Overview

Date of homicide/disappearance: February 25, 2017
Last known area: Milwaukee/Glendale, Wisconsin
Homicide location identified by investigators: Lincoln Park/Milwaukee River area in Glendale, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Age: 18
Status: Presumed deceased; remains have never been recovered
NamUs: MP43279

Main circumstances: Authorities concluded Puga was taken from Green Bay to the Milwaukee area, assaulted at Lincoln Park, forced into or thrown into the Milwaukee River, and prevented from escaping the water. Four people were eventually convicted in connection with his death or its aftermath. His remains remain missing.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Jovanny Hector Puga: 2017 Wisconsin Homicide Case and the Search for His Remains

Jovanny Hector Puga was 18 years old when he disappeared on February 25, 2017. Originally from Green Bay, Wisconsin, Puga was last seen by friends in the Milwaukee/Glendale area. Although his remains have never been recovered, authorities determined that he was the victim of a homicide in Milwaukee County. Four people were ultimately convicted in connection with his death.

Jovanny Puga Disappears in Milwaukee Area

Puga, whose nickname was “Vonny,” was born June 4, 1998. He was approximately 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed roughly 120 to 145 pounds. He had black hair and brown eyes, a four-inch scar on his right forearm, a bull’s-head tattoo with the letters “OTF” on his right wrist, and an “illmotion” tattoo on his left wrist.

Puga spoke with his mother on February 24, 2017. Friends last saw him the following night in the Milwaukee/Glendale area, and his family subsequently reported him missing. Investigators found no subsequent social-media activity and, during the investigation, checks of law-enforcement, employment, hospital and medical-examiner information produced no indication that he was alive elsewhere or that an unidentified body matching him had been recovered.

Reports of a Killing Surface

According to the criminal complaint reported by Wisconsin news organizations, Green Bay police began receiving information in early March 2017 indicating that Puga had been beaten to death and thrown into the Milwaukee River. On March 22, Green Bay police publicly circulated his photograph seeking information about his whereabouts.

Two days later, West Bend police stopped a vehicle reported stolen by Emma Brud’s mother. Brandan Guyton-Denn, Shawn Leitner and Jaleel Schultz were inside and were taken into custody. Investigators recovered their cellphones. Searches found on the phones included queries concerning deaths in Milwaukee, bodies in the river and Lincoln Park, while a photograph from the Green Bay Police Department’s missing-person appeal for Puga was also found on the devices.

What Investigators Said Happened to Jovanny Puga

According to the criminal complaint and later case summaries, Guyton-Denn wanted retaliation against Puga following a dispute. Prosecutors alleged Brud brought Puga from Green Bay to Milwaukee knowing he was going to be assaulted. Puga was taken to Lincoln Park in the Glendale area, along the Milwaukee River.

Witness accounts described Guyton-Denn, Leitner and Schultz beating and kicking Puga. According to the allegations detailed in the complaint, Puga was forced to undress and enter the river under threat of further violence. He was thrown into the water and prevented from successfully getting back out. The men subsequently left the area. Investigators alleged that Puga’s possessions were divided afterward and that Brud disposed of his bloodstained clothing.

Despite extensive investigation, Puga’s body was not recovered.

Four People Charged in Puga’s Death

On September 25, 2018, prosecutors filed charges against Guyton-Denn, Leitner, Schultz and Brud. The three men initially faced first-degree reckless homicide charges, while Brud was charged with harboring or aiding a felon.

Brud pleaded no contest in December 2018 to harboring/aiding a felon and was later sentenced to three years of probation and community service. Leitner and Guyton-Denn entered guilty pleas in 2019 and were each sentenced to eight years in prison followed by seven years of extended supervision. Contemporary reporting described their convictions as second-degree reckless homicide.

Schultz later pleaded guilty to second-degree reckless homicide. On November 25, 2019, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by five years of extended supervision, the longest prison sentence imposed in Puga’s case.

Latest Status of the Investigation

The central unresolved issue is where Jovanny Puga’s remains are located.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice continues to list Puga in its Clearinghouse for Missing & Exploited Children & Adults. Its current public case page states that he was determined to have been a homicide victim in Milwaukee County, that four people were arrested and convicted, and that his remains have never been recovered. The state still asks anyone with information to contact Green Bay or Glendale police.

The Wisconsin DOJ poster identifies his NamUs number as MP43279. The Charley Project likewise continues to classify Puga as endangered missing and states that his body has never been found.

As of the latest official information I could locate, there has been no publicly announced recovery or identification of Jovanny Puga’s remains. The Wisconsin DOJ’s continued listing of the case and request for information means that, despite the homicide convictions, the search for answers about the location of his remains remains unresolved.

Very Brief Case Summary

Date of homicide/disappearance: February 25, 2017
Last known area: Milwaukee/Glendale, Wisconsin
Homicide location identified by investigators: Lincoln Park/Milwaukee River area in Glendale, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Age: 18
Status: Presumed deceased; remains have never been recovered
NamUs: MP43279

Main circumstances: Authorities concluded Puga was taken from Green Bay to the Milwaukee area, assaulted at Lincoln Park, forced into or thrown into the Milwaukee River, and prevented from escaping the water. Four people were eventually convicted in connection with his death or its aftermath. His remains remain missing.