Dodge County homicide; Zachariah Rasch accused in death of wife
Crystal Rasch (left) and Zachariah Rasch (right, booking photo)
DODGE COUNTY, Wis. - Charges are now filed in the death of a Dodge County woman. Zachariah Rasch, 43, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse in the death of his wife, Crystal.
Rasch, 37, was not reported missing from rural Clyman until June 23. Later, the sheriff's office said her husband, Zachariah Rasch, was arrested for using his wife's financial accounts without her permission.
According to the criminal complaint to the finances, the missing person's report for Crystal started when dispatch got a call from Crystal's stepmother on June 23, who said she hadn't heard from Crystal since June 11 via text message. She said when she calls Crystal's phone, it goes straight to voicemail.
A Dodge County Sheriff's deputy talked with the stepmother, who said she stopped at Crystal's house and saw her vehicle parked in the garage. She was told by Crystal's mother that Crystal went to Michigan to see her brother, and didn't know if she ever got picked up.
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The stepmother called the brother, and he said he had not seen Crystal. The stepmother told authorities she was worried as Zachariah Rasch had previously harassed her, and she wanted to make sure he did not do anything to her, per the complaint.
The deputy contacted several other friends and family members of Crystal. They all said they haven't had in-person contact with Crystal since June 10. However, several said they got Facebook messages allegedly from Crystal, although they believed that those messages were fake based on the tone of the comments and the language used. They also said the person purporting to be Crystal refused to accept any phone calls.
The deputy made several attempts to contact Crystal and was not able to ever speak to her on the phone.
At the same time, the deputy also contacted Zachariah Rasch, who said he had not contacted Crystal, and he had not seen her either. Law enforcement were made aware Crystal and Zachariah were going through a divorce.
Purchases made with Crystal's debit/credit card
The complaint goes on to say that through interviews, surveillance footage, and transaction data, it was discovered that Zachariah had made numerous purchases with Crystal's debit/credit card at the Beaver Dam Menards, Walmart, and several area Kwik Trips. He also used the debit card at Blain's Farm & Fleet in Watertown and the Watertown Ace Hardware.
Transaction records show that hundreds of dollars were spent on various cleaning supplies, including but not limited to: several bottles of drain cleaner, stain remover, carpet cleaner, upholstery cleaner, cleaning wipes, interior automotive cleaner, and chemical-resistant gloves.
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Surveillance video shows Zachariah was alone for all transactions, per the complaint.
Interview with Zachariah
A Dodge County Sheriff's deputy met with Zachariah. He said he and Crystal each had separate bank accounts. They did not have any shared bank accounts, and they do not allow each other access their respective accounts. Crystal had filed for divorce, and they were not living together, per the complaint.
Zachariah denied taking any money from Crystal or using her bank check or credit card to purchase any items during the early hours of the interview session. Detectives showed him surveillance photos and transaction records of the Menards purchase on June 23. This was over a week after he said he last contacted her.
According to the complaint, Zachariah ‘sat quiet for a period of time staring at the photo’ and stated eventually that he could not remember, but later admitted he was lying to us and had been using Crystal's account to make unauthorized purchases without her consent.
Search warrant executed
A search warrant was executed on Zachariah's home on June 26, related to the identity theft.
Several receipts from the aforementioned stores were found, along with more than $3,000 in cash money.
Cellphone pings
According to the complaint, investigators conducted emergency phone pings on the two phone numbers that belonged to Crystal, who had two phones.
One of the phones last pinged on June 8th in Junuea.
The other phone showed activity on June 17, and also showed an outgoing call on June 10, at 10:55 a.m. that hit a cell tower near State Highway 13 in Adams, Wisconsin.
Search in Adams County
According to the Adams County Sheriff's Office, Zachariah has connections to two separate parcels of land in the Town of Springville.
Due to the size of the area, a statewide request for assistance was made to other law enforcement agencies. On June 26 and June 27, nearly 100 law enforcement officers from 28 departments
searched those parcels of land.
A 2023 Mitsubishi Eclipse registered to Zachariah Rasch was found. That vehicle has ‘significant evidentiary value’ in the whereabouts of Crystal, and is currently being analyzed by the Wisconsin State Crime Lab in Madison.
Officials said the Rasch family has met with staff of the sheriff’s office and the district attorney’s office. They continue to grieve the loss of Crystal.