Overview

Last Seen: October 27, 2021

Location: His residence in the Town of Arena, Iowa County, Wisconsin. Some secondary sources describe the area as Blue Mounds, Wisconsin.

Age When Missing: 62

NamUs Number: MP100112

Current Status: Missing

Main Circumstances: Wallenkamp was last seen at his residence. His vehicle was later reported to still be at the residence. Authorities conducted ground, drone and K-9 searches in the surrounding area but did not locate him. Investigators also appealed to hunters in eastern Iowa County and western Dane County to report anything unusual they encountered.

Detailed Case Breakdown

John Thomas Wallenkamp Missing Person Case: Wisconsin Man Missing Since October 2021

John Thomas Wallenkamp was 62 years old when he disappeared from the Town of Arena in Iowa County, Wisconsin, on October 27, 2021. Nearly five years later, his name remains listed by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Clearinghouse for Missing & Exploited Children & Adults.

The circumstances surrounding Wallenkamp’s disappearance remain limited, leaving investigators and the public with relatively few known details about what happened after he was last seen.

Brief Case Summary

Last Seen: October 27, 2021

Location: His residence in the Town of Arena, Iowa County, Wisconsin. Some secondary sources describe the area as Blue Mounds, Wisconsin.

Age When Missing: 62

NamUs Number: MP100112

Current Status: Missing

Main Circumstances: Wallenkamp was last seen at his residence. His vehicle was later reported to still be at the residence. Authorities conducted ground, drone and K-9 searches in the surrounding area but did not locate him. Investigators also appealed to hunters in eastern Iowa County and western Dane County to report anything unusual they encountered.

The Disappearance of John Thomas Wallenkamp

According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, John T. Wallenkamp was last seen at his residence in the Town of Arena on Wednesday, October 27, 2021. He was 62 years old at the time. Authorities did not have a description of the clothing he was wearing when he disappeared.

Wallenkamp was described as a white male approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall, with red or auburn hair and hazel eyes. Sources have placed his weight between approximately 195 and 200 pounds. The state’s missing-person poster lists him at 195 pounds, while contemporary news reports described him as weighing approximately 200 pounds.

One potentially important detail emerged as authorities continued investigating: Wallenkamp’s vehicle was reportedly left at his residence. Publicly available reports do not describe another vehicle he may have entered, a known destination, or confirmed sightings after October 27.

Extensive Searches Conducted in the Area

In the days following Wallenkamp’s disappearance, the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office and other emergency personnel organized searches in the area.

Iowa County Emergency Management worked with local fire departments and emergency medical personnel. Searchers used multiple methods, including teams on the ground, drones and K-9 units. Those searches focused on the Town of Blue Mounds area but did not locate Wallenkamp.

By November 7, 2021, Wallenkamp had been missing for more than a week, and authorities were publicly asking anyone with information to contact the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators Asked Hunters to Watch for Evidence

As the disappearance stretched into November 2021, authorities expanded their appeal to people who regularly traveled through rural areas.

On November 17, approximately three weeks after Wallenkamp disappeared, authorities specifically asked hunters in eastern Iowa County and western Dane County to pay close attention to their surroundings. Hunters who noticed something unusual compared with previous years were asked to contact investigators.

The request was significant because Wisconsin’s fall hunting seasons placed people in wooded, agricultural and otherwise less-traveled areas that search teams might not routinely encounter.

Despite the ground, drone and K-9 searches and the subsequent public appeals, no publicly announced discovery was reported in the contemporary coverage reviewed for this article.

An Endangered Missing Person Alert

Wisconsin Missing Persons Advocacy reports that law enforcement issued an Endangered Alert for Wallenkamp in November 2021. The organization also notes the same central circumstances reported by news outlets: his vehicle remained at his residence and ground, drone and K-9 searches failed to locate him.

The limited amount of publicly released information has remained one of the defining features of Wallenkamp’s case. There is no publicly established account explaining why he disappeared, where he may have intended to go, or what happened after he was last seen.

Latest Publicly Available Case Information

As of September 2026, John Wallenkamp continues to appear on the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s active missing-person listings. The state’s individual case page identifies him as a missing adult, gives his current age as 67, lists the Town of Arena as both the location from which he disappeared and his last known location, and continues to request information from the public.

The current state listing directs anyone with information to the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office at 608-935-3314. The Wisconsin Clearinghouse for Missing & Exploited Children & Adults also continues to accept information through 1-800-843-4673 (1-800-THE-HOPE).

No credible public source located during a review of available records in September 2026 announced that Wallenkamp had been found or that his case had been resolved. Likewise, no publicly available source reviewed disclosed an arrest, identified a suspect, or established that Wallenkamp was the victim of a crime.

His disappearance should therefore continue to be described as an unresolved missing-person case, rather than a confirmed homicide or other type of criminal case.

What Remains Unknown

Several fundamental questions remain unanswered publicly. It is unknown what Wallenkamp was wearing when he disappeared. Authorities have not publicly established where he went after leaving or disappearing from his residence, and the available reports do not document a confirmed sighting after October 27, 2021.

His vehicle remaining at his residence also left investigators without the obvious travel trail that a missing vehicle sometimes provides.

For now, October 27, 2021, remains the critical date in the disappearance of John Thomas Wallenkamp. Anyone with information—including information that may have seemed insignificant at the time—is encouraged to contact the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office.