PHILLIPS, WI — Nearly 40 years after Marchelle “Shelly” Hansen vanished from Price County, newly obtained court records show investigators had identified a top suspect and sought his DNA years before his death. Hansen, who was 23 and pregnant when she disappeared in November 1987, has never been found and remains listed as a missing person.
The records point to Michael D. Raskie, Hansen’s supervisor at Marquip Corp., as the sheriff’s office’s lead suspect. They also show the case was being investigated as a first-degree intentional homicide, even though no charge was ever filed.
How the case developed
Hansen was last seen on Nov. 12, 1987, after spending part of the day showing others her ultrasound and talking about the unborn child’s father. Her car was found later at the Lake Ten tavern parking lot, and investigators say it appeared to have been left in a hurry.
A former Phillips police officer later told investigators he saw Raskie’s vehicle at Hansen’s apartment building the night she disappeared. That interview, along with later witness statements, helped drive renewed activity in the case years after the initial investigation stalled.
What the records show
The unsealed affidavit says investigators had enough evidence by 2008 to seek Raskie’s DNA through a search warrant. It also says DNA taken from Hansen’s car in 2006 produced an unknown male profile, though the full lab result has not been made public.
Investigators ruled out Raskie’s brother and another former Marquip employee as possible matches. The affidavit says the unknown DNA was found on the left side of the steering wheel, which could suggest the driver’s seat was touched by the person who left it.
Why questions remain
Raskie died in 2015 without ever being charged, and county officials have kept much of the file sealed. Current Sheriff Brian Schmidt and the Wisconsin Department of Justice have both declined broad access to records, citing the open investigation and possible future prosecutions.
Former investigators told Wisconsin Watch they believed Raskie became the focus because of witness accounts, his connection to Hansen, and the pregnancy. Even so, they said the case never reached the level needed for a criminal filing, leaving the disappearance unresolved and the family still without answers.
From the Twin Cities to the border and back, Travel Your Way keeps Minnesota informed.