DNA breakthrough solves 1963 cold case murder at Wisconsin gas station

More than a half-century after a man was stabbed to death at a gas station in Wisconsin, authorities believe they've finally solved his murder. Several rounds of advanced forensic testing on DNA samples taken from the scene of the crime eventually led detectives to identify a suspect in the killing, the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office said.

Wayne Pratt was found dead on June 12, 1963, inside of an Enco gas station formerly in operation along U.S. Highway 41 in Winnebago, which is about 60 miles southwest of Green Bay. According to the sheriff, Pratt's wife, Marie Pratt, told authorities after her husband's murder that she had discovered his body in the back room of the station, covered with a blanket. He had suffered 53 stab wounds.

Pratt was 24 years old at the time of his death, and worked as a gas station operator at the Enco, CBS affiliate WFRV reported in 2020, when the Winnebago sheriff announced an earlier breakthrough in the case that had remained cold for decades. Marie Pratt said that her husband had been at home watching TV on the night of the stabbing, and went outside when a car pulled up to the gas station at around 8:40 p.m. local time. The Pratts lived about 50 feet from the Enco, the sheriff said. Marie Pratt had recalled him walking toward the station to help the customer, thinking the person had pulled up to the station for gas.

She told authorities shortly after the murder that she went to the gas station herself to check on her husband, once she realized that the lights at the Enco had not been turned on.

Evidence suggested that Pratt was not the only person injured the night of the murder. The sheriff said there was evidence of the attacker's blood at the scene, too, but no further details were uncovered about the incident and how it may have unfolded. Platt's murder became a cold case once the first years of investigative efforts turned up dry, and no arrests were made. There was limited information about the case after 1968, according to the sheriff.

It was officially reopened in 2011, when investigators probed the evidence for potential DNA that could by then undergo meaningful forensic analyses and potentially help identify Platt's killer. In 2015, the testing company Sorenson Forensics did find DNA "mixtures" on the blanket where Platt's body was found, but the mixed composition meant authorities could not enter the information into their databases while searching for a potential suspect. 

Three years later, a warrant was issued for the arrest of the suspect, William Doxtator of Bowler, Wisconsin, who was 82 at the time. Authorities in Winnebago County said that Doxtator was initially identified as a suspect in Platt's case in the days following his death in 1963, and they went on to receive tips about him in connection with Platt's death in 1968 and 2022. Then, this year, the company Cybergenetics ultimately pieced together a DNA profile from the mixture that authorities used to refer a charge for first-degree intentional homicide to the Winnebago District Attorney. Doxtator died in 2022, according to the sheriff.

Winnebago County District Attorney Eric Sparr backed the sheriff's referral. 

"The Winnebago County District Attorney's Office has reviewed the reports generated by this investigation. I agree there would be sufficient evidence to support a factual basis and probable cause to pursue a homicide charge if William Doxtator were alive today," Sparr said in a statement about the murder suspect. "The District Attorney's Office commends the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office for its ongoing investment in this case over a long period of time, showing dedication to securing some sense of finality and resolution for the families impacted." 

In:
• Cold Case
• Wisconsin
• Murder

Emily Mae Czachor

Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She covers breaking news, often focusing on crime and extreme weather. Emily Mae has previously written for outlets including the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.

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