The Ides of March have arrived at last, and in particular Saint Patrick day festivities, so Milwaukee's notorious police force plans to be out in "full force" this year, they've already begun warning.
Considering their reputation for brutality, this could be interpreted as a serious threat or seen as a genuine promise to protect, but, whichever, it's mostly being done in the name of two prominent missing person cases--that of Tom Hecht and Nick Wilcox.
Both young men were only in their middle twenties when each mysteriously vanished while painting the town with their friends.
Both young men were only in their middle twenties when each mysteriously vanished while painting the town with their friends.
In Hecht's case he was found floating in the river a few days after he vanished during St. Patrick celebrations in 2012. But Wilcox, who was last seen on New Year's day 2013 being hauled out by security personnel from the ill-famed and defunct Irish Rec Room, still remains unaccounted for.
This, despite the Wilcox family recently posting a $10,000 reward for information that will lead to his return, dead or alive.
To prevent more such casualties the MPD will be beefing up their presence and patrolling the downtown section, in the hopes of making it "safer" for revelers this holiday. Especially for young male bar-patrons who seem to have a penchant in that city for being dragged out of pubs and clubs by bouncers and disappearing shortly thereafter.
This, despite the Wilcox family recently posting a $10,000 reward for information that will lead to his return, dead or alive.
To prevent more such casualties the MPD will be beefing up their presence and patrolling the downtown section, in the hopes of making it "safer" for revelers this holiday. Especially for young male bar-patrons who seem to have a penchant in that city for being dragged out of pubs and clubs by bouncers and disappearing shortly thereafter.
As to what exactly the cops will be doing to prevent similar incidents this time around, "I'm not going to get specific as to what our deployment strategy is, but there will be a heightened presence out here," Milwaukee police Officer Jose Alba vaguely reiterated.
Well, that's cool then. Extra security for a 'Smiley Face Killer' hot zone like the city of Milwaukee can't be a bad idea.
Well, that's cool then. Extra security for a 'Smiley Face Killer' hot zone like the city of Milwaukee can't be a bad idea.
Just one more question, though: Who'll be policing the police...?
Robert Steinbrecker has not been mentioned. He disappeared aroind the same time as Nick Wilcox, in Cedarburg. It is a short ride out of downtown Milwaukee on Highway 43 to get there. He disappeared on the creek and was later found in an area of the creek that was well away from his last known location, and in the opposite direction he was headed.
ReplyDeleteI did indeed post in this weblog about Steinbrecker's disappearance, even though his buddies that night insisted he "ran up ahead" and even implied he willingly stepped into Cedar Creek (or onto it, as it was semi-frozen).
ReplyDeleteI believe the blog post where he's mentioned is titled "Milwaukee's Missing Men" - but if you put his name in the search box you'll find all coverage concerning him, including comments, if any.
Little else has appeared in the media since Rob Steinbrecker's drowned and frozen corpse was retrieved from that same creek, so your info this week is very valuable, and I thank you for it.
Please feel free to add anymore data here that you come across, and/or use the contact link on the right side panel if you wish to send me a tip directly.
Again, thanks for the update on this case. It's always puzzled me and, personally, I suspected at the time that the group of young men may have had a disagreement while they were walking home from the pub...and something nefarious resulted as a consequence.
E.R.
There a a recent disappearance of a young man at Broncos in Lacrosse. He did show up later saying he could not remember where he was. This is the same bar where reports have been made that people were drugged while at this bar.
ReplyDeleteI think you could add Neala Frye to your list of potential victims as well. Also, the men out of Portland, OR seems pretty interesting too.
ReplyDeleteI had posted earlier about not including Robert Steinbrecker. I did not see the post at that time......but have read it now.
ReplyDeleteThe article with the most info is from the local print paper. I did not save the paper and now wish i had!
I live in Cedarburg and have lived in the area for 2/3 of my life. If he left Maxwell's and hopped on to Cedar Creek and was recovered near Highland.......he woukd have travelled over 2 miles. That is if he was going in a straight line down Washington Ave feom Maxwells. If he followed the creek.....i am guessing it is significantly furthur. The creek flows east and then winds south again.
I am trying to get more details.....but my gf mentioned that he would have gone over a dam at least 1 time if not twice. How can a person walk a dam? I am trying to figure out the validity of this. But cannot remember/find info as to whether or not he was headed north or south away from Maxwell's.
I believe he was headed north.....but ended up south.
As for the small amount of info out there. This is a small town. It is very touristy....so i think they want to put on a good face. It is a somewhat affluent area. If Mr. Steinbrecker was not part of the corrext social circles, i doubt it would be heavily reported in this area.
I live halfway in between where he disappeared and was found. I never saw 1 flyer at the gas stations, CVS, Walgreens, Pig Wig. If skmething nefarious did indeed happen, it would be easy to get away with it in this apathetic town.
This explains a lot--thank you for it.
DeleteMy instinct about this winter drowning, coupled with the fact that Steinbrecker's puzzling disappearance was receiving so little press, is what prompted me to cover it here.
My initial analysis of any case is purely objective and often informed by crime stats. Those stats don't lie and time and time again show that most murder victims are killed by people they're acquainted with, referred to as "crimes of passion." Better put, these are violent acts committed in the heat of the moment which inadvertently result in death. Meaning murder was not the main objective; venting extreme rage was.
So...what I initially thought about Steinbrecker's disappearance and drowning I still believe today: That en route to his destination he and his friends squabbled. They had just left a pub so, obviously, alcohol added to the mix and then it got out of hand. This does happen with young males sometimes.
Those companions of his also repeatedly insisted he "ran up ahead" yet never explained why he would have done this. That remains my primary interest now. Why did Steinbrecker run? Was he running from something or running toward it? Where was he actually headed? What route did he actually take?
They also insisted he willingly walked onto the creek at some point implying it was a shortcut, which most creeks aren't because they meander and wind. Regardless, how did they see him do that in the dark? How could they be sure of it yet not be able to track and find him later?
Personally, I think a local boy would've known better than to do that anyway, as even in subzero temps ice formations on creeks tend to be quite brittle and depths unpredictable. (FYI: I used to skate on rivers and am therefore familiar with what is and isn't safe to tread on - friends of mine who didn't ice skate played ice hockey instead, both common activites in the northland for people of Steinbrecker's age, interests, and makeup.)
Anyway, relay to me whatever info you do manage to find and I will continue to explore this troubling death. Nobody should be left un-advocated for if they've been the victim of foul play.
Nobody.
You are right on.......the creek does meander and wind outside of the downtown area. It also hooks up to the Milwaukee River not far from where Steinbreckers body was found.
ReplyDeleteHe was headed north.....and ended up wayyyyyyy south. I KNOW his body could have been carried by the creek. Just seems a bit odd to me.