What happened to Rhys Pocan? Details about Crime Junkie podcast subject, explored

Rhys Pocan was a 35-year-old Native American woman who disappeared on the night of August 10, 1989. Rhys used to live in the neighborhood of Black River Falls and was last seen walking along National Avenue Lane, Milwaukee, in the state of Wisconsin. Authorities from the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Office embarked on a search, but even after weeks, she was not found.

However, an anonymous 911 call led the investigators to evidence that involved not just Rhys' family but the entire police department. Soon it was discovered that Rhys had been murdered and her body had been dismembered into pieces.

The complete story of Rhys Pocan's disappearance is the subject of Crime Junkie's podcast titled WANTED: Justice for Rhys Pocan & MMW. The official description on the podcast reads:

In 2021, we set out to cover the case of Rhys Pocan, a 35-year-old Indigenous woman who was murdered in Wisconsin in the ‘80s. But while we were in the field, we uncovered a disturbing pattern of murders with similarities to Rhys’ that were just too blatant to ignore. So, we spent the next three years working with local and federal law enforcement to try and get to the bottom of it.

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What is the story of Rhys Pocan?

Rhys was last seen between 34th and National Avenue (Image via Pexels)

According to a WEAU 13 News article published on February 17, 2025, Rhys Pocan was a 35-year-old Native American woman who lived in the Black River Falls area of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

As per a TMJ4 article published on November 9, 2023, her daughter Charlee saw her getting on the bike and riding away that night. As reported in the TMJ4 article, Charlee said:

"I remember her getting on her bike and I said, “I want to go with her. Why can't I go with you?’ And she said, ‘No, you can't come with me this time,’” she said. “I watched her ride away on her bike and that memory will always be ingrained in my head."

Charlee saw her mother getting on a bicycle but she never returned (Image via Pexels)

Reportedly, she was last seen between 34th and National Avenue, before she disappeared completely. In the TMJ4 article, Charlee recalled her mother writing a postcard for her, saying:

"‘I was thinking of you and thought I'd send a card to say how much I love you and miss you. Love, mom.’”

Authorities from The Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office soon began a search around the area but failed to find her. It was declared that Rhys Pocan had been abducted. However, the investigation took a sharp turn when local hunters made a shocking discovery.

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Rhys Pocan was murdered, and her body was dismembered into pieces

The dismembered pieces of Rhys' body were found on a hunting ground (Image via Pexels)

As per the TMJ4 article, authorities from Sheboygan County received an anonymous 911 call, which led them to a public hunting ground named Nichol's Creek, located in Sheboygan County. Here, the investigators discovered the dismembered torso of Rhys Pocan.

They led police dogs to retrieve the remaining parts of her body but were unsuccessful. However, then some local hunters reported that the dismembered head and hands of Rhys were found at a hunting ground named Vernon Marsh in Waukesha County.

Rhys' dismembered head and hands were found in Vernon Marsh in Waukesha County.(Image via Pexels)

Charlee reported that it was hard for her family. In the TMJ4 article, she said:

“So many questions. What did she do to deserve this?"

However, even after investigating for months, the police failed to identify or track down the murderer. For over the next three decades, the case went cold completely. It was in 2017 when Detective Nathan Hatch from the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Office was reassigned to the case.

Detective Hatch strongly believes that Rhys Pocan knew her murderer already. He reported,

"In the last year and a half the case has started to heat up.”

Detective Nathan Hatch restarted the investigation in 2017 (Image via Pexels)

As per Detective Hatch, they have sent the preserved case evidence back for testing with the latest forensic science technology. He revealed that they had taken interviews from people who were present near the area where Rhys disappeared at that time. As reported in the TMJ4 article, he said,

“This year alone we’ve had 35 interviews which have taken us to Gays Mills, Black River Falls, Kohler, Green Bay, Fond du Lac, East Troy, Milwaukee, Plymouth, etc.”

Detective Nathan Hatch still believes that the perpetrator is alive. He is still developing possible suspects to continue the investigation.

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Check our other articles to learn details about more cases on the Crime Junkie podcast.