The Person

Rhys Pocan was a 35-year-old indigenous woman and a member of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin. Living in Milwaukee, she was a devoted mother to four children. Decades after her life was cut short, her family—led tightly by her children—continues to keep her memory alive, actively fighting to ensure her name is heard and that her legacy fuels the wider search for justice for all Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW).

The Case

On the night of August 10, 1989, Rhys vanished after dropping her daughter off with family and walking along National Avenue near downtown Milwaukee around midnight. Tragically, her case turned into a homicide investigation weeks later when her dismembered remains were discovered by hunters on September 2, 1989, in the Nichol’s Creek State Wildlife Area in Sheboygan County, with further remains located in the Vernon Wildlife Area in Waukesha County. Despite intensive investigations over the years and a renewed push by law enforcement in recent years, her murder remains unsolved.

If you have any information about the murder of Rhys Pocan, please contact Det. Nathan Hatch at the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office at 920-459-3135, or email him at nathan.hatch@sheboygancounty.com.