined.”

“He can function normally outside of the time when he’s thinking about that delusion,” she testified Thursday in Crawford County Circuit Court.

Dr. Brad Smith, a psychiatrist with the Wisconsin Forensic Unit, diagnosed Burroughs with a psychotic disorder he said interferes with his decision making. For example, Smith said, Burroughs tried to kill himself and sought incarceration to escape his sensations of being poisoned.

District Attorney Tim Baxter argued Burroughs’ symptoms could be caused by anxiety or guilt and that his behavior — though strange — has been rational: he consistently took actions to escape the perceived poisoning.

Burroughs, who has been in custody since Oct. 10, sat silently at the defense table and showed no emotion during the two-hour hearing.

Circuit Judge James Czajkowski said he considered both witnesses equally credible and their findings similar but ruled the state had not met its burden to prove Burroughs is competent.

“My daughter’s dead, and no one’s paying for it,” Fischer’s mother whispered when Czajkowski made his ruling. “When do we get justice?”

[Lori Davis]

http://www.nbc15.com...stigation_.html

 

UPDATE: Missing Woman: Murder Investigation

 

Posted: Tue 2:38 PM, Apr 03, 2012

 

UPDATED Tuesday, April 3, 2012 --- 2:35 p.m.

 

From the Wisconsin Attorney General's Office:

 

MADISON — Michael J. Burroughs, of Marquette, Iowa, was sentenced today in Crawford County Circuit Court before the Hon. James P. Czajkowski to 31 years in prison after pleading no contest on January 24, 2012, to First Degree Reckless Homicide.

 

The Court sentenced Burroughs to 25 years initial confinement followed by six years extended supervision for his involvement in the December 18, 2006, death of 23-year-old Shannon Fischer. A felony charge of Hiding a Corpse was dismissed.

 

According to the Criminal Complaint, Burroughs confessed in October of 2010 to police to killing his one-time girlfriend, by strangling her and putting her body in a dumpster outside of his apartment in Prairie du Chien in December of 2006. Fischer’s body has never been recovered.

 

Crawford County District Attorney Tim Baxter prosecuted the case. The Prairie du Chien Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation.