On this day, Sept. 25, in 1971, the headless body of a Wisconsin game warden was found in a shallow grave.
Neil LaFave had been missing since the day before, his 32nd birthday, and a hunting party went looking for him in the Sensiba Wildlife area.
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Searchers found LeFave’s truck and a large amount of blood. The trail led to more blood, human body matter, a tooth, and bone fragments. Finally, police found a spot that had been recently dug up. Police retrieved shovels and found his body, without his head. The head was buried nearby with two bullets still embedded in it.
The brutality of the attack seemed to indicate rage or revenge. Police questioned all the people who had been convicted for poaching, but one man refused to cooperate: 21-year-old Brian Hussong. Police got a wiretap and taped Hussong trying to convince his mother to provide an alibi and hide his guns.
After listening to the tapes, the jury swiftly convicted Hussong of murder. He was sentenced to life in prison.
— Scott McCabe
