Police make serial killer breakthrough after two decades as suspect linked to two women’s deaths

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Police make serial killer breakthrough after two decades as suspect linked to two women’s deaths

Deidre Harm vanished after leaving a bar in downtown Wisconsin Rapids on 10 June 2006

Police may have finally cracked open a chilling mystery nearly 20 years in the making.

This week, authorities in Wisconsin believe they may have found the culprit behind the murder of Deidre Harm, a 21-year-old single mum who vanished in 2006.

Harm disappeared after leaving a bar in downtown Wisconsin Rapids on 10 June - five months later, hunters discovered her remains in a nearby wooded area.

On Monday (October 20), the Wood County Sheriff’s Office announced that the investigation into Harm’s death has officially been closed, as they believe that Christopher Revak was responsible for her disappearance and death.

District Attorney Jonathan E. Barnett wrote in a letter addressed to Sheriff Shawn Becker, which was published on Facebook, that it was 'his determination that I would have filed a complaint against Christopher E. Revak were he still alive'.

Christopher Revak has been linked to the deaths of two women (Wood County Sheriff's Department)
Christopher Revak has been linked to the deaths of two women (Wood County Sheriff's Department)

Barnett further stated that he 'would have filed charges against Revak if he were still alive', adding: "I consider this case closed. I believe I had enough to charge and, if Mr. Revak were still alive, win at trial.”

Revak, a former EMT, died by suicide in a Missouri jail in 2009, just one day after being charged with the murder of another woman, Rene Williams, a 36-year-old mother of three.

Williams vanished in 2007 after finishing a shift at the Eagle Lodge bar, where Revak had reportedly been seen the same night, but her body was never found.

Investigators had long suspected Revak could be responsible for the death of Williams, with an investigator claiming they had his 'DNA at the scene'.

Missouri Sheriff Chris Degase, who investigated Williams’ case, told Fox News Digital: “When I started working on the Christopher Revak case, he was my suspect in the murder of Rene Williams. I didn’t think it was his first go-around at it.”

Revak had also been considered a person of interest in Jodi Huisentruit’s disappearance in Mason City, Iowa, in 1995.

Jodi Huisentruit vanished while on her way to work in Mason City, Iowa (KMSP)
Jodi Huisentruit vanished while on her way to work in Mason City, Iowa (KMSP)

The news anchor vanished on her way to work, leaving behind only her high heels and a bent car key near her vehicle. Despite extensive searches, her body was never recovered, and she was declared legally dead in 2001.

According to Fox 9, Revak was considered a possible suspect in her disappearance; however, Mason City Police Lt. Frank Stearns told a local newspaper in 2009 that there was no evidence tying him to the case.

Degase said that this new information surrounding Harm's death poses some disturbing questions, as he told KY3: "We’re dealing with what’s possibly a serial killer.

"During his day, he’s doing his deed to society and helping people and saving people, but there was a dark side to Chris Revak.

Huisentruit’s family have expressed hope for eventual answers, writing: "True peace will only come when Jodi is found and justice is served."

A $50,000 reward is still available to anyone who provides information related to her disappearance.

Featured Image Credit: Wood County Sheriff's Department

Topics: Crime, Iowa