As summer approaches and students prepare for a three-month break from classes, police remain hard at work in the homicide investigation of UW-Madison junior Brittany Zimmermann.
Madison Police Department officials said the investigation into Zimmermann’s April 2 death will remain active, as will an increased police presence in the downtown area. MPD Central District Captain Mary Schauf said two full-time and several part-time detectives will continue to pursue a number of leads police received in the case.
“I’ve been really pleased with the response we’ve gotten from the community at large with the tips and the things like that,” Schauf said. “We just need to keep working through all the things that were given to us.”
Zimmermann’s death is the third unsolved homicide in the downtown area in the past year. Joel Marino, 31, was stabbed to death in his home on South Park Street on Jan. 28, and 22-year-old UW-Whitewater student Kelly Nolan disappeared in June 2007 after a night of drinking at State Street bars.
Investigators found her body a little over two weeks later in a wooded area about 20 miles from downtown.
MPD public information officer Joel DeSpain said investigations will persist in all three homicides, but similarity in the two more recent deaths are giving police multiple leads to follow.
“Because the Zimmermann and Marino cases have some similarities, and because of their proximity, sometimes information is coming in that could go to either case,” DeSpain said.
In the meantime, university officials urge students staying in Madison for the summer to remain alert and practice the same safety precautions as during the school year. Dean of Students Lori Berquam reminded students to keep the realities of the Madison community in mind when dealing with personal safety.
“Our students are in an urban environment that we sometimes ... like to pass off as being really small-town friendly. And it is friendly, but it’s not small town,” Berquam said.
In addition to an increased city police presence downtown, UWPD will also maintain normal patrols during the summer. UWPD Sgt. Ruth Ewing said officers will be conducting area checks all over campus just as they do during the academic year.
Despite the Zimmermann tragedy, Berquam said the incident not only brought the issue of safety to light, but also gave the campus a chance to look out for and rely on each other.
“We as a community have to come together and try to heal from this situation,” Berquam said.
