Erin Elizabeth Bushek Somvilai, 35, of La Crosse, Wisconsin, disappeared in early June 2018 and was reported missing on June 4 after family members said she had left important belongings at home, including her wallet, credit cards, cash, car keys, and medication. She was a nursing-school graduate and the mother of two young children. A search ended when a fisherman found her body in Runge Hollow Lake in Vernon County on June 17, 2018; investigators believed she likely died around the time she went missing.

Authorities treated the case as a homicide after finding Somvilai’s body secured with ropes and weighted by concrete blocks, apparently intended to keep her from surfacing. The autopsy pathologist ruled the manner of death homicide and described the cause as homicidal violence but could not identify a specific fatal injury or precise mechanism. Toxicology detected amphetamine and clonazepam, and the pathologist testified the bindings showed no bodily reaction, suggesting she may have been dead when tied to the weights.

Investigators focused on Somvilai’s former boyfriend, Erik J. Sackett, citing inconsistent statements, proximity to Runge Hollow Lake where his family had a cabin, and other investigative leads.

Did anyone in La Crosse or Vernon County see Erin in early June 2018 or notice suspicious activity near Runge Hollow Lake?