Sauk County Det. Lt. Chris Zunker answers questions during a 2021 news conference about the stabbing death of 24-year-old John Craig Schmutzer of Wauwatosa, with Detective Drew Bulin at right, along the south shore of Devil's Lake, not far from where Schmutzer died along the Grottos Trail on Oct. 14, 2020.
More than two years have passed, but Sauk County sheriff’s detectives are still working to solve the case of the stabbing death of 24-year-old John Craig Schmutzer at Devil’s Lake State Park.
Two detectives still dedicate their time to following leads, and the department remains adamant that the investigation will not be shelved, said Det. Lt. Chris Zunker, who oversees it.
“There isn’t a week that goes by that there isn’t some activity on the case,” Zunker said. “We’re not stopping our investigation.”
It was a clear, breezy morning when Schmutzer arrived at the state park on Oct. 14, 2020. The temperature had climbed to 55 degrees by 9 a.m. The 24-year-old lived in Wauwatosa — where he had graduated from high school in 2014 — after attending UW-Madison and working for a financial company in New York, but had recently been traveling.
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In the days before he came to the south shore of Devil’s Lake, Schmutzer had traversed part of Wildcat Mountain State Park in Vernon County, gone to the Hilldale shopping center in Madison and visited nearby La Valle.
According to his obituary, fall was Schmutzer’s favorite season. The leaves were in full color that day as he took to the Grottos Trail. Then just before 11:30 a.m. as he was walking near the railroad tracks, which are roughly 20 feet from the recreation area and parking lot of the south shore, Schmutzer was attacked.
Sauk County Det. Lt. Chris Zunker talks about John Craig Schmutzer, a Wauwatosa man who was stabbed to death at Devil's Lake State Park in 2020. A person of interest, dubbed "The Runner," is still being sought.
A witness called for an ambulance. The person had seen an unidentified man dressed in dark, ripped pants, a “dark-colored head covering and dark-colored face covering” stab the 24-year-old going for a solo hike multiple times. Emergency responders said Schmutzer was dead when they arrived.
The witness said the attacker was roughly 5-foot-10 to 6 feet tall and left immediately in the direction of the south shore parking lot. Authorities believe the attacker was a man with a slender to average build. He was seen by more than 15 people in the park that day at different locations, Zunker said.
As authorities arrived at the park, they closed entrances. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources was in charge of the investigation because the homicide happened in the state park. Authorities did not release any information to the public other than asking people to stay away from the park.
The Sauk County Sheriff’s Office assisted in a search for the killer. The state mobile crime lab was brought in, and witnesses were interviewed about the stabbing. Authorities used an aircraft to try to track the attacker. Nearby businesses were locked down until mid-afternoon. Police remained in the area that evening.
At the time, Capt. Jeremy Plautz of the DNR did not convey any information about the assailant. The only identifying information officials had was from eyewitnesses because there are no security cameras within the area. The sheriff’s office confirmed they were searching for a person in relation to a death at the park later that day. The sheriff’s office took oversight of the investigation the next morning.
Since then, detectives have dedicated their time to trying to find the person of interest they refer to as “The Runner.” Hundreds of tips have been followed. DNA samples have been taken. Other pieces of evidence have been analyzed by the State Crime Laboratory.
Because there were high numbers of visitors to Devil’s Lake in 2020 as people sought to get outdoors amid COVID-19 restrictions, combined with the fall colors and weather, authorities asked anyone who was at the park to go through photos they had taken. Maybe “The Runner” had been caught on camera. Information was reported consistently as three detectives worked to identify the person of interest.
After a year passed, those detectives and other members of the sheriff’s office gathered at the south shore to talk about the attack. Tips and calls had slowed as time passed, though Zunker said at the time they were still coming in. Because of the change, they shifted the workload to two detectives.
The flow of information has largely stayed the same between 2021 and 2022, Zunker said.
Anyone with information from that day can contact detectives through Sauk County Crime Stoppers by calling 888-847-7285, submitting an anonymous tip online or sending a text with the message “tipsauk” to 274637.
Nearly all, if not all, of the samples authorities sent to the crime lab have been returned. DNA may be pivotal in solving the case as authorities gain more information, but that may take time. They remain vigilant in finding the attacker, Zunker said.
“We owe it as law enforcement officers, as detectives, to continue to work this case,” Zunker said. “Explore every possibility in order to bring closure to Mr. Schmutzer’s family and bring the person responsible for this heinous crime to justice and get them off the streets so they can’t hurt somebody else.”
Sauk County Sheriff Chip Meister speaks during a 2021 news conference to update the public on the investigation into the October 2020 stabbing death of John Schmutzer in Devil's Lake State Park.
Authorities believe the attack was random. That generally makes it more difficult to solve a case. However, they believe “The Runner” likely either had a substance abuse problem or continues to have one because of the brutality. The attacker could also deal with the negative effects of a mental illness which caused him to attack Schmutzer.
“I think to do what they did, they were either under the influence of some sort of narcotics or drugs and maybe dealing with some mental health issues, or both,” Zunker said. “We’ll never know until the person is brought to justice.”
People should consider someone they know in their life who fits that description and frequently visits Devil’s Lake, potentially having some familiarity with carrying a knife, Zunker said. It was likely not a premeditated act, he said.
Part of the hope for the case to be solved is that someone knows something that they have not yet reported to police.
“All we need is one good tip, one good lead, one good interview, and that could turn the case in an instant,” Zunker said. “I still believe, as do the investigators assigned to the case, there are people, or at least a person out there, who knows who did this or suspects they did this. It may be tomorrow, it may be six months from now, maybe two years from now that they get the courage to come forward and bring that information to us so we can bring closure to this case and to the family. So we just keep working on it.”
GALLERY: 'Ready, Set, Explore' at Devil's Lake
Lydia Johnson, 9, of Des Moines, Iowa, looks through a magnifying glass at a dead moth Thursday morning near Devil’s Lake State Park’s nature center while participating in “Ready, Set, Explore.” Park naturalist Sue Johansen-Mayoleth led roughly 14 participants, including the Johnson family of seven, on a hike around the park near Baraboo as part of the educational activity. She said the park started hosting outdoor activities again in early June after putting them on hold since March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. She tries to offer activities most days of the week, some tailored more for adults but most for families. To see the full offerings, visit dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/devilslake and click on “Calendar.”
Devil’s Lake State Park naturalist Sue Johansen-Mayoleth, right, points out the characteristics of a leaf Thursday morning near the park’s nature center for “Ready, Set, Explore” participants, from left, Evie Starzewski, 6, Madison; Elijah, 6, Lydia, 9, and Theo, 4, with their mother, Laura Johnson, all of Des Moines, Iowa. Johansen-Mayoleth led roughly 14 participants on a hike around the park near Baraboo, allowing them to explore and teaching them how to document their observations. She said the park started hosting outdoor recreation activities again in early June after putting them on hold since March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. She tries to offer activities most days of the week, some tailored more for adults but most for families. To see the full offerings, visit dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/devilslake and click on “Calendar.”
Cody Johnson of Des Moines, Iowa, holds the door for his children, Theo, 4, left, and Lydia, 9, to the Devil's Lake State Park nature center after naturalist Sue Johansen-Mayoleth put up a welcome flag July 1.
Devil’s Lake State Park naturalist Sue Johansen-Mayoleth demonstrates how not to hold a magnifying glass July 1 for “Ready, Set, Explore” participants at the park.
Devil’s Lake State Park naturalist Sue Johansen-Mayoleth introduces an activity July 1 at the park.
Maddie Starzewski, 6, Madison, leans in to look at nature through a magnifying glass Thursday morning near Devil’s Lake State Park’s nature center while participating in “Ready, Set, Explore.” Park naturalist Sue Johansen-Mayoleth led roughly 14 participants on a hike around the park near Baraboo as part of the educational activity, including Starzewski, her twin sister, Evie, and their mother, Janie, who were at Devil’s Lake for their first ever camping experience. Johansen-Mayoleth said the park started hosting outdoor activities again in early June after putting them on hold since March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. She tries to offer activities most days of the week, some tailored more for adults but most for families. To see the full offerings, visit dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/devilslake and click on “Calendar.”
Evie Starzewski, 6, Madison, looks at antlers and other items from the natural world July 1 in the nature center at Devil's Lake State Park near Baraboo.
Elijah Johnson, 6, of Des Moines, Iowa, examines a leaf using a magnifying glass as Devil’s Lake State Park naturalist Sue Johansen-Mayoleth describes what its characteristics mean and his 9-year-old sister, Lydia, left, takes notes Thursday morning near the park’s nature center. Johansen-Mayoleth led roughly 14 participants on a hike around the park near Baraboo as part of “Ready, Set, Explore,” including the Johnson family of seven. She said the park started hosting outdoor recreation activities again in early June after putting them on hold since March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. She tries to offer activities most days of the week, some tailored more for adults but most for families. To see the full offerings, visit dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/devilslake and click on “Calendar.”
Siblings Elijah, 6, left, and Lydia Johnson, 9, of Des Moines, Iowa, examine leaves as Devil’s Lake State Park naturalist Sue Johansen-Mayoleth points out certain characteristics and what they indicate Thursday morning near the park’s nature center. Johansen-Mayoleth led roughly 14 participants on a hike around the park near Baraboo as part of “Ready, Set, Explore,” including the Johnson family of seven. She said the park started hosting outdoor recreation activities again in early June after putting them on hold since March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. She tries to offer activities most days of the week, some tailored more for adults but most for families. To see the full offerings, visit dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/devilslake and click on “Calendar.”
Six-year-old twins Maddie, left, and Evie Starzewski, of Madison, look at a frog on display in the nature center July 1 at Devil's Lake State Park near Baraboo.
Cody Johnson of Des Moines, Iowa, follows his children and the park naturalist into the nature center July 1 at Devil's Lake State Park.
