What began as a routine attempt to locate a parentally abducted three-year-old child would expose something far more horrifying inside a home in Portage, Wisconsin.

When officers arrived at 304 West Oneida Street, nearly everyone inside lied about who they were. Then, at the police station, one woman revealed that officers had unknowingly left someone behind: an severely injured 11-year-old boy hiding inside an upstairs closet.

But the child wasn’t the only secret concealed within the house. Freshly disturbed soil and newly planted flowers in the backyard would lead investigators to an even darker discovery.

In Part 1 of the Portage House of Horrors, we follow the investigation from the officers’ first knock on the door through the rescue of A.C.G., the discovery of Tammie Garlin’s body, and the multistate search for Michael Sisk.

Content warning: This episode discusses severe child abuse, torture, domestic violence, and murder. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

SOURCES:

• Columbia County Circuit Court records obtained through the Columbia County Clerk of Courts
• A personal interview with retired Portage Police Detective Mark Hahn
• “House of Horrors,” published by Milwaukee Magazine on March 5, 2008
• This case was recommended to Dark Matter Moms by retired Portage Police Detective Daniel Pionke

🎙️ Dark Matter Moms
🖤 A Wisconsin true-crime podcast

On February 15, 1974, 25-year-old Mary Kathlene Schlais was hitchhiking from Minneapolis to Chicago to attend an art show.

She never made it.

Mary's body was discovered along a rural road in Dunn County, Wisconsin. Despite an eyewitness, physical evidence, and decades of investigation, her killer remained unidentified for 50 years.

Then, modern DNA technology and investigative genetic genealogy gave new life to a piece of evidence preserved since 1974: a stocking cap containing hair.

That evidence eventually led investigators to Jon Keith Miller.

Join us on Dark Matter Moms as we tell the story of Mary Schlais, the investigation that spanned generations, and the evidence that finally helped reveal the man responsible more than five decades later.

Sources:
CBS News Minnesota
Billy Lund, Crime Reporter — YouTube
Dunn County Sheriff’s Office / Dunn County Crime Stoppers

On April 20, 2019, firefighters responding to a house fire in Montello, Wisconsin, discovered the burned body of 43-year-old Daniel Gilmartin.

Hours before his death, Daniel told friends—and posted publicly—that his ex-girlfriend, Frances Rittmann, had attempted to set fire to a couch inside his detached garage. When investigators questioned Frances, her version of events began to change. Internet searches, witness accounts, physical evidence, and her own statements would ultimately reveal what happened inside Daniel’s home.

In this episode, we examine Daniel’s final hours, Frances’s shifting explanations, and the evidence that led to her guilty pleas and 45-year prison sentence.

This episode includes audio excerpts from Frances Rittmann’s recorded police interrogations.

Source: Official court records obtained from the Marquette County Clerk of Courts.

⚠️ Listener discretion is advised. This episode discusses domestic violence, suicide, fatal fire, and other disturbing subject matter.

In the summer of 1995, 13-year-old Thad Phillips went to sleep inside his home in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
When he woke up, someone was carrying him away.
That someone was 17-year-old Joseph Clark—a teenager who lived nearby and had a horrifying fascination with breaking bones.
For more than two days, Thad was held captive and subjected to unimaginable torture. His legs were repeatedly broken, his ankles were twisted, and his body was pushed to the point where survival seemed almost impossible.
But Thad refused to give up.
Unable to walk, he did the only thing he could think of: he threw himself down a flight of stairs in an attempt to reach a telephone. Fighting through excruciating pain and slipping in and out of consciousness, Thad eventually managed to call 911.
He survived.
And what Thad told investigators afterward would lead them to take another look at the mysterious death of 14-year-old Chris Steiner, whose body had been found in the Baraboo River the year before.
Suddenly, investigators were faced with a terrifying possibility.
Thad may not have been Joseph Clark's first victim.
He was simply the one who lived long enough to tell them what happened.
Join me on Dark Matter Moms as we tell the disturbing story of Joseph Clark, the teenager who became known as The Baraboo Bone Breaker, the young life that was lost, and the incredible survival of Thad Phillips—a 13-year-old boy who endured 43 hours of hell and somehow found the strength to save himself.

SOURCES: *wkow.com/kidnapped-and-tortured-by-the-bonebreaker
*I survived (Netflix) Season 5 Episode 18
*Medium.com/Twisted tale of Joe Clark

On April 17, 2025, 32-year-old Jesse Yanske disappeared near Westboro, Wisconsin. Despite extensive searches and an ongoing investigation, Jesse has never been found.

In this episode, we cover the known timeline, search efforts, and information shared by Jesse's family.

Disclaimer: This episode includes documented facts as well as alleged statements and personal accounts. Unless otherwise stated, allegations and recollections are presented as such and should not be taken as established fact.

For updates and ways to support the search, follow Bring Jesse Yanske Home on Facebook, a page run by Jesse's sister, Briana.

If you have any information about Jesse's disappearance, please contact:
• Price County Sheriff's Office: (715) 339-3011
• Taylor County Sheriff's Office: (715) 748-2200

CAUTION WARNING! This episode contains talk of child sexual abuse.

What should of been a night filled with costumes, candy, and childhood excitement became one of Wisconsin's most heartbreaking tragedies.

In this episode of Dark Matter Moms, we examine the tragic abduction and murder of nine-year-old Lisa Ann French, whose life was stolen on Halloween night in 1973. We walk through the timeline of that fateful evening, the investigation that gripped Wisconsin, and the forensic evidence that ultimately led investigators to her killer.

More than fifty years later, Lisa's story continues to resonate, not only because of the unimaginable loss of a little girl, but because her case forever changed the way many families approached Halloween. Join us as we honor Lisa's memory, separate fact from fiction, and revisit one of Wisconsin's most haunting and unforgettable true crime cases.

When first responders arrived at the Ridge Motor Inn in Portage, Wisconsin, they found Tracy Krueger dead outside her motel room. Within 20 minutes, investigators had stopped her husband, Kevin Krueger, and uncovered evidence that would shape the homicide case against him.

In this episode of Dark Matter Moms, we walk through the investigation, the evidence, Kevin's statements to detectives, and the court proceedings that followed. From witness accounts and forensic evidence to the interrogation room, we separate documented facts from conflicting explanations to examine how this Wisconsin homicide case unfolded.

Join us as we explore the story behind the headlines and the investigation that led to a life sentence.

On the outside, Tim and Eve Nance looked like an ordinary Wisconsin couple trying to build a life together. But behind closed doors, their marriage was unraveling with betrayal, jealousy, and growing resentment. When Tim suddenly vanished in November 2013, Eve insisted he had simply disappeared. Detectives weren't convinced.

As investigators peeled back the layers, they uncovered a chilling murder, an elaborate attempt to hide the truth, and a web of lies that ultimately led to a shocking confession. In this episode of Dark Matter Moms, we break down the events that turned a missing person's case into one of Wisconsin's most disturbing domestic homicides.

Join us as we explore the tragic story of Tim and Eve Nance, and the devastating consequences of secrets kept behind closed doors.