Overview

Last Seen: October 31, 2022
Location: Oconto, Wisconsin
Age When Missing: 21
Status: Missing; investigation remains active
Oconto Police Case: C22-04930
NamUs Case: MP107193

Main circumstances: Wenzel left a relative’s home at approximately 9 p.m. after reportedly going outside to meet someone. Early police information said he was seen getting into a vehicle with another male. His cell phone subsequently pinged south of Oconto in the Abrams area near a Shell station and Brookside Cemetery before the electronic trail ended farther south. Searches did not locate him. Investigators later pursued leads involving Adams County, analyzed subpoenaed cell-phone records and conducted at least one cadaver-dog search. No one has been publicly charged in connection with his disappearance.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Jacob T.S. Wenzel Missing Person Case: What Happened on Halloween Night 2022 in Oconto, Wisconsin?

Jacob Thomas Scott Wenzel was 21 years old when he disappeared from Oconto, Wisconsin, on Halloween night, October 31, 2022. More than three years later, Wenzel remains missing, and his disappearance remains an active investigation.

Wisconsin authorities continue to list Wenzel as missing, while his family has spent years seeking answers about what happened after he left a relative’s home that night.

Jacob Wenzel’s Last Known Night

On the afternoon of October 31, 2022, Wenzel called his mother. According to later reporting, he said he was going with his girlfriend and cousin to The Breakwater, a park at the mouth of the Oconto River.

The group later went to his cousin’s home. At approximately 9 p.m., his cousin contacted Wenzel’s mother and said Jacob had gone outside to meet someone but had not returned.

Early police notices said Wenzel had last been seen getting into a vehicle with another male. Oconto Police opened a missing-person investigation under case number C22-04930.

The Cell Phone Trail Toward Abrams

After Wenzel disappeared, investigators began tracking his cell phone.

The phone reportedly pinged near a Shell gas station and Brookside Cemetery along Highway 41 in Abrams, Wisconsin, approximately ten miles south of Oconto. Wenzel’s brother went toward that location and reported seeing a vehicle he considered suspicious, occupied by a man and woman. He attempted to follow it after it left but eventually lost sight of the vehicle.

About an hour later, according to WSAW’s reconstruction of the case, the family was told Wenzel’s phone had stopped moving after its last signal several miles farther south near Falk Road. Searches of nearby roads and ditches did not locate him.

Searches Begin for Jacob Wenzel

Wenzel’s family, community members and a drone operator participated in searches after his disappearance. Areas searched included Oconto, Abrams, Brookside and the Pensaukee River area.

His aunt, Carrie Marquardt, told WBAY that searchers found something during one of those efforts but could not publicly discuss what it was because of the ongoing investigation.

Wenzel’s phone and wallet had still not been recovered as of WSAW’s March 2024 investigation.

Questions Surrounding Possible Gas Station Video

One of the most disputed elements of the case concerns alleged surveillance video from the Abrams gas station.

Wenzel’s mother has said a gas station employee described footage that appeared to show two men and a woman, an altercation and one person apparently being put into a vehicle’s trunk. However, she said police later denied that the footage existed.

WSAW attempted to independently examine the allegation but reported that ownership of the station had changed and the newer owner had no knowledge of the alleged 2022 recording. The station’s recordings were also reportedly overwritten after a year.

The existence and contents of such footage therefore have not been publicly verified, and the account should not be treated as an established fact.

The Adams County Lead

Wenzel’s mother has publicly expressed her belief that her son’s disappearance may be connected to someone he knew and that he may have been taken to Adams County. These remain allegations and theories; no one has been publicly charged with causing Wenzel’s disappearance.

There is, however, confirmation that investigators pursued leads in Adams County.

Adams County Sheriff Brent York confirmed to WSAW that his department had worked with Oconto Police in attempting to locate Wenzel. Deputies went to addresses in Adams County but did not find him. At the time of WSAW’s reporting, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office said it had not conducted formal interviews or executed search warrants concerning Wenzel.

In another significant investigative disclosure, an Oconto Police detective told Wenzel’s mother in 2024 that information continued to point investigators toward Adams County as a likely area connected to what happened to him. The detective also disclosed that authorities had requested state assistance analyzing cell-phone records obtained through subpoenas in an effort to establish a more precise location and route of travel for Wenzel’s phone on the night he vanished.

Cadaver Dog Search and DNA Collection

WSAW reported in 2024 that Oconto Police had conducted a search in Oconto involving cadaver dogs. Nothing was found, and police reportedly determined that the information prompting that particular search was false.

Approximately 15 months after Wenzel disappeared, his mother was also asked by Oconto Police to provide DNA in connection with the investigation.

These developments indicated that investigators continued pursuing both physical-search and forensic avenues well after Wenzel initially disappeared.

Latest Investigation Information

The case remains unresolved.

In October 2025, approaching the third anniversary of Wenzel’s disappearance, Oconto Police again appealed to the public for information. The renewed appeal identified Detective Lieutenant Ron Ripley as a contact for the investigation. No suspect had been publicly identified.

A March 2026 interview and case review described the matter as an active missing-person investigation. It reported that multiple law-enforcement agencies had assisted at different stages and quoted Oconto Police Chief Kassie Dufek as saying investigators continued following information supplied by Wenzel’s family.

That reporting also addressed another family concern involving Menominee, Michigan. Dufek said investigators had followed up on the concern, although the Menominee County Sheriff’s Office reportedly said it had not been directly contacted about Wenzel and possessed no information concerning the case.

As of the latest information located, there has been no publicly announced arrest, confirmed recovery of Wenzel, or official determination that he was killed. Although his mother has publicly said she believes he was killed, authorities continue to classify and investigate the matter as a missing-person case.

What Jacob Wenzel Looked Like When He Disappeared

Wenzel was 21 when he disappeared. He was approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighed about 138 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes.

He was reportedly wearing a white hooded sweatshirt with multicolored shapes, khaki jogging pants, red-and-black Jordan shoes and a gray hat with a black Hurley logo.

His distinguishing tattoos include the word “Family” on his left forearm, a diamond on the left side of his chest, stars on his right forearm and several smaller tattoos on his hands. The Charley Project also reports that Wenzel previously suffered a collapsed lung and required an inhaler, which he did not have with him when he disappeared.

Very Brief Case Summary

Last Seen: October 31, 2022
Location: Oconto, Wisconsin
Age When Missing: 21
Status: Missing; investigation remains active
Oconto Police Case: C22-04930
NamUs Case: MP107193

Main circumstances: Wenzel left a relative’s home at approximately 9 p.m. after reportedly going outside to meet someone. Early police information said he was seen getting into a vehicle with another male. His cell phone subsequently pinged south of Oconto in the Abrams area near a Shell station and Brookside Cemetery before the electronic trail ended farther south. Searches did not locate him. Investigators later pursued leads involving Adams County, analyzed subpoenaed cell-phone records and conducted at least one cadaver-dog search. No one has been publicly charged in connection with his disappearance.

How to Help

Anyone with information about Jacob Wenzel’s disappearance should contact the Oconto Police Department. Even information that may have appeared insignificant in 2022 could potentially help investigators establish Wenzel’s movements, the identity of the person he reportedly intended to meet, or what happened after his phone traveled south from Oconto.

When providing information, reference Oconto Police case C22-04930.