Tulsa Native Identified As Madison's 'Chimney Doe'

One of Wisconsin’s longest unsolved cases has a Tulsa connection.

Human remains found in Madison, Wisconsin went unidentified for more than three decades until Monday.

34 years is how long it took the Madison Police Department to finally identify remains found in a music store.

“This unsolved case has puzzled people across the country for more than three decades,” said Chief Shon Barnes with the Madison Police Department.

On September 3rd, 1989, business owners in Madison discovered skeletal remains in their chimney.

“A forensic autopsy was able to determine the remains were that of a white male, between the ages of 18 and 35,” said Barnes. 

The person became known as “Chimney Doe,” but after 34 years…"Chimney Doe" has been identified as Ronnie Joe Kirk.

The case was handled by multiple detectives over the years. But in 2019, the Madison Police Department got a break in the case when technology allowed them to begin testing a rootless strand of hair found in the chimney for DNA.

This ultimately helped identify the remains as Ronnie Joe Kirk.

“We were able to shed light on Ronnie’s origins and pave the way for some closure in Madison’s long-standing mystery,” said Gwen Knapp with DNA Doe.

Police say they don’t know when or how Kirk died, how long he was in the chimney, or how he wound up in Madison, but they do know that he has ties to Tulsa.

“Ronnie was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1942; he was adopted and raised by family members, and he attended high school in Tulsa,” said Chief Barnes.

We were able to find a 1962 record of Ronnie's first marriage in Ottawa County, but with these few details, questions still remain… and investigators need help.

“Someone will remember him, and we’ll do everything to try to trace down if he worked here, if he lived here, if he was just passing through, or going somewhere else…we don’t know,” said Chief Barnes.

Police have made contact with Kirk's family, but they are asking for privacy.

Police ask anyone who recognizes or has any information on Ronnie Joe Kirk to call the detective on this case, Lindsey Ludden, directly at 608-229-8215. 

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