Volp’s body found
By LISA M. HOFFMANN, Staff WriterArticle Photos
MARINETTE, Wis. - Officials have positively identified the body found in a creek in Dunbar on Monday as Eric M. Volp of Iron Mountain.
At a press conference Thursday, law enforcement officials said Volp died an unnatural death that can be classified as suspicious.
Volp, 28, was reported missing in October 2008.
Marinette County Sheriff Jim Kanikula said the body was discovered in K.C. Creek in the town of Dunbar. K.C. Creek crosses U.S. Highway 8 and is located approximately 1.5 miles from the town of Dunbar, approximately 20 miles from Iron Mountain.
Kanikula said the body was found some 150 yards south of the bridge by a trout fisherman on Monday.
Marinette County Chief Deputy Jerry Sauve said Volp's body was identified by a unique tattoo and dental records.
"Iron Mountain Police Department did a wonderful job on their missing persons case. Fortunately the tattoo was preserved," Sauve said.
He said the tattoo on the back of Volp's neck was distinctive - two faces, one smiling one frowning. Dental records were also examined. The body was partially clothed.
The case is an ongoing investigation by Marinette County law enforcement and the Iron Mountain Police Department. Police are referring to the death as unnatural, but not a homicide.
Kanikula said the forensic pathologist's opinion after the examination of the body, confirmed the remains could have been in the creek since last October.
He added the doctor's findings are consistent with the nine-month time frame since Volp was reported missing.
Although the cause of death is listed as undetermined, officials said it was not from drowning.
Kanikula also said there was significant trauma to the remains.
Sauve said there were fractured bones, and "due to decomposition they were not completely intact." The autopsy results show Volp had some broken bones. Volp suffered blunt trauma to his chest, some trauma to his head and several broken bones but the exact cause of death is unknown.
Several tissue samples have been taken from Volp's body and will be submitted to the Wisconsin Crime Lab. Any new information on what type of drugs or alcohol, if any, were in his system could take four to six weeks.
Police said there is no person of interest at this time, but they are not ruling out foul play.
Marinette County Sheriff's Department will continue to work with the Iron Mountain Police Department.
When it is determined where the crime was committed, if in fact a crime did occur, charges will be determined by the prosecuting attorney in Michigan or the district attorney in Wisconsin.
Iron Mountain Police Chief Pete Flaminio confirmed Volp was last seen on foot and alone at the North Stables Pub in Iron Mountain. He had made numerous calls of short duration between 2:19 a.m. and 2:42 a.m. Oct. 12.
Flaminio said the last call was at 2:42 a.m. with no calls made after that time. Because of the short duration of the calls, police do not believe Volp made contact with anyone he called.
Volp's cell phone was never recovered.
Police said numerous people, including bartenders, were contacted and all leads were followed-up, resulting in unconfirmed sightings.
Police do not believe Volp, who was insulin dependent, ever made it back to his Iron Mountain apartment.
Kanikula said they are not going to rule out any possibilities.
Police said the heavily-wooded area where the body was found makes for a difficult investigation because of the tall grass, big ants, and numerous trees. The area continues to be searched for evidence.
Flaminio said there is no indication of foul play other than Volp disappeared. What crossed investigators' minds is Volp got a ride.
"He was somebody that would engage in conversation," Flaminio said.
Volp's family members, including his aunt, Maria Volp of Iron Mountain, were notified of the identification prior to the press conference on Thursday. Maria Volp told The Daily News the family is grateful Volp's body has finally been found.
"Finding his body does not give closure, but it does comfort us to be able to put him to rest in a more worthy place," she said. "Finding his body will also allow police to investigate his disappearance and death once again to hopefully find answers as to who caused it."
Volp was a nearly lifelong resident of New Berlin, Wis., and moved to Iron Mountain in December 2007 to live with his aunt.
"He came here to build work skills and gain some job experience," Maria Volp explained. "During the 10 months he was here, he gained experience not only in work skills, but also in his faith, going to church regularly."
The Volp family held a memorial at the end of October when they assumed he had died.
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ushouldbeashamed
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07-13-09 5:07 PM
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I personally think all u that are judging Eric should be ashamed of yourselves, who are you to act all high and mighty? This kid obviously had alot of problems to deal with and as far as bikers and bouncers go they are not the shi* that they think they are either.. I agree 100% with sayitisntso and just remeber people are in pain and are missing Eric today what if it was someone in YOUR family?? Amen sayitlikeitis!! U go girl!! u tell the TRUTH ..so many in this small town THINK they are the*****and can get by with sooo much , well GOD IS WATCHING ..remember that!!
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sayitlikeitis
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07-13-09 2:37 PM
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The bouncers at Stables can be a joke, they throw people out who they dont personally like over who actually started shit. I heard of a guy hitting my women friend and getting away with it. You just gotta be careful and have backup. Eric Volp was a good guy. A geniune sweet funny kid who yeah, sometimes could be annoying but he just wanted to make friends and talk to everyone. I really hope nothing did happen there but were talking about a boy who went missing and trying to figure out if he was killed and who wouldve killed him its not the time to bash him or talk about how great a certain club is, its about finding out the truth. I really hope that if someone did harm him they get what they deserve and God alone knows they will even if our Police Depts dont get them, they will pay severely in the end. God bless Eric and condolensces to his family and frien
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StormyClearweather
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07-13-09 1:07 PM
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It is really small thats for sure. Very easy to pass over and not realize what it is. I didnt think there was a bouncer at that place either...
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youknowyourright
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07-13-09 12:31 PM
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to clear things up. Stables doesn't have a "Bouncer". The bridge he was supposedly thrown off isn't big. a creek run's under it. Maybe 4-5 feet high.
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StormyClearweather
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07-13-09 11:58 AM
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I also think the cause of death will never be pinpointed. As for the broken leg, its very possible that was sustained when he was (if) tossed off of the bridge. Broken ribs prob. from the beating.
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trackside
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07-12-09 8:20 PM
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no clue of the digits,, but they never found the phone
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ConfusedAngel
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07-12-09 8:44 AM
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I am sure soooner or later it will call come out. Does anyone happen to know what the last 4 digits of his cell was. Has anyone found his cell?
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trackside
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07-10-09 7:17 PM
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he was trying to call the same person that dropped him off I know that for sure
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BigDuke
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07-10-09 6:10 PM
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and exact cause of death will probably not ever be known.
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BigDuke
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07-10-09 6:09 PM
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Eric was not in a panic when he left messages for friends. He was known to call people and coax them to come and get him and take him places. That night he was simply looking for a ride at the time he was calling. He wasn't stupid. He knew how to dial 911.
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danno4748
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07-10-09 6:02 PM
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Why dont everyone shut up about this and wait and see. All u people do is put this one down or that 1 down, Know 1 really does know the truth, It will all come out 1 day. And iam going to make s memorial for eric also.Eric told me he would see me at the memorial on oct 12 with tina b. well they never did show up.So everyone let him rest in peace until we find out what really did happen, it does take time to find things out. thank u god bless his family danno
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jdm909
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07-10-09 5:43 PM
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I listened to one of the messages he left around 2 something at night. He sounded drunk but not in a panic or really calling for anything more than a ride.
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yendor61
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07-10-09 5:34 PM
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True, animals could tear the clothing but would not carry them off. I would think LE would state that they were near by. By putting that in the article makes it appear that they are not around.
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yendor61
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07-10-09 5:17 PM
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Just curious. I have not read any comments about Eric only being partially clothed. That sounds odd for somebody that just left a bar does'nt it?
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sugarbaby
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07-10-09 4:51 PM
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If he ended up in a fight with whoever inside the Stables...One punch and he probably would of been out...The chest trauma could be because some one gave the boots to him and it got out of hand...There wouldnt be blood inside the bar from that...I guess no one will never know...I really don't believe either that the police have anyone in mind on this one...
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sugarbaby
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07-10-09 4:47 PM
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It's common sense people...He had to have met his fate at the Stables...The tracking dog would have picked up his scent if he walked down the road..The dog only tracked him to the front door of the Stables...
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GrumpyOldMan
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07-10-09 4:36 PM
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BigDuke...IF you know the "whole story" why not just spit it out?? Why this Mr. Miagi-figure-it-out-from-little-hints type thing?
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BigDuke
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07-10-09 4:31 PM
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There has never been any talk about the back room really. What happened to Eric didn't happen inside. Things happened that led up to it, but he was not harmed until after he left. He didn't get very far though.
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KellyJ
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07-10-09 4:22 PM
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What's bugging me about this is if some people are right and that whatever happened occurred at the Stables (backroom), then wouldn't they be people who frequented the bar quite often? I think the police know who was involved and it's just a matter of time.
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ICantBelieve
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07-10-09 4:17 PM
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Some people earlier were saying he was gay - was he trying to hit on a big ole boy in the bar that night? Or, did a big ole boy take something he said the wrong way?
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KellyJ
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07-10-09 3:59 PM
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Servai, you are right.
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Servai
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07-10-09 3:53 PM
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Kelly: In a perfect world people might stick to the topic; but in all the time these forums have been open for discussions, I've seen very few that stayed on topic. Fortunately, we all have the choice to accept or ignore whatever anyone else says.
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KellyJ
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07-10-09 3:53 PM
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Truthseeker, if he fell, wouldn't somebody in that building have heard or seen something? It would have been mighty risky to be dragging a body, while into a panic, into a car to dispose of him. Wouldn't most people call an ambulance if it was an accidental fall?
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KellyJ
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07-10-09 3:49 PM
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Servai, yes I am for open discussion about the topic at hand. As soon as it turns personal, it's not open in my opinion. The posters aren't the story here.
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ElmerA
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07-10-09 3:46 PM
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These small minded people just can't understand how an "outsider" could get MORE info than them.. It is easier to look inside the box from the outside. Besides IF the police don't want it published in this paper, it simply isn't..
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