Person of interest in suspicious death caught

By Brandi Makuski

Portage Co. deputies say a man wanted in connection with a suspicious death has been arrested.

Jason Meisel, 44, was taken into custody Thursday morning in the Kenosha area. According to Lt. Benjamin Beaudoin, Meisel was arrested without incident and is currently being held on a probation violation. No further details on the arrest were immediately available.

Meisel was wanted for questioning in the suspicious death of 39-year-old Gary Mayek. Mayek, a resident of Junction City, was last seen on Jan. 5 and was reported missing by his family on Jan. 7.

According to a Wednesday morning news release from the Portage Co. Sheriff’s Office, Meisel is one of three people believed to have been with Mayek at a Plover area hotel on Jan. 7. Surveillance video from the hotel identified Meisel, along with suspects Matthew Zdzieblowski, of Stevens Point, and Almond resident Amber Weisnicht.

Zdzieblowski and Weisnicht are both in custody, according to Sheriff Mike Lukas, and charged with hiding a corpse.

Mayek’s body was found in a truck parked on a rural road in the Town of Plover on Jan. 9. Lukas said a passerby saw the body and called 911. Mayek’s death has been labeled as “suspicious” and has been sent to Madison for an autopsy. The results are still pending.