IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (WZMQ) – After nearly a decade of questions and no criminal charges, a Dickinson County couple is taking three law-enforcement agencies to court—accusing them of withholding key records tied to the disappearance of Nancy Renkas—a case where they are the main suspects.
Louise Wender, the sister-in-law of Nancy Renkas, has filed a lawsuit against the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Department, the county prosecutor, and the Iron Mountain Police Department, accusing all three of slander, libel, and withholding key investigative records.
Renkas, a Florence County, Wisconsin woman, disappeared in 2016. Four years later, in 2020, the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office identified Louise Wender as the only suspect, upgrading the case to a homicide without a body. But despite the designation, no one has ever been charged.
The complaint reads that police believe Louise Wender was the last person to see Renkas alive, but that three witnesses later claimed seeing Renkas after that interaction. It also says a high-profile property search last year turned up no evidence of criminal activity
“looking for biological evidence of a criminal activity. Here we are, 13 months later. 14 months later, nothing,” said Petrucelli.
The Wenders, second, claimed that the agencies destroyed their reputation by continuing to publicly label Louise as a suspect.
“Who wants to live in a small town where every time you turn around, you’re wondering what somebody thinks of you,” explained Petrucelli.
And third, that investigators refuse to release public records through the Freedom of Information Act. The Wenders say those documents could help clear their names.
“The Wenders have a right to show that whoever swore the affidavits wasn’t telling the truth to the judge who signed the search warrant. They have a right to look at that. They’ve never been given that,” said Petrucelli.
Court records show the couple submitted FOIA requests in September, and all three agencies denied them, citing law enforcement and privacy exemptions
“When you have somebody missing, and the police and the sheriff’s department and the prosecutor say there’s some sort of crime, but there’s been no charges. Well, then, let’s see what’s there,” exclaimed Petrucelli.
The Wenders are seeking damages for alleged slander. They’ve also filed a separate motion asking a judge to unseal the search warrant affidavits used to raid their home. A hearing on that request is set for mid-January.
