Overview

Last Seen: August 20, 1999
Location: Nekoosa area, Wood County, Wisconsin
Age: 2 years old
Date of Birth: August 8, 1997
Status: Missing / Endangered Missing
NamUs: MP50856
NCMEC: 1332731
NCIC: M904609879

Main circumstances: Dakota was last seen with his mother, Dayna Menger, and her friend Junelle Marquard. The three accompanied Dayna’s four-year-old daughter to a babysitter outside Nekoosa. Dayna, Junelle and Dakota then left together. Dayna never returned for her daughter, and no confirmed contact with the missing trio has been publicly reported since.

There is no publicly established finding that Dakota, Dayna or Junelle was killed. Investigators have, however, indicated that they believe the disappearance was unlikely to have been voluntary and have investigated possible persons of interest.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Dakota J. Menger Missing Person Case: Toddler Vanished With Mother and Her Friend in Nekoosa, Wisconsin

Two-year-old Dakota J. Menger disappeared from the Nekoosa, Wisconsin area on August 20, 1999, along with his mother, Dayna M. Menger, and Dayna’s friend, Junelle L. Marquard.

More than 27 years later, Dakota remains missing. His disappearance is intertwined with one of central Wisconsin’s enduring missing-person mysteries: three people vanished together, apparently leaving behind no confirmed trail explaining where they went or what happened to them.

Very Brief Case Summary

Last Seen: August 20, 1999
Location: Nekoosa area, Wood County, Wisconsin
Age: 2 years old
Date of Birth: August 8, 1997
Status: Missing / Endangered Missing
NamUs: MP50856
NCMEC: 1332731
NCIC: M904609879

Main circumstances: Dakota was last seen with his mother, Dayna Menger, and her friend Junelle Marquard. The three accompanied Dayna’s four-year-old daughter to a babysitter outside Nekoosa. Dayna, Junelle and Dakota then left together. Dayna never returned for her daughter, and no confirmed contact with the missing trio has been publicly reported since.

There is no publicly established finding that Dakota, Dayna or Junelle was killed. Investigators have, however, indicated that they believe the disappearance was unlikely to have been voluntary and have investigated possible persons of interest.

The Disappearance of Dakota Menger

On Friday, August 20, 1999, 27-year-old Dayna Menger was with her two-year-old son Dakota and her 21-year-old friend Junelle Marquard.

The three took Dayna’s four-year-old daughter to a babysitter in the Nekoosa area. According to accounts subsequently provided by investigators, leaving the girl with this particular babysitter was not unusual.

Dayna, Dakota and Junelle left after the drop-off without publicly known information establishing where they intended to go.

They have not been confirmed seen since.

When Dayna Did Not Return

Dayna did not return to collect her daughter.

Initially, this apparently did not cause immediate alarm because Dayna had previously left the girl with the babysitter for periods of several days. Eventually, however, the length of the absence became unusual.

Wisconsin’s official missing-person clearinghouse states that on August 24, 1999, police were informed that Dayna had not returned for her child. Police checked Dayna’s residence and reported finding nothing unusual.

Later reporting provides a somewhat more complicated account of those early events. WSAW reported that the babysitter eventually contacted Human Services and that Dayna’s parole officer contacted Nekoosa police. However, Dayna, Dakota and Junelle were not formally treated as reported missing at that time.

The daughter left with the babysitter eventually entered foster care and was later adopted.

A Five-Year Delay Before the Investigation

One of the most consequential aspects of the case is the delay between the trio’s disappearance and the beginning of a formal missing-person investigation.

According to investigators interviewed by WSAW, Dayna’s brother formally reported her missing in 2004 — approximately five years after the trio vanished.

By then, investigators faced a significantly different situation from the one that had existed in August 1999.

The residences connected with the women had already been cleared. Investigators therefore lost the opportunity to examine those homes as they appeared immediately after the disappearances and determine such basic details as whether belongings had been packed or apparently abandoned.

Police have publicly described that five-year gap as one of the major obstacles in determining what happened.

Dayna’s Daughter Recalled a Disturbing Phone Call

Years later, one of Dayna’s daughters, identified by the pseudonym “Kate” in WSAW’s reporting, disclosed an important memory.

She recalled receiving a telephone call from her mother around the time of the disappearance. According to Kate, Dayna was crying, said that she loved her and indicated that she had done something “really, really bad.” Kate also remembered her mother saying that she was leaving and would not be coming back.

Because Kate was only a young child at the time, the recollection does not establish what Dayna meant or what subsequently happened.

Kate told WSAW that investigators did not interview her about her memories until late 2017, approximately 18 years after the disappearance.

The phone call has nevertheless become one of the most intriguing publicly known pieces of information in the case.

Investigators Revisit Witnesses and Relationships

Once investigators began reconstructing the case, they attempted to determine who had been closest to Dayna and Junelle before they disappeared.

Detective Brian Machon told WSAW that investigators developed a family tree and examined the people who had the greatest amount of contact with the women.

That work resulted in dozens of interviews.

Investigators have also returned to some witnesses more than once as information obtained from one person generated additional questions for another.

The passage of time remains a major challenge. Memories fade, records disappear and locations that might once have contained evidence can change completely.

Investigators Have Searched for a Vehicle

One of the most significant investigative details publicly disclosed involves an unidentified vehicle.

In reporting published by WSAW in 2023, Detective Machon said investigators were searching databases for “the vehicle” they suspected was connected to the case.

Police did not publicly disclose the make, model, color or owner of that vehicle.

Earlier reporting also indicated investigators had looked into Wisconsin Department of Transportation archives while attempting to obtain vehicle information.

Because authorities have withheld identifying details, it remains unclear exactly how the vehicle may relate to Dakota, Dayna and Junelle or whether investigators have since located it.

Milwaukee Connection Investigated

Authorities have also investigated Dayna’s connections to the Milwaukee area.

Wisconsin’s official missing-person clearinghouse specifically notes that Dayna may have had ties to Milwaukee.

Her daughter also recalled that Dayna sometimes disappeared for several days while spending time there.

Nekoosa investigators told WSAW that they had reached out and gathered information from the Milwaukee area and continued pursuing information connected to it. Authorities did not publicly disclose whether those inquiries produced evidence establishing where the trio went after leaving the babysitter.

Persons of Interest Developed

Police have publicly acknowledged another important development: investigators have developed one or more persons of interest.

Detective Machon told WSAW in 2023 that investigators were not prepared to identify those people publicly because detectives were still attempting to determine what involvement, if any, they might have had.

A person of interest is not necessarily a suspect and the designation does not establish criminal involvement.

No publicly identified person has been charged in connection with the disappearance of Dakota Menger, Dayna Menger or Junelle Marquard.

Multi-Agency Investigation

Although investigators have described the disappearance as a cold case, Nekoosa police emphasized in their detailed 2023 interview that it was not an inactive case.

Authorities said an investigative team had been assembled that included personnel from the Nekoosa Police Department, Wisconsin Rapids Police Department, Wood County Sheriff’s Department and Wisconsin Department of Justice.

That collaboration allowed investigators from several agencies to review and pursue information in the decades-old disappearance.

Latest Publicly Available Case Information

Current records continue to list Dakota as missing.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children currently lists Dakota James Menger, NCMEC case 1332731, as missing from Nekoosa since August 20, 1999. Its current poster shows an age-progression of Dakota to age 21 and lists him as 29 years old.

NCMEC currently directs information to the Nekoosa Police Department at (715) 421-8701.

Wisconsin’s Clearinghouse for Missing & Exploited Children & Adults also continues to maintain Dakota and Dayna’s case and directs tips to Nekoosa police. The Wisconsin listing gives (715) 886-7897 for the department and 1-800-843-4673 for the state clearinghouse.

A November 2025 review of north-central Wisconsin missing-person cases continued to list Dakota, Dayna and Junelle as missing and the Nekoosa Police Department as the investigating agency.

No later public announcement establishing the whereabouts of Dakota, Dayna or Junelle, identifying a charged suspect, recovering remains or resolving the case was located in the records reviewed through September 20, 2026.

The most substantial publicly reported investigative disclosures therefore remain the repeated witness interviews, the search for a potentially relevant vehicle, investigation of Dayna’s Milwaukee connections, development of persons of interest and participation of multiple Wisconsin law-enforcement agencies.

Dakota Menger Today

Dakota was born August 8, 1997 and had recently turned two when he disappeared.

Contemporary descriptions list him at approximately three feet tall and 35 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. Some databases provide a broader estimated range of 2 feet 6 inches to 3 feet and 28 to 35 pounds.

Because Dakota disappeared as a toddler, his appearance today could be dramatically different.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children produced an age-progressed image depicting how Dakota might have appeared at approximately 21 years old.

He would be 29 years old in 2026.

What Remains Unknown

Investigators still face the central question that has existed since August 1999: What happened after Dayna Menger, Junelle Marquard and two-year-old Dakota Menger left the babysitter’s residence?

Publicly available records do not establish their destination after the drop-off.

There has been no publicly confirmed sighting proving that any of the three voluntarily began new lives elsewhere. Conversely, authorities have not announced the discovery of remains or evidence conclusively proving that the three were killed.

Until evidence establishes what happened, Dakota remains a missing person.

Anyone who remembers Dayna, Dakota or Junelle, their associates, their transportation, their activities around August 1999, or circumstances connected with their disappearance is encouraged to contact law enforcement.