Positive identification is pending confirmation through dental records
A hiker found the body of a man believed to be Russ Delorme in the Kettle Moraine State Forest near Whitewater Sunday, according to Walworth County Sheriff’s Department Det. Dana Nigbor.
“Items left at the scene lead us to believe it’s him,” Nigbor said Tuesday morning.
An autopsy was performed Monday indicating the man died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Nigbor said. Positive identification is pending through the use of dental records.
According to Nigbor, a hiker found the body “in a field” Sunday about 3:30 p.m.
Delorme, 48, was last seen in the Elkhorn area on July 13, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
His car was found in a parking lot for the Kettle Moraine State Forest on Easterly Road near Whitewater about July 15.
Nigbor said Delorme’s family has been notified.
The sheriff’s department had conducted several searches of the state forest in recent weeks with assistance from the Whitewater Area Mounted Search Team and Rescue.
Additional information will be posted online at mywalworthcounty.com as it becomes available.
