Husband arrested for Krista Sypher’s murder
By Brandi Makuski
After almost 18 months of investigation, Plover police believe they finally have Krista Sypher’s killer behind bars.
Jason Sypher, Krista’s husband, was arrested at about 5:35 p.m. on Aug. 24, according to Plover Police Chief Dan Ault. He was about five miles north of the Illinois border on I-39 when officers from Plover, the Wisconsin State Patrol, and agents from the Wisconsin Dept. of Justice stopped his vehicle.
“He was arrested on a Portage Co. warrant for charges of first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse,” Ault said, adding he believes Jason Sypher was alone in the vehicle at the time of the arrest.
Krista Sypher disappeared from her family’s Plover home on March 13, 2017, but she wasn’t reported missing until seven days later when Jason Sypher, 44, notified the Plover Police Department.
A search warrant was executed on the Sypher’s Hoffman Dr. home on March 31; then in late June, law enforcement from Plover and Wisconsin Rapids spent almost two weeks searching a Wood Co. landfill. Ault has declined to discuss the nature of any evidence collected at either scene, but after searching the landfill said he did not believe Krista Sypher was still alive.
Plover detectives lead the investigation, Ault said, with assistance from the Wisconsin DOJ, Stevens Point Police Dept., Portage Co. Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI. The Plover Fire Dept. and Wisconsin Rapids police also assisted, he said.
“The hard work and dedication by all the detectives, officers, and analysts were profound and goes beyond words,” Ault said. “Law enforcement worked diligently for the sake of Krista and her family; we sincerely hope this provides the answers and justice they deserve.”
The case will be prosecuted by the Portage Co. District Attorney’s Office, Ault said, with assistance expected from the DOJ’s Office on Violence Against Women—but Ault was also quick to assert Jason Sypher was innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Ault is also asking anyone “in Wisconsin, Illinois or Indiana” with any information about the crime, or about Jason Sypher, to contact Detective Mike Tracy at the Plover Police Dept. at (715) 345-5255 or [email protected].
Krista Sypher was a mother of three children, and she worked as an educational assistant in the Stevens Point Area Public School District. She was 44.
Jason Sypher is currently in custody at the Portage Co. Jail and is expected to appear in court Monday.