He Was An Avid Golfer From Wisconsin Who Disappeared Days Before A Tournament In 2002, Leaving Behind All His Belongings Except His Gun
In 2002, Jerrold “Jerry” Strege of Waupun, Wisconsin, was 43-years-old and known as an avid golfer.
He was ranked 11th on the 2002 Wisconsin State Golf Association’s Player of the Year points list and even intended to compete in a golf tournament over the weekend of October 5, 2002.
Yet, just days before the tournament was set to begin, Jerry disappeared, puzzling his golf friends.
At the time, Jerry had worked at the Dodge Correctional Facility in Waupun as a prison guard for 25 years. Following a prison riot in 1983, he was reportedly held hostage, and according to Jerry’s father, he was not the same afterward.
Two months prior to his disappearance, Jerry had been arrested for drunk driving for the fourth time on August 15, 2002. His hearing was set for March 12, and he was supposedly concerned about losing his job, according to his friends.
Nonetheless, he showed up for work as usual on October 2, 2002, and was last seen leaving the Dodge Correctional Facility. He vanished sometime afterward and was never heard from again.
Jerry didn’t show up for his golf tournament on October 5 or October 6. He also missed a shift at work on October 8.
So, on October 9, his employer and his father started looking for him. That day, Jerry’s father and a police officer went to his apartment, which was found unlocked and with the lights still on.
Jerry’s cell phone had been left beside his bed, and the TV was on the Golf Channel. The rest of Jerry’s belongings were left behind, too, including his keys, wallet, identification, and golf clubs.
City Of Waupun – pictured above is Jerry
Both his car and his motorcycle were discovered inside his apartment complex’s garage, and there were no indicators of foul play. All that was missing was Jerry’s gun.
He was reported missing to the Waupun Police Department by his father on October 11, 2002.
“Many searches have been conducted by volunteers, search teams, canines, and police personnel, but no sign of Strege could be found,” wrote the Waupun Police Department in a 2021 Facebook post.
There was no activity on Jerry’s bank account after he vanished, and he has not contacted any friends or family members.
Jerry’s father had last spoken with him on the phone on September 23, 2002, and his father thought everything seemed normal.
However, despite bringing a bloodhound to Jerry’s apartment, combing through the greater Waupun area, and searching the Horicon Marsh in 2004 with the help of cadaver dogs, no evidence linked to Jerry’s case has been uncovered.
“To this date, no one has reported any contact with Jerrold Strege. Strege was an avid, highly skilled amateur golfer and, in fact, had been planning to compete in a golf tournament on the weekend of October 5 and 6, 2022,” the Waupun Police Department’s Facebook post reads.
“This perplexed many of his golfing friends since he was looking forward to playing in this tournament.”
Over 22 years later, the circumstances of Jerry’s disappearance remain unclear, and his case is still unsolved.
Jerry was six foot two, weighed 230 pounds, and had brown hair and blue eyes.
Anyone with information regarding his case is urged to contact the Waupun Police Department at (920) 324-7911.
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