Baraboo Remembers Kodie Dutcher, 10, After July 2020 Search Ended Near Her Home

Police, Firefighters, and Volunteers Searched for Kodie After Wisconsin Issued a Statewide Amber Alert

Ten-year-old Kodie Dutcher was reported missing from her home in Baraboo, Wisconsin, on July 6, 2020. Police began searching that evening, and a statewide Amber Alert brought attention to her disappearance. The following morning, a search team found her dead in a field near her home.

The Search Began on Monday Evening

Kodie was last seen around 4 p.m. in the 1100 block of 12th Street. Officers responded to a missing-child report at about 5:40 p.m. and spoke with her mother. Information gathered at the home raised concerns for Kodie’s immediate safety.

Her phone and shoes were still at home, and authorities believed she had left on foot. Baraboo firefighters and a Wisconsin Dells K-9 team joined police in searching the area. As the effort widened, drone teams assisted, and volunteers helped look through the night and into Tuesday morning.

Searchers Found Kodie the Next Morning

At about 11 a.m. on July 7, a search team found Kodie in a farm field roughly half a mile from where she was last seen. Authorities canceled the Amber Alert. Police thanked the volunteers and emergency personnel who had helped look for her and expressed sympathy for her family.

When police announced that Kodie had been found, they were still investigating how she died. On July 9, the department said preliminary autopsy findings indicated that she had died by suicide. Police reported finding no signs of foul play or physical abuse.

Neighbors Gathered to Remember Her

On the evening Kodie was found, people gathered outside the Sauk County Courthouse for a vigil. Some had never met her. They came to remember the child their community had spent the previous night looking for and to show support for her family.

At a Baraboo Common Council meeting a week later, the mayor thanked the volunteers, city employees, and agencies that had taken part in the search. The meeting also included a moment of silence for Kodie’s family.