Overview

Last Seen: August 20, 1999
Location: Nekoosa/Saratoga area, Wood County, Wisconsin
Age: 21
Status: Missing
NamUs: MP40744

Junelle was with Dayna Menger and Dayna’s two-year-old son, Dakota, when the group took Dayna’s younger daughter to a babysitter outside Nekoosa. Junelle, Dayna and Dakota left together. Dayna did not return for her daughter, and none of the three has been seen or heard from since.

Investigators have pursued the possibility of foul play, conducted numerous interviews and re-interviews, investigated people of interest, searched for a vehicle believed to have relevance to the investigation, and worked with investigators from multiple Wisconsin law-enforcement agencies. No publicly announced arrest or resolution has followed.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Junelle L. Marquard: The 1999 Disappearance of Two Women and a Toddler in Nekoosa, Wisconsin

Junelle L. Marquard was 21 years old when she disappeared from the Nekoosa, Wisconsin area on August 20, 1999. She vanished alongside her friend, 27-year-old Dayna M. Menger, and Dayna’s two-year-old son, Dakota J. Menger. More than two decades later, all three remain missing, and investigators have said the case is considered cold but not inactive.

Brief Case Summary

Last Seen: August 20, 1999
Location: Nekoosa/Saratoga area, Wood County, Wisconsin
Age: 21
Status: Missing
NamUs: MP40744

Junelle was with Dayna Menger and Dayna’s two-year-old son, Dakota, when the group took Dayna’s younger daughter to a babysitter outside Nekoosa. Junelle, Dayna and Dakota left together. Dayna did not return for her daughter, and none of the three has been seen or heard from since.

Investigators have pursued the possibility of foul play, conducted numerous interviews and re-interviews, investigated people of interest, searched for a vehicle believed to have relevance to the investigation, and worked with investigators from multiple Wisconsin law-enforcement agencies. No publicly announced arrest or resolution has followed.

Who Was Junelle Marquard?

Junelle L. Marquard was born March 10, 1978. At the time she disappeared, she was 21 and lived in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. Official records describe her as a white woman with brown hair and hazel eyes. She was approximately 6 feet 1 inch tall and had a distinctive burn scar on her left arm. Published sources differ slightly on her recorded weight, with Wisconsin’s current missing-person poster listing 154 pounds while other records have listed approximately 165 pounds.

Junelle was friends with Dayna Menger, who lived in nearby Nekoosa with two of her children. Investigators have acknowledged that both women had histories involving drugs and relatively minor criminal offenses. Detective Brian Machon later told reporters that their histories did not involve offenses serious enough to explain why they would evade authorities for decades.

The Last Known Day: August 20, 1999

On Friday, August 20, 1999, Junelle was with Dayna and two-year-old Dakota when Dayna took her four-year-old daughter to a babysitter in the Saratoga area outside Nekoosa. Dayna regularly used this babysitter, and it reportedly was not unusual for her daughter to remain there for more than a day.

Junelle, Dayna and Dakota left after dropping the girl off. They did not tell the babysitter where they were going, according to accounts of the case. They subsequently disappeared.

As the days passed without Dayna returning for her daughter, the situation became increasingly unusual. Wisconsin’s missing-person records state that by August 24 it had been reported to police that Dayna had not returned for the child. Police checked Dayna’s residence and reportedly found nothing obviously unusual.

Later reporting provides additional context: the babysitter contacted Human Services, and Dayna’s parole officer eventually contacted the Nekoosa Police Department. An officer checked Dayna’s apartment with its manager, but the residence appeared normal. The three were not formally treated as reported missing at that point.

Years Passed Before the Formal Missing-Person Investigation

One of the most consequential circumstances surrounding the case is the gap between the 1999 disappearance and the formal investigation.

Although authorities knew in 1999 that Dayna had failed to retrieve her daughter and police had checked her apartment, Dayna’s brother formally reported her missing in 2004. Investigators therefore began working a case in which approximately five years had already passed.

By then, the apartments associated with the women had been cleared. Detective Machon acknowledged in a 2023 interview that potentially useful evidence—such as possessions that could have shown whether someone packed for an intended trip—was consequently unavailable. Investigators have cited the passage of time and the women’s circumstances before they disappeared as major obstacles.

Some sources have historically stated that Junelle herself was never independently reported missing and that authorities began searching for her because she disappeared with Dayna and Dakota. Today, however, Junelle has an active Wisconsin Clearinghouse missing-person entry and NamUs case number MP40744.

A Mysterious Phone Call

A particularly significant detail emerged publicly through Dayna’s oldest daughter, whose identity was protected under the name “Kate” in a 2023 news investigation.

Kate recalled receiving a telephone call from her mother around the time of the disappearance. According to her account, Dayna was crying, said she loved her daughter, indicated that she had done something very bad and said she was leaving and would not return. Kate was only about seven or eight years old at the time.

The meaning and exact timing of that call remain unclear publicly. Kate told reporters that investigators did not interview her about the disappearance until late 2017—approximately 18 years after Dayna, Dakota and Junelle vanished.

The account is important evidence to consider, but it does not establish what happened to the missing three or whether Dayna’s statement related directly to their disappearance.

Where Were They Going?

Investigators have explored connections outside the immediate Nekoosa area.

Police have said Dayna had ties to Milwaukee, and investigators gathered information from that area. Earlier reporting indicated authorities believed the women might have been heading toward Milwaukee after leaving the babysitter. No publicly released evidence establishes that they actually reached Milwaukee.

Another major unanswered question concerns transportation. In 2023, Detective Machon told reporters by email that investigators were still searching databases for a vehicle they suspected was connected to the case. Authorities declined to publicly identify whose vehicle it was or provide its description.

That undisclosed vehicle remains one of the more significant publicly known investigative leads.

Investigators Consider Foul Play Possible

The disappearance of two adults and a two-year-old child without confirmed contact for decades has caused investigators to question whether the three left voluntarily.

In the 2023 investigation, Nekoosa Police Chief Shawn Woods and Detective Machon indicated that they considered a voluntary disappearance highly unlikely. Authorities also confirmed that investigators had developed people or persons of interest, although police declined to identify them publicly because investigators were still trying to determine what involvement, if any, those individuals may have had.

No publicly identified person has been charged in connection with the disappearance, and describing someone as a person of interest does not establish that the person committed a crime.

A Multi-Agency Cold Case Investigation

Despite its age, authorities emphasized in 2023 that this was not simply an abandoned file.

Detective Machon described a multi-agency investigative effort involving Nekoosa police, Wisconsin Rapids investigators, the Wood County Sheriff’s Department and the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Investigators reconstructed family relationships, identified people who had contact with Junelle and Dayna, and conducted dozens of interviews and follow-up interviews.

The investigative team has also used DNA and other identifying information in an effort to determine whether the missing people might have surfaced elsewhere under different identities. Previous reporting said investigators had obtained DNA samples from relatives.

Latest Publicly Available Investigation Information

The most detailed recent public investigative disclosure located for this case comes from the 2023 Forgotten Wisconsin Cold Cases investigation. Police said the case remained active despite being considered a cold case. Investigators were continuing to pursue interviews, information connected to Milwaukee, unidentified people of interest and a vehicle believed to have relevance to the investigation.

A 2024 follow-up by WSAW revisited the case and highlighted the unresolved questions surrounding the delay between the 1999 disappearance and the formal missing-person investigation years later.

The case also remained publicly listed in a November 2025 review of missing people from north-central Wisconsin. That report continued to list Junelle as missing since August 20, 1999 and provided law-enforcement contact information for anyone with information.

As of the most recent publicly accessible records located, Wisconsin’s Department of Justice still lists Junelle as missing. The state’s current page directs anyone with information to the Wisconsin Rapids Police Department and Wisconsin Clearinghouse for Missing & Exploited Children & Adults.

There has been no publicly announced recovery of Junelle, Dayna or Dakota and no publicly announced criminal charge resolving their disappearances in the sources reviewed.

The Unanswered Questions

More than a quarter-century after the disappearance, fundamental questions remain unanswered: Where did Junelle, Dayna and Dakota go after leaving the babysitter? What did Dayna mean during the emotional telephone call remembered by her daughter? What vehicle are investigators seeking? What information led investigators to identify people of interest? And did the group ever travel toward Milwaukee?

The five-year delay before a formal missing-person investigation significantly complicated the search for answers. Physical locations changed, residences were emptied, memories faded and potential evidence that might have established the group’s intentions was lost.

Yet Junelle Marquard remains officially listed as missing, and investigators continue to seek information about what happened after August 20, 1999. Even information that appeared insignificant at the time could help investigators reconstruct the final movements of Junelle, Dayna and Dakota.

Anyone with information should contact law enforcement rather than attempting to investigate suspected individuals independently.