Wisconsin man charged in 1995 disappearance of roommate after 31 years
By Nick Bohr
Click here for updates on this story
FOND DU LAC, Wis. (WISN) — Prosecutors in Fond du Lac County have charged 83-year-old Jerome Baier with the 1995 homicide of his roommate, James Ruland, after a 31-year investigation.
Ruland, a 40-year-old father of two, was reported missing by his family in 1995 while moving out of the town of Ripon farmhouse he shared with Baier. He was never seen again.
Baier appeared in court remotely from the Fond du Lac County Jail, where prosecutors outlined the case against him.
A couple of weeks after Ruland was last seen in October 1995, police found his car at the Stretch Truck Stop in North Fond du Lac. The keys were still in the ignition, and Ruland’s belongings were in the back, but there was no sign of him then — or since.
Baier admitted to police that he fraudulently cashed checks made out to Ruland but claimed Ruland owed him money. He also acknowledged that the two had argued but denied any physical altercation.
In late 2023, two police K-9s, searching a month apart, detected the odor of human remains inside a barn at the farmhouse where Baier and Ruland had lived. However, according to the criminal complaint, “Subsequent searches with ground-penetrating radar… revealed no evidence. Other extensive searches in multiple locations linked to Baier for the human remains of James Ruland have been fruitless.”
Prosecutors said they believe they have enough evidence to proceed with the case despite the lack of recovered remains.
WISN 12 News Nick Bohr asked Fond du Lac County District Attorney following the court appearance about charging Baier even without the recovery of any remains.
“We believe we have sufficient admissible evidence to prove the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt,” Toney said.
The sheriff’s office said Friday that “advances in forensic testing technology helped corroborate information gathered through interviews and other evidence analysis.” However, no new evidence was detailed in the criminal complaint.
Fond du Lac County Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt said that despite the filing of the criminal complaint, investigators are continuing to seek evidence and are urging anyone with information to call them.
Neither Ruland’s family, who attended the hearing virtually, nor Baier’s family, who attended in person, wished to comment.
Baier is being held in the Fond du Lac County Jail on $1 million bail. He’s due back in court next month, at which time more details on any evidence collected could be disclosed.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.