Portage County authorities waiting on DNA confirmation to ID body found in corn field

PORTAGE COUNTY, Wis. (WSAW) - Authorities in Portage County believe they know the identity of a person found dead in a cornfield earlier this week.

A body was found Wednesday afternoon in the town of Belmont by a farm worker. Authorities said the death at this time is being investigated as suspicious.

Investigators are still waiting for DNA confirmation.

Deputies from the Portage County Sheriff’s Office responded and found the body in the cornfield near the intersection of 15th Road and Lein Road.

The Portage County Medical Examiner was notified and responded to the scene. It appears the individual had been at this location for some time due to decomposition.

The Sheriff’s Office is working with the Medical Examiner’s Office and the Wisconsin Crime Lab to positively identify the deceased person.

Assisting in the investigation is the Wisconsin Crime Lab, Wisconsin State Patrol, Almond Fire Department and the Portage County Medical Examiner’s Office. At this time, it appears to be an isolated incident and the public is not at any risk.

Wednesday’s case marks the third death investigation of this kind in central Wisconsin.

On Aug. 22, a body was found in a wooded area south of the intersection of Cloverland Lane and Woodchuck Lane in the town of Rib Mountain. The identity of the person has not yet been determined and remains under investigation. Thursday, a spokeswoman for the Marathon County Sheriff’s Department said the agency is waiting on the completion of DNA analysis in order to confirm the identity of the person. The timeline of when it will receive that information is unknown.

On July 12, skeletal remains were found in the Wisconsin River in Port Edwards by maintenance crews at the dam. Wood County Sheriff Shawn Becker said they are waiting on DNA results.

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