FENNIMORE MAYOR TALKED TO CHRISTINE RUDY DAY BEFORE SHE WENT MISSING
Tuesday, December 6th, 2005 -- 11:50 AM
A southwestern Wisconsin town is now tied to the disappearance of Christine Rudy. The 21-year-old Thorp woman has been missing since November 12th. She?s six-months pregnant. Her husband, 23-year-old Shaun Rudy, tells investigators he left his wife on the road south of Thorp because the two were arguing. She hasn?t been seen or heard from since. One of the more interesting twists to this case comes from another statement Shaun made to authorities.
He also told investigators he left his wife on a road in Crawford County. While he told authorities this occurred on November 8th or 9th, we now know it likely happened late November 10th or early November 11th. Christine then walked about between 7-12 miles to Fennimore where she went to St. Mary?s Church and called her husband, who picked her up the next day.
Fennimore?s mayor, Richard Rogers, began setting up for Mass at the church at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, November 11th, when he spotted Christine sitting in the front pew.
"She was bent over, she had her head in her hands and it looked as though she was crying," Rogers says. "We had Mass and she did not move a muscle during Mass."
After the service, Rogers approached Christine and asked her if everything was all right. While she appeared to be crying, she assured Rogers that her husband would be picking her up in about 15-minutes. But, a few hours later Christine was still in the church hall.
"She told me that her husband had let her out of the car somewhere ten or twelve miles out Fennimore," Rogers says. "She said she worked through bluff areas and, at one time, she almost fell over a cliff."
"When she got out of the car, she took a stocking cap and a flashlight. She had on a very light jacket," Rogers says.
Rogers says she seemed very distraught that morning, but by the afternoon, her spirits had picked up and she was looking forward to going back home.
Rogers says she was gone when he looked for her that afternoon and he assumes her husband had picked her up.
In another interesting twist, Rudy told Rogers there had been another woman in the car when her husband left her the night before. She described the woman as a ?good friend?.
The Clark County Sheriff's Department confirms they know who this woman is and have questioned her.
Investigators have sent Shaun?s car and another unidentified vehicle to the state crime lab to be processed for possible evidence and they continue searching the Clark County forest area, now moving their search inward using K-9 units.
Again, this is still considered a missing person case and Shaun Rudy is not considered a suspect. He remains jailed a $1,000 cash bond and a probation hold. If you have information about this case, you?re asked to call (715) 743-3157.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.