By Shereen Siewert
Seven groups of K9 teams and members of area police agencies spent two days searching the Nicolet National Forest in a renewed attempt to solve the disappearance of Kayla Berg.
Berg was 15 when she disappeared in 2009.
The search, on Oct. 19 and Oct. 20, covered about 11 square miles. Police searched on foot through rugged terrain including downed trees from the July storm that passed through the area. Antigo Police Capt. Daniel Duley said no new information was revealed in the search, but police vow to continue the investigation until Berg is found.
Berg was last seen on Aug. 11, 2009. That evening, she was allegedly with a 24-year-old man, Kevin J. Kielchelski, who told police he drove her around Antigo and smoked marijuana with her before dropping her off at a Wausau home.
She has never been heard from again.
Berg wasn’t reported missing for six days because her parents, who were separated, each thought she was in the other one’s home, according to media reports from 2009.
In October 2009, Kielcheski was arrested and charged with second-degree reckless endangerment, a felony; this is related to substance use with Kayla on the night she was last seen. The charge was dismissed in July 2011. Kielcheski hasn’t been charged or named as a suspect in her actual disappearance, and he is no longer cooperating with the investigation.
Anyone with information regarding Kayla Berg’s disappearance is urged to contact the Antigo Police Department at 715-627-6411 or Langlade County Crime Stoppers at 715-627-6472. Callers can remain anonymous and any information leading to an arrest and conviction regarding the case could result in a $20,000 reward that is being offered by the FBI.
