Nearly four decades after the charred and decapitated remains of a missing college student were found in Wisconsin, authorities have made an arrest in her murder.
On Monday, Michael Raymond Popp, 60, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. His charge stems from the February 1985 murder of 24-year-old Terry Dolowy, according to a Tuesday press conference.
If convicted, Popp faces a potential life sentence. He is currently detained at the Vernon County Jail, authorities said.
Dolowy and her dog went missing in the early hours of February 14, 1985, leaving behind her purse and vehicle, according to her fiancé, Russell Lee, who reported her missing. The La Crosse and Vernon County Sheriff’s Department provided these details in a statement.
Dolowy and Lee lived together at the Bostwick Valley Trailer Court in Barre Mills, Wisconsin, while she was a senior at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, majoring in finance. Dolowy also worked full-time as the bar manager at Piggy’s, a local La Crosse restaurant.
On February 18, 1985, the Vernon County Sheriff’s Department responded to a report of something burning in a culvert. They found Dolowy’s body, “decapitated and burned with the use of an accelerant,” authorities said, according to People Magazine.
Her head has never been found.
At the time of the murder, Popp, then 21, lived near the couple with his girlfriend. The couples played in pool tournaments together. When originally questioned about Dolowy, Popp claimed he had only seen her “a few times” and “didn’t really know her that well.”
In September 2022, authorities identified Popp as a person of interest after genealogy testing linked him to evidence collected from Dolowy’s body in 1985.
In January 2023, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Popp’s DNA. A buccal swab test confirmed that his DNA matched seminal fluid found on Dolowy’s body.
When questioned about this match, Popp, who previously claimed he didn’t know Dolowy well, admitted, “Maybe, I maybe had a little affair.”
According to the complaint, Popp avoided mentioning the affair due to the seriousness of the case.
“Well, it’s a pretty serious case there. Didn’t wanna be associated with it,” he said.
Popp denies involvement in Dolowy’s death, stating, “No, I am not a violent person.”
He is currently being held at the Vernon County Jail on $1 million cash bail.
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[Feature Photo via Vernon County SO]
