WI WI - Nicholas Hietpas, 22, & dog, vehicle found abandoned in Oconto Co., Appleton, 1 Apr 2019

[Luckyzmom]

He didn't, but where did they go ? Or what has become of them ? Look at the area where car was found ! Did it quit ? Outdoor of gas ? What an odd place to try to camp ! What took them there ?? Odd. MOO

 

[Luckyzmom]

Bumping for Nicholas and Samantha

 

[Rush4087]

I'm having a hard time figuring out exactly where the vehicle was found - and also exactly where the dog's collar was found. Can anybody help me out?

Re: the vehicle:

"...was found on a forest road.."

"The vehicle was less than a quarter mile off State 64 on the road, which turns back onto Shadow Lake Road"

(I assume when they say "on the road" they're talking about a/the forest rd), so,

which Forest Service Road - the one between Shadow Lake and Star Lake, or the one (actually I see two) that is/are south of 64, in the Blue Spruce Rd area? TIA

 

[Luckyzmom]

I searched SR64 and Shadow Lake Rd. There are notes from SO search up thread here that might be helpful. Didn't check Blue Spruce Rd, will try that too. Many Thanks
I think the dog collar was a half mile down the road where car and gear was found. That is up this thread as well

 

[Rush4087]

I searched SR64 and Shadow Lake Rd. There are notes from SO search up thread here that might be helpful. Didn't check Blue Spruce Rd, will try that too. Many Thanks
I think the dog collar was a half mile down the road where car and gear was found. That is up this thread as well

Thanks Luckyzmom. I had gone through the car location info up thread, but found it unclear (if not contradictory). And the general location of the dog's collar was, well, too general (I had been wondering whether the collar was found on Spruce Rd., or say, 500 yards off of the road in the woods/brush?). I just thought maybe I'd missed something. It doesn't sound like very specific location info for either item has been released by LE.

The reason I found the vehicle location info so confounding is that there IS no forest service road off of Shadow Lake Rd that is also within a quarter mile of State 64 (not a named one anyway). National Forest Rd 2117 is over a mile away (north even of Shadow Lake). And the two forest service roads south of State 64 are Blue Spruce (2316) and the smaller one that crosses Blue Spruce - but neither of those is off of Shadow Lake Road... So, to me, the description of the car's location is very unclear.

I did find (in a media link I believe) a quote by the Sheriff saying that the dog's collar was found "near Spruce Rd, about a half mile from his car". But that was too vague to be of much use in answering my question as to whether NH and the dog were possibly on the road or way off in the bush.

I was just curious to learn if perhaps:

1.) the vehicle was found on private property (I would find it odd that an outdoors type - a hiker and/or camper - would choose to do either activity on private property), and,

2.) although the location immediately north and south of 64 may be great for ATV trail riding (sounds like it was before the storm, anyway), is it the kind of place (whether public or private) that would be attractive to most hikers and/or campers?

If not (and from google earth it doesn't appear to be), imo, NH (assuming he was the one who drove the car to that location) might not have been there to hike or camp. Jmo

 

[Luckyzmom]

Stopped by to Bump for Nicholas and Samantha Always in my prayers

 

[Luckyzmom]

Thinking of Nicholas and Samantha Today always in my prayers

 

[PayrollNerd]

I was trying to get a better link but no luck. Hopefully these will work.

Posted 4/1/2021

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MISSING 2 YEARS TODAY >> NICHOLAS HIETPAS (Mountain, Wisconsin): Team MibSAR's thoughts and prayers are with Nick Hietpas' parents and loved ones on this difficult day. Nick has been missing without a trace in the 1.5-million-acre Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in Northern Wisconsin since April 1, 2019. His black, 2012 Ford Fusion was found along a forest road near the junction of Highway 64 and Shadow Lake Road, west of Mountain, Wisconsin, in Oconto County, by an ATV rider. A tarp and camping gear were found near the vehicle, and his dog’s unclasped collar was found a half mile away. Investigators and Nick's parents describe him as follows: hometown of Appleton, Wisconsin; age 22; white male; 6'; 200 lbs; normal build; brown eyes; short brown hair; small ribbon-type tattoo on inside of left wrist; likely wearing a green-lettered “Get Your Gooch On” black hooded sweatshirt, American Eagle blue jeans, and mustard-colored steel-toed work boots. Nick was accompanied by Samantha, his white German Shepard (65 lbs, brown eyes, spayed, not chipped).
>> TIPS: If you know anything about Nick's disappearance, or his current whereabouts, report it to the Oconto County Sheriff’s Office at 920.834.6900 or anonymously via Crime Stoppers at TipSubmit.com.
>> NICK'S MISSING-PERSON WEBPAGE ON MIBSAR: http://www.mibsar.com/Cases/Hietpas/Hietpas.html
>> NICK'S MISSING-PERSON WEBPAGE ON NAMUS: https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/58278
>> NICK'S CASE IN THE MEDIA...
• April 24, 2019 Green Bay Press Gazette (Green Bay, Wisconsin): https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/.../appl.../3567216002/
• April 25, 2019 Green Bay Press Gazette (Green Bay, Wisconsin): https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/.../thre.../3576120002/
• May 2, 2019 Green Bay Press Gazette (Green Bay, Wisconsin): https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/.../week.../3656142002/
___________________________________
>> FREE WILDERNESS SKILLS CLASSES, BUSH TRIPS, AND CANADIAN EXPEDITIONS: http://www.mibsar.com/Calendar/calendar.html
>> ABOUT MibSAR: Team MibSAR assists victims, their families, and agencies in the search for answers to select, long-term, missing-person cases and cold-case murders in the bush between the Upper Great Lakes and Canada’s Arctic Ocean. All investigations, searches, missing-person websites, full-color posters, work products, consults, outdoor skills and wilderness survival classes, and wilderness trips and expeditions are free. Team MibSAR does NOT collect rewards or accept donations for its work — if you want to support the search-and-rescue community, please donate to your local, regional, national, or international SAR team, or to Team MibSAR's home team: Marquette County Search and Rescue (MCSAR) at the Marquette County Sheriff's Office.
— Michael Neiger, NASAR-certified SARTECH I and Crew Leader, Lead Investigator, Long Range Special Operations Group (LRSOG), Michigan Backcountry Search and Rescue (MibSAR), Marquette, Michigan, www.MibSAR.com, mneiger@hotmail.com • #TeamMibSAR • #PayItForward
___________________________________
>> FREE WILDERNESS SKILLS CLASSES, BUSH TRIPS, AND CANADIAN EXPEDITIONS: http://www.mibsar.com/Calendar/calendar.html
>> ABOUT MibSAR: Team MibSAR assists victims, their families, and agencies in the search for answers to select, long-term, missing-person cases and cold-case murders in the bush between the Upper Great Lakes and Canada’s Arctic Ocean. All investigations, searches, missing-person websites, full-color posters, work products, consults, outdoor skills and wilderness survival classes, and wilderness trips and expeditions are free. Team MibSAR does NOT collect rewards or accept donations for its work — if you want to support the search-and-rescue community, please donate to your local, regional, national, or international SAR team, or to Team MibSAR's home team: Marquette County Search and Rescue (MCSAR) at the Marquette County Sheriff's Office.
— Michael Neiger, NASAR-certified SARTECH I and Crew Leader, Lead Investigator, Long Range Special Operations Group (LRSOG), Michigan Backcountry Search and Rescue (MibSAR), Marquette, Michigan, www.MibSAR.com, mneiger@hotmail.com • #TeamMibSAR • #PayItForward

 

[PayrollNerd]

Appleton Police Dept post 4/1/2021 - comments.

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MISSING PERSON
Today marks 2 years since Nicholas Hietpas went missing. This investigation is still on-going and we are still looking for assistance in finding Nicholas. Nicholas is a 22 year old, white male, from Appleton, WI. Nicholas was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt with green lettering, blue jeans, and brown work boots. Nicholas’ vehicle was located in the area of Hwy 64 and Shadow Lake Road, in the Town of Doty, Oconto County, Wisconsin. Nicholas may be accompanied by a white German Shepard named Samantha.
If you have any information regarding Nicholas or his whereabouts, please contact Detective Chad Riddle at the Appleton Police Department at (920) 832-5564.

 

[Rosiebones]

Thinking of Nicholas and Samantha Today always in my prayers

You are so faithful @Luckyzmom, checking back on Nicholas and Samantha. There must be much information we do not have because to have such silence from family and friends and the public in general is hard to understand. Only MibSAR seems to have searched. There haven't even been theories put out there that I have found.

 

[Luckyzmom]

Where are you Nicholas and Samantha ?. Getting to be fall again
Nothing new I have found Anyone have anything new ?

 

[Rosiebones]

Checking in on Nicholas and so hoping to find something, anything to say where he is.

 

[Luckyzmom]

Checking in on Nicholas and so hoping to find something, anything to say where he is.

Am checking for anything, never an update,my guess is that family has no hope. Heat taking.... No one disappears and where the heck is Samantha ???

 

[Luckyzmom]

Bumping for Nicholas and Samantha

 

[PayrollNerd]

A sweet gesture for the search team from Nicholas mom

MibSAR would like to thank Deb Desens Hietpas for the generous gift of homemade cookies — think oatmeal, walnuts, and dark chocolate! Team MibSAR is looking forward to the arrival of summer so it can resume searching a pond with a submersible metal detector for any clues to the disappearance of her beloved son, Nick Hietpas, who has been missing since April 1, 2019 in the 1.5-million-acre Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in northern Wisconsin.
___________________________________
>> CASE SUMMARY: Nick was last heard from on April 1, 2019. An ATV rider found his black, 2012 Ford Fusion along a forest road near the junction of Highway 64 and Shadow Lake Road, west of Mountain, Wisconsin, in Oconto County. A tarp and camping gear were found near the vehicle, and his dog’s unclasped collar was found a half mile away. Investigators and Nick's parents describe him as follows: hometown of Appleton, Wisconsin; age 22; white male; 6'; 200 lbs; normal build; brown eyes; short brown hair; small ribbon-type tattoo on inside of left wrist; likely wearing a green-lettered “Get Your Gooch On” black hooded sweatshirt, American Eagle blue jeans, and mustard-colored steel-toed work boots. Nick was accompanied by Samantha, his white German Shepard (65 lbs, brown eyes, spayed, not chipped).
>> TIPS: If you know anything about Nick's disappearance, or his current whereabouts, report it to the Oconto County Sheriff’s Office at 920.834.6900 or anonymously via Crime Stoppers at TipSubmit.com.
>> NICK'S MISSING-PERSON WEBPAGE ON MIBSAR: Nick Heitpas' Missing-Person Page
>> NICK'S MISSING-PERSON WEBPAGE ON NAMUS: The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
>> NICK'S CASE IN THE MEDIA...
• April 24, 2019 Green Bay Press Gazette (Green Bay, Wisconsin): Appleton man missing; car found in Oconto County
• April 25, 2019 Green Bay Press Gazette (Green Bay, Wisconsin): Three searches conducted in northern Oconto County for missing Appleton man Nicholas Hietpas
• May 2, 2019 Green Bay Press Gazette (Green Bay, Wisconsin): Weekend visitors to Oconto Co. could help in search for missing Appleton man
___________________________________
>> ABOUT MibSAR: Team MibSAR assists victims, their families, and agencies in the search for answers to select, long-term, missing-person cases and cold-case murders in the bush between the Upper Great Lakes and Canada’s Arctic Ocean. All investigations, searches, missing-person websites, full-color posters, work products, consults, outdoor skills and wilderness survival classes, and wilderness trips and expeditions are free. Team MibSAR does NOT collect rewards or accept donations for its work — if you want to support the search-and-rescue community, please donate to your local, regional, national, or international SAR team, or to Team MibSAR's home team: Marquette County Search and Rescue (MCSAR) at the Marquette County Sheriff's Office.
— Michael Neiger, NASAR-certified SARTECH I and Crew Leader, Lead Investigator, Long Range Special Operations Group (LRSOG), Michigan Backcountry Search and Rescue (MibSAR), Marquette, Michigan, www.MibSAR.com, mneiger@hotmail.com • #TeamMibSAR • #PayItForward

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[Luckyzmom]

Thanks @PayrollNerd

 

[MrsWatson]

Nothing new in the Charlie Project page.

It's like they fell off the face of the earth.

Very sad case.

Nicholas Jeffrey Hietpas – The Charley Project

 

[scriabina]

Any missing guns? I'm thinking this might be a case of murder-suicide (killed the dog, then himself, deep in the woods, their remains never to be found). There was another case of a teenager who did the same thing a couple years ago. No one thought he would kill his beloved dog, but that's exactly what he did. Terribly sad. If a person is ill enough to kill themself, then they are ill enough to kill their most cherished pets too.

 

[MrsWatson]

I wish we knew a bit more about Nicholas.

 

[j_in_c]

Any missing guns? I'm thinking this might be a case of murder-suicide (killed the dog, then himself, deep in the woods, their remains never to be found). There was another case of a teenager who did the same thing a couple years ago. No one thought he would kill his beloved dog, but that's exactly what he did. Terribly sad. If a person is ill enough to kill themself, then they are ill enough to kill their most cherished pets too.

Statistically most victims of self-harm are found relatively close to their last know location unless they went into water (I'm adding MOO here since I don't have any studies/links on hand to back that up).

I recall posts that the local search and rescue returned here several times, but as we know, searchers, even dog teams, are not infallible.

It is possible that it wasn't as intentional of a self-harm situation (such as bringing a weapon) but heading out into the wilderness unprepared or in a poor state of mind, which could mean they made it much further out from the car and will be harder to find.