FOND DU LAC, WI — A decades-old Wisconsin missing person case has turned into a homicide arrest after investigators say they developed probable cause in the disappearance and death of James Ruland. The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jerome Baier, Ruland’s former roommate, on a charge of first-degree intentional homicide after a search of his rural Marathon County home early Friday morning, Sept. 18.

Ruland vanished in 1995 and his remains have never been found. He was 40 years old and from the town of Ripon. Baier, now 83, is being held in the Fond du Lac County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court Monday, Sept. 21.

How a missing person case shifted into a homicide investigation

For years, Ruland’s case sat in the category investigators use when a person cannot be located. But as evidence accumulated, detectives say the facts began to point away from an unexplained disappearance and toward a homicide. That change in direction did not happen overnight.

The sheriff’s office says investigators kept working the case over three decades, reviewing records, following leads and comparing old information with new findings. The decision to arrest Baier reflects the point at which detectives believed the evidence was strong enough to support a homicide charge, even though Ruland’s body has not been recovered.

Authorities have not said the arrest ends the case. Instead, they say the search for more information continues, especially about what happened to Ruland after he was last seen.

Ruland was last seen in 1995 and his station wagon later turned up at a truck stop

According to investigators, Ruland was last seen on Oct. 24, 1995. A witness later said they may have spotted him hitchhiking in North Fond du Lac a few days after that sighting, but he was never seen again.

Officials also say Ruland’s station wagon was found at a North Fond du Lac truck stop on Nov. 14, 1994, with the keys in the ignition and his possessions in the cargo area. That vehicle discovery became one of the key details in the long-running investigation.

Ruland’s information was entered into multiple nationwide databases, and investigators continued to search for him over the years. Still, his fate remained unclear, and no remains were ever located.

Searches ranged from K-9s and radar to dives and farm excavations

Detectives used a wide mix of search tools as they tried to find Ruland or learn what happened to him. That work included human remains detection dogs, ground-penetrating radar and aerial searches.

Investigators also carried out large-scale excavations of possible burial sites, searched waterways by diving and looked through a pig farm’s manure pit. Despite those efforts, Ruland was not found. The repeated searches show how deeply authorities pursued leads in a case that stretched on for years without a body.

The case also drew on help from multiple agencies, including the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation and the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office. Their assistance became part of the broader effort to keep the investigation moving.

Forensic testing in 2021 helped revive the investigation

One of the most important recent developments came in 2021, when forensic technology led detectives to ask for more testing on evidence that had already been submitted. The Wisconsin State Crime Lab then returned results that matched information investigators had gathered from interviews.

Those findings helped strengthen the case and keep the investigation active. From there, detectives continued to build on the record they had assembled over many years, eventually reaching the point where they believed an arrest was justified.

The sheriff’s office has said the renewed testing was not the only factor, but it was a major step in moving the case forward after years of dead ends and unanswered questions.

What happens next in the Fond du Lac County case

Baier’s first court appearance is set for Monday, Sept. 21, and he remains in custody in Fond du Lac County. The homicide charge makes this one of the most significant developments in the case since Ruland disappeared.

Even with an arrest, investigators say they are still looking into Ruland’s death and disappearance. The sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information to come forward, including people who may have small details that could help fill gaps in the timeline.

Tipsters can call Lt. Alex Volm at 920-924-2406 or Det. Dave Olig at 920-906-4799. Anonymous tips can be left through the Fond du Lac County Law Enforcement Tip Line at 920-906-4777.

Local news that matters, from Dulaney Griffin.