Jennifer Wesho, 9, Raped/Murdered, 1989, WI
Wisconsin's Unsolved Murders: 9-Year-Old Jennifer Wesho Reporter: Mark Povolny Email Address: mark.povolny@weau.com In 1989, 9-year-old Jennifer Wesho was beaten, raped, and murdered near Black River Falls. Two years later, prosecutors charged a 19-year old man with Jennifer’s murder, but the case fell through, and her family is still waiting for justice. Two of Jennifer’s uncles, Norman and Ralph Snake, say the family has accepted her death, but say it has been hard, especially for Jennifer’s mom. They also say the family has forgiven Jennifer’s killer, even though almost 18 years after her death, they still don't know who to forgive. Jennifer's body lies in an unmarked grave under the snow, just a few miles from where she grew up in the village of Sand Pillow. Her uncle, Ralph Snake, says not knowing who killed his niece is hard. “It's not only hurting our family, but it's also hurting the people who did it, because these people must have been in a state of mind that was unclean, unhealthy, so they need to fess up to what happened that day, that night, because it might be tearing their families apart and there's people who know, but nobody's talking,” he says. Jennifer left the house on a summer day 18 years ago. When she didn't come back that night, her father, Clifford Wesho, started to worry. He called the police to report her missing and started a search. The next morning, August 6, 1989, he found his daughter. The police report says an olive-colored blanket was covering Jennifer’s body, which was partially nude and had cuts and bruises. “It's tough to see a child that's victimized in that nature,” says Detective Scott Bowe, the investigator now in charge of Jennifer’s case. The autopsy listed trauma and strangulation as the causes of death. The forensic pathologist also noted she had been sexually assaulted and had cigarette burns on her body from before and after death. She also had a shoe mark on her abdomen. The pathologist called Jennifer’s death "a cruel homicide." “If a person that's capable of doing this one time, you know it's possible they may be capable of doing it again,” Bowe says. In 1991, investigators arrested 19-year-old Dion Funmaker. Alan Moeller, the Jackson County District Attorney, charged him with 1st degree intentional homicide, 1st degree sexual assault, and physical abuse of a child. The criminal complaint says Funmaker told investigators that he saw Jennifer’s body the night she died. His description of her body and clothing matched the scene and he was able to make a diagram of her body's location. The state's case was based on two key witnesses- Funmaker's cousin, Carl McKee and Carl’s wife Heather. According to the criminal complaint, Carl said he talked to Funmaker about Jennifer’s death. Carl also said Funmaker admitted to killing Jennifer. Heather said she overheard her husband’s conversation with Funmaker. "About how he had choked her and burned her with cigarettes,” Heather McKee said in testimony in 1991. “And he said, 'I had to kill her.' And he said he was squeezing her throat." But District Attorney Moeller says someone came forward with incriminating information against Heather. After Funmaker spent 20 days in jail, the state dropped all charges, but Jackson County Sheriff Duane Waldera says Funmaker is still a person of interest. “We know that he has knowledge or maybe more knowledge about the incident than maybe he's giving us,” says Waldera. Waldera says the department updates Jennifer’s parents on the case's progress. He also says the Wisconsin Crime Lab is taking a fresh look at some evidence from the murder scene to see if advances in technology will turn up anything new. For now, Jennifer’s family is left with their memories of the little girl they lost that summer day. “It's always going to be there, not knowing who did it,” says Jennifer’s uncle, Norman Snake, Sr. “She was a very beautiful little girl.” “She was always happy and smiling,” says Ralph Snake. “I still remember her smiles.” Sheriff Waldera and Detective Bowe met with the Jackson County district attorney and the Department of Criminal Investigation on Friday. Bowe says they need to find several people of interest and talk to them. If you have any information about this case, please call the Jackson County Sheriff's Department at 715-284-9009. http://www.weau.com/news/headlines/5813106.html