VIROQUA, Wis. — A man has been charged with murder in western Wisconsin, decades after a woman's body was found decapitated and burned.
The charge of first-degree murder against Michael R. Popp was announced in a press conference Tuesday. According to Monroe County District Attorney Kevin Croninger, Popp was 21 at the time. He is now 60.
The case dates back to Feb. 14, 1985, when 24-year-old Terry Dolowy was last seen. She was found dead four days later, Croninger said, on Mohawk Valley Road, south of La Crosse.
Croninger said the charge against Popp comes amid new developments in forensic science. Vernon County District Attorney Angela Palmer-Fisher said the efforts of multiple counties and multiple generations brought them to the charge filed Tuesday.
