Vigil held for four Minnesotans found dead in Wisconsin

WHEELER, WIS. – The Minneapolis peace activist K.G. Wilson and the father of a woman killed in a quadruple homicide traveled together Wednesday to the spot in rural western Wisconsin where the woman's body was found, holding a brief vigil and praying for answers in the case.

Standing near the cornfield where his daughter's body was found Sunday inside an abandoned SUV, Damone Presley Sr. said he was just, "Bewildered that this is where my daughter ended up."

"I'm a believer that justice will come due," he added.

The Dunn County, Wis., Sheriff's Office didn't release any new information about the investigation Wednesday. The day before, the agency said the motive was still a mystery.

Sheriff Kevin Bygd added that the killer or killers likely are no longer in the area.

The dead include Matthew Pettus, 26, and half-sister Jasmine C. Sturm, 30, both of St. Paul. Sturm's boyfriend, 35-year-old Loyace Foreman III, and 30-year-old Nitosha Flug-Presley of Stillwater, a close friend of Sturm's, were also found in the black SUV.

The vehicle was driven about 50 feet into a cornfield near the intersection of County Highways F and VVV, just east of the Sheridan Town Hall, according to Bygd.

Wilson, who lost his 6-year-old granddaughter in an unsolved shooting earlier this year, said Presley is a friend and they are now mourning their losses together.

He urged people to contact the Sheriff's Office if they know anything relevant to the case. "If you know something, say something," he said. "You could be the one to help bring justice."

Wilson said he reached out on Facebook this week to see if anyone in the area where Flug-Presley's body was found would be willing to help him hold a vigil. Sarina Buck, who lives about 9 miles from the crime scene, said she saw Wilson's plea and helped lead him to the spot Wednesday evening.

"I feel this will get solved," Buck said. "Somebody saw something."

Erica Peterson of Menomonie saw a notice about the vigil on social media and quickly drove the 20 miles to join it. She arrived with her children and a friend as Wilson led a prayer and then released balloons.

"It's just heartbreaking," she said.

Her friends and relatives in the area have talked about all aspects of the case, she said, sharing whatever they learned. They know that the person or people who dumped the bodies stopped nearby at a gas station in Wheeler, Wis., a fact confirmed by employees there who said investigators took evidence from the store's video surveillance system.

"It's a lot of detective work, down to what they bought at the gas station," Peterson said.

She used to live on St. Paul's East Side but left for Menomonie to get away from violent crime.

"We're just here to pay our respects," she said.

Matt McKinney • 612-217-1747