Tomah man charged with 1985 murder of woman in Vernon County held on $1M bail (2024)

VIROQUA — Terry Dolowy knew the person who murdered her nearly four decades ago, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in Vernon County Circuit Court.

Michael Raymond Popp was arrested Monday and faces a single charge of first-degree intentional homicide. He is being held in the Vernon County Jail on $1 million cash bail.

Popp, of Tomah, would receive life in prison if convicted. The 60-year-old was 21 at the time of the murder.

Tomah man charged with 1985 murder of woman in Vernon County held on $1M bail (1)

Law enforcement officials from La Crosse, Monroe and Vernon counties announced the arrest and charges Tuesday at the Vernon County Courthouse in Viroqua.

“We got it done,” said Vernon County Sheriff Roy Torgerson. “I am so grateful to the men and women of law enforcement who carried the torch.”

Dolowy, 24, went missing Feb. 14, 1985, from her Barre Mills home in La Crosse County. Her decapitated and burning body was found four days later in a culvert on Mohawk Valley Road in Vernon County. Dolowy was a native of River Forest, Illinois, and was a senior at UW-La Crosse. She lived with her fiancé, Russell Lee.

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Tomah man charged with 1985 murder of woman in Vernon County held on $1M bail (2)

The complaint says Popp lived a short distance away from Dolowy at the time of the murder. He was first interviewed by police on March 11, 1985. He told police that he, his girlfriend, Lee and Dolowy went to pool tournaments together and were often partners.

Police interviewed Popp’s girlfriend in 1987 and asked her if Popp could have committed the murder. She reportedly replied, “Mike is capable of doing something like this because he has a lot of different personalities,” but then said she didn’t believe Popp was involved. She broke up with Popp in 1986 when she filed a court injunction against him for physical abuse.

Tomah man charged with 1985 murder of woman in Vernon County held on $1M bail (3)

The complaint says a witness told police in 2004 that he recalled seeing a vehicle drive up to Dolowy’s residence around 4:30 a.m. the day she went missing. He told investigators he saw two men who “muscled” Dolowy into a Chevy Impala or Caprice. The complaint says Popp’s girlfriend owned a vehicle that fit that description and often let him drive it.

Person of interest

Investigative genealogy identified Popp as a person of interest in September 2022, and police interviewed him on Nov. 3, 2022. He told police he didn’t know Dolowy very well and that he only saw her three times. He denied ever having sex with Dolowy.

Samples taken from Popp via a search warrant in January 2023 matched material found in the autopsy conducted on Feb. 19, 1985, and maintained by the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory and the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office. Police interviewed Popp again on March 9, 2023.

According to police, Popp originally repeated his assertion that Dolowy was only a casual acquaintance. When confronted with DNA evidence, Popp changed his story and said he and Dolowy “maybe had a little affair” for six to eight months.

The complaint says Popp was nervous and shaking during the interview. He denied killing Dolowy and said, “No, I am not a violent person.” He told police he lied because “it’s a pretty serious case there. Didn’t want to be associated with it.”

Tomah man charged with 1985 murder of woman in Vernon County held on $1M bail (4)

Popp was being held in the Monroe County Jail on $10,000 cash bond at the time of his arrest. He faces felony charges of stalking and threatening to communicate derogatory information. Monroe County District Attorney Kevin Croninger said the stalking investigation was unrelated to Dolowy’s murder and that it didn’t yield any evidence in the homicide case.

Popp’s only other criminal history in Wisconsin is a 2014 misdemeanor conviction in Monroe County for disorderly conduct. A battery charge was dismissed but read in.

Bail hearing

During Tuesday’s bail hearing, Croninger, who acted as a special prosecutor, asked for a $2 million cash bond. He described the allegations as “particularly gruesome.” He also noted that Popp was employed as a truck driver and had the means to flee the state.

Judge Timothy Gaskell agreed and told Popp, “Anyone in your position would be seen as a potential flight risk.”

Popp, who wasn’t represented by defense counsel, objected to the high bail amount.

“I can’t come up with $2 million; I know that,” Popp said.

At one point, he said, “I didn’t do it.” He later said, “(The complaint) said she was killed at 4:30 a.m. I’m still milking cows at 5.” He attempted to engage Croninger in the specifics of the stalking charge but was cut off by Gaskell.

Gaskell was involved in the investigation as Vernon County district attorney and said he will recuse himself in favor of another judge.

"We got it done. I am so grateful to the men and women of law enforcement who carried the torch."

Vernon County Sheriff Roy Torgerson

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Tomah man charged with 1985 murder of woman in Vernon County held on $1M bail (2024)
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