'No, not again': Missing Sauk County boy has family ties to 31-year-old Appleton cold case

A 13-year-old Sauk County boy who disappeared in or near Devil's Lake State Park has family ties to another case of a missing person in the Fox Cities.

James Yoblonski, who went missing June 12, is a great-nephew of Andy Wegner, who is married to Laurie Depies' mother Mary Wegner.

Laurie Depies, of Appleton, disappeared from outside her boyfriend's apartment complex at age 20 on Aug. 19, 1992. Despite an investigation spanning decades, her case remains open.

For Mary, hearing of Yoblonski's disappearance resurfaced many of the same feelings Laurie's did: "Fear, anxiousness, sick to my stomach and a thought of 'no, not again,'" she said.

13-year-old boy left in a family vehicle to try to live off the grid, authorities say

After Yoblonski was reported missing, his family told the Sauk County Sheriff's Office that he left his home overnight in a family vehicle that was later recovered on U.S. 12. The boy's family told officials that a handgun in the home is also missing, which led officials to change how they responded.

Local law enforcement searched wooded areas along U.S. 12 near Devil's Lake State Park, Sauk County Lt. Steven Schram told the Wisconsin State Journal. The searches revealed several makeshift campsites and some clothing believed to belong to Yoblonski. The Wisconsin State Journal also reported officials believe Yoblonski is trying to live off the grid as a survivalist.

Two weeks later, the search continues, but with a shift in strategy.

"The ground search has mostly turned to patrol searches," Sauk County Sheriff Chip Meister said Monday.

The Wisconsin State Journal reported June 17 that two officers had been sent to the hospital for injuries resulting from trying to navigate the Baraboo Bluffs while looking for Yoblonski. Because of the dangerous terrain, law enforcement also cautioned the public against trying to search for the boy themselves.

Despite difficulties in terrain, family continues search

Still, a public search took place last Sunday, Meister said. Yoblonski's family was involved, with his father Bill organizing efforts on his Facebook page.

Even though the search turned up no sign of the boy, Mary said, it "was rewarding in that we got a chance to actually help and participate in a fashion."

For her part, she believes something happened to James out in the woods after two weeks missing.

"He might be crafty and have survivalist guides and skills, but he is only 13," she said. "Never did I ever think Laurie would disappear in 1992, but she's been gone 31 years."

Their families only interacted once a year, Mary said, but she remembered James as "a scamp and a rabble-rouser" who loved playing pranks when he was younger.

"My son is not a danger to anybody else or himself," Bill Yoblonski said in an update to his post Tuesday. "I just want him home."

Beck Andrew Salgado of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: James Yoblonski, missing in Baraboo, has family ties to Laurie Depies