By Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review
Police have identified the man whose skeletal remains were pulled from the Wisconsin River last year and say they are investigating the case as a potential homicide.
Maintenance crews discovered the man’s remains in July 2022 at the dam in Port Edwards. Investigators were unable to make a positive identification until DNA testing identified the man as Paul I. Christian, from the Waupaca area. Christian’s family confirmed he had last been seen several years ago but did not know why he would have been in the Port Edwards area.
Wood County Sheriff Shawn Becker confirmed the death is being investigated as a homicide with evidence of blunt force trauma to the man’s skull. The remains were examined by labs in Texas and Virginia, where investigators there provided the DNA samples to the Wisconsin State Laboratory.
Anyone with information about Christian’s whereabouts between 2016 and 2022 or his death should contact the Wood County Sheriff’s Office at 715-421-8700.
The investigation remains active at this time.
