Suspect in Vernon County cold case pleads not guilty

VERNON COUNTY, Wis. (WEAU) - A suspect in a Vernon County cold case pleads not guilty.

Online court records show a not guilty plea is entered for 61-year-old Michael Popp of Tomah, Wis. on the charge of 1st-degree murder.

Court records also show that a status conference is scheduled for June 9, 2025.

Popp is charged in the 1985 death of Terry Dolowy.

According to the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office, on Feb. 14, 1985, Terry Dolowy, age 24, was reported missing by her fiancé, Russell Lee.

The two lived in the Town of Barre, La Crosse County.

The Vernon County Sheriff’s Office says on Feb. 18, 1985, the Vernon County Sheriff’s Department responded to a report of something burning in a culvert on Mohawk Valley Road approximately 6 miles south of La Crosse.

According to the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office, authorities found the burning body of Terry Dolowy at that location. Her body was found decapitated and burned with the use of an accelerant.

The criminal complaint says investigators determined Popp knew Dolowy and lived near her. Popp later admitted that he had an affair with Dolowy that started six months before her death.

Ultimately, officials say Popp’s DNA matched a sample found during Dolowy’s autopsy, leading to his arrest.