SPARTA, Wis. – Last week authorities in Vernon, La Crosse and Monroe counties announced they believe they have solved a 40-year-old homicide case using DNA technology. A DNA sample collected from the autopsy of murder victim Terry Dolowy in 1985 was matched to Michael R. Popp, a 60-year-old truck driver from Tomah. A criminal complaint in the case lays out the evidence collected by investigators over 40 years that shows Popp knew Dolowy, and shows Popp admitted under questioning that he had a six month affair with her before her death. Dolowy’s decapitated and burned body was found in ditch four days after she disappeared from her Barre Mills home on Feb. 14, 1985.
But investigators said at the press conference last week when they announced they were charging Popp for Dolowy’s murder, that he is also facing charges in Monroe County unrelated to the murder investigation. A criminal complaint in that case alleges Popp was stalking a woman he previously had a relationship with, and was attempting to extort her with nude photos.
Popp was charged in Monroe County Circuit Court with felony counts of stalking/domestic abuse and threatening to communicate derogatory information and misdemeanor counts of obstructing an officer, possession of cocaine and possession of marijuana. Court records show he has an initial appearance in that case set for Nov. 4.
According to the criminal complaint, police interviewed the victim of the alleged sextortion attempt on Sept. 20. She told police that she broke off a relationship with Popp and then learned he had captured private and nude photographs of her without her consent.
The victim told investigators that Popp had contacted her 54 times since Aug. 24, demanding that she respond. Several of the electronic messages threatened to send the photographs to the victim’s daughter and others if she didn’t comply. Other messages contained references to graphic sex and pleas to get back together.
Investigators would later obtain a search warrant for Popp’s residence and reportedly found small amounts of cocaine and marijuana. Popp was arrested, transported to the Monroe County Jail and ordered held on a $10,000 cash bond.
The complaint also alleges that Popp lied to police during the interview. He was reportedly asked if he had been interviewed about a crime that occurred in Vernon and La Crosse counties, and he reportedly said no. Popp had previously been interviewed by Vernon County Sheriff’s Investigator Scott Bjerkos at least twice.
The Monroe County complaint was filed four days before Popp was charged for the Feb. 14, 1985, murder of Dolowy. After being charged with Dolowy’s murder Popp was transferred to the Vernon County Jail where he is being held on $1 million cash bail. Popp’s next court appearance in the Dolowy case has not been scheduled as on this Monday, Sept. 30.
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