Authorities intensify search for new evidence in Nancy Renka's disappearance

IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (WZMQ) – Dickinson County authorities have intensified their investigation into the 2016 disappearance of Nancy Renkas, a Florence County woman who vanished more than eight years ago. Dickinson County police and the prosecutor have executed search warrants on several properties in Breitung Township to find new evidence in the long-running case.

WZMQ obtained court documents and search warrants through a Freedom of Information request that revealed that local, state and federal agencies — including the Dickinson County Sheriff's Office, Michigan State Police and the FBI — cooperated in these searches. The focus was on finding human remains, biological evidence and personal items linked to Renkas. Investigators also seized electronic devices and written records in hopes of uncovering new leads. Some names and addresses in the search warrants were redacted.

The search warrants targeted properties owned by about a dozen Breitung Township residents, including Dale and Louise Wender and Lucas and Kena Corsi, but some primary residences were excluded from the search. Cadaver dogs and electronic tracking devices were used, covering nearly 200 acres near Upper Pine Creek Road.

A second search warrant targeted location data and messages from cell phones and a MacBook Pro, focusing on the critical period surrounding Renkas' disappearance. A third search warrant targeted written documents such as diaries and receipts that could provide new insights.

Three search warrants were accompanied by a court-ordered suppression of supporting affidavits because the investigations are ongoing and sensitive. District Court Judge Christopher Ninomiya ordered the suppression of the affidavits until a person is charged with a crime or named in a civil case seeking to forfeit evidence seized during the search.

While the investigation into this nearly decade-old disappearance case is still ongoing, Judge Ninomiya found that there was sufficient suspicion to issue arrest warrants in connection with “the murder or removal/disposal of the body of Nancy Renkas.”

Renkas was last seen on July 18, 2016, getting into a white SUV in the parking lot of Iron Mountains Super One Foods. Anyone with information that could help bring justice in her case is asked to immediately contact the Dickinson County Sheriff's Office at 906-774-6262.

WZMQ 19 News will continue to update you on the latest developments in this case.

For another recent update on the search, see WZMQ’s previous report: