Case docs reveal details of rekindled search for Nancy Renkas in Iron Mountain

IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (WJMN) — Search warrants and other documents have revealed more details about the latest efforts by the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office to find out what happened to Nancy Renkas, a Florence County, WI woman last seen eight years ago.

Preliminary police documents indicate that Renkas was last seen by her adult child and sister-in-law on July 18, 2016, with the report being filed by her adult child the next day.

Her car was found in the parking lot of the Midtown Mall in Iron Mountain and briefly appeared security camera footage getting into her sister-in-law’s car.

Earlier this month, Local 3 first brought news of the active road block and law enforcement activity on Upper Pine Creek Road near Grandview Drive in Iron Mountain. Sheriff Aaron Rochon was reluctant to share any information at that time, but eventually provided limited details in a shared statement with the Dickinson County Prosecutor Lisa Richards the following Monday.

In that release, Richards and Rochon said the activity on Aug. 10, 2024 was in fact the execution of search warrants on over 200 acres in the area of the blockade in relation to the disappearance and presumed death of Renkas.

The release also stated the search area was also the last place they believe Renkas was seen alive—a shift from previous statements, where investigators have referenced security camera footage of her in the Midtown Mall parking lot.

Case docs reveal new details

In an effort to gain better insight into the latest developments in the case, Local 3 worked with the Dickinson County Undersheriff to get copies of the recent search warrants and other documents related to the case.

The arguments in support of the recent search warrants have been made private by the prosecutor until a person is charged with a crime to protect the investigation, as well as the privacy and safety of victims or witnesses.

It is for that reason Local 3 will not be sharing any specific names given in the documents at this time.

What we will share from the search warrants is what investigators wanted access to, and what they were looking for.

Search Warrant #1

The most wide-reaching search warrant lists seven properties in the area of Upper Pine Creek Road and Grandview Drive, covering land seemingly on both sides of the road. While over 200 acres were listed, investigators asked for access to only one home.

Investigators were also allowed to have help from local law enforcement, Michigan State Police, and the FBI—along with any cadaver or electronics dogs from any of those agencies.

That warrant states investigators were looking for the following:

• Any and all human remains including but not limited to bones, bone fragments, and items similar to human and/or animal bones and fragments
• Any and all biological/serological evidence, including but not limited to human hair, human blood, or human tissue
• Any and all clothing or personal effects that might relate to Nancy Renkas
• Any and all clothing or personal effects whose origin is undetermined
• An LG Model 440G cell phone belonging to Nancy Renkas

Search Warrants #2 and #3

The following warrants narrow on three specific individuals, who we have chosen not to name at this time as no one has been charged in the case.

That said, the second warrant specifies the search of the single home indicated in the previous search warrant, approving the collection of any receipts, handwritten notes, journals, documentation, and other writings related to the disappearance/death of Nancy Renkas.

The third search warrant approves the search of cell phones belonging to several individuals connected to the home of interest, including that of the only known suspect in the case.

The search of a particular laptop belonging to that individual was also granted, as well as other electronic devices on the property.

That warrant states investigators were looking for the following:

• Any and all location data for any of those devices from 6/15/2016 to 6/15/2017
• Any and all electronic messages (including deleted data) on Facebook Messenger and any other platform

The search warrant also specified that the scope of information sought was limited to the homicide and/or body removal/disposal of Nancy Renkas.

The search for answers continues

As of the writing of this article, no one has been charged in connection to Renkas’ disappearance.

While at the scene of the active search, Sheriff Aaron Rochon told our crew that the discovery of evidence that day would have likely led to an arrest. Since the search, the sheriff’s office has not indicated whether any new information was learned from any electronic devices.

In 2022, the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office publicly shared that their search for Renkas had been re-classified as a no-body homicide investigation according to the Iron Mountain Daily News .

When we tried to pin down when that shift in the case happened, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said they could not immediately verify the Daily News report but said Renkas could not be officially declared dead until seven years after she was reported missing.

In conversation with a previous long-time investigator in the search for Renkas, he said no-body homicides are among the most difficult cases to solve. Despite that, the investigator said “the Renkas case was a case that was worked on every day, discussed every day, and it has never been considered what one would call a cold case.”

If you have any information that could help investigators learn what happened to Nancy Renkas, you can call the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office at (906) 774-6262. Detective Lieutenant Brian Polzien is the current lead investigator on the case.

This is a developing story. Local 3 will have your latest updates on-air and online.

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