Wisconsin Rapids Man Identified as a John Doe in Montana

Wednesday, November 30th, 2022 -- 12:00 PM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) A Wisconsin Rapids man has been identified as a John Doe in Big Sky Country.

Officers in Carbon County say Roger Lee Elis' remains were found along a highway in 2004. Elis was in his 20s when he left Wisconsin Rapids in the 1970s, telling his family he was "heading west." That was the last contact he had with them.

Officers believe he may have been killed by a person or group of people who picked him up along the way, who then dumped his body and fled. A team of forensic scientists in Texas were recently able to create a sophisticated DNA profile on the remains, which came back as a match to Elis.

Officers are treating the case as a homicide, and looking to interview anyone who may have bumped into Elis in his final days to piece together what happened.

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