Missing woman’s tooth found near estranged husband’s home, WI cops say. He’s charged

A Wisconsin man is accused of killing his wife after the missing woman’s tooth was found outside his home, police and news outlets report.

Zachariah Rasch, 43, is facing charges of homicide, domestic abuse and hiding a corpse, Dodge County court records show.

The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office announced the charges on Sept. 20, months after Rasch’s wife, Crystal, was first reported missing in June.

Authorities began looking for Crystal Rasch on June 23 after her stepmother contacted police, concerned because she hadn’t seen or heard from the 37-year-old in nearly two weeks, WITI reported.

In court documents, investigators say she had tried calling Crystal Rasch several times, but each call went to voicemail, the station reported. And when she came by Crystal Rasch’s house, her car was still there, though she was supposed to be visiting her brother in Michigan, documents read. Her brother told the stepmom Crystal Rasch never showed up.

When police spoke to her husband, he said he was clueless where she could be, the outlet reported. They were in the midst of a divorce, lived in separate homes, and had separate bank accounts, documents read.

But it wasn’t long until the investigation led police back to him.

Wherever his wife had disappeared to, investigators noticed her money was being spent, and it was her husband doing the spending.

“As part of the investigation, earlier this week, investigators were able to look into the financials of Crystal. We found that numerous transactions had taken place using her financial accounts,” the sheriff’s office said in a June 28 news release. “Crystal’s estranged husband, Zachariah Rasch ... was responsible for those transactions and they were processed without consent.”

In a short amount of time, Zachariah Rasch had visited several ATMs, withdrawing his wife’s money, and racked up $6,500 in purchases, including a variety of cleaning supplies and chemical-resistant gloves, The Daily Citizen reported.

The money trail led police to conduct a search of Zachariah Rasch’s home.

At the property, in Clyman Township, investigators discovered a suspicious area outside that appeared to be burned, WISN reported. Within that charred patch, something stuck out to investigators — a tooth. They looked closer and continued finding more evidence, mostly tiny bits of bone, fragments that survived intense heat.

A look at dental records revealed the tooth belonged to Crystal Rasch, the station reported.

Investigators also found a vehicle belonging to Crystal Rasch’s husband on his family’s land in Adams County, according to The Daily Citizen. The passenger seat was spattered with blood that matched Crystal Rasch’s DNA, authorities said.

Officials didn’t say how they believe Crystal Rasch died, or what may have motivated her husband to kill her.

The investigation remains “open and active,” the sheriff’s office said.

Clyman Township is a roughly 60-mile drive northwest from Milwaukee.

This story was originally published September 24, 2024 at 11:51 AM with the headline "Missing woman’s tooth found near estranged husband’s home, WI cops say. He’s charged."