Five years later, death of Meshell Will still unsolved

It’s been nearly five years since the decomposing body of Meshell Will was discovered in a wooded area just off a pigtail bridge  on Iron Mountain Road in Pennington County.Law enforcement has been investigating her death ever since, labeling it as a “suspicious death,” while never officially classifying Will’s death as a murder or identifying a cause of death.That remains the case today, said Sgt. Dan Wardle of the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.“I can’t answer that,” Wardle said when asked if Will’s death was classified as a homicide. “That’s not something we’re going to release right now.”Will, of Custer,  was last heard from Aug. 24, 2013, when she texted her late sister, Amanda Dillon, to tell her she was headed to Keystone and would talk to her later. Her body was found a week later near mile post 54 by a tourist snapping photographs in the wooded area between the higher and lower part of Iron Mountain Road near one of the bridges.Will, 38, had just moved to Custer in April from Killeen, Texas, yearning to escape a troubled past and find happiness through small town life, Dillon said in a 2013 Chronicle article.“She has always been a really wild, free spirit,” Dillon said. “She was very independent and did what she wanted to do when she wanted to do it.”Dillon paid for her sister to ride a bus to Custer and start her new life. After initially living with her sister, and then a brief stay in the Women Escaping A Violent Environment (WEAVE) shelter, Will moved into Valley-Hi Apartments and got a job as a waitress at the former Wrangler Restaurant (now housing State Farm Insurance and Mac’s Grub).When Will’s body was found Aug. 31, it was badly decomposed. She was wearing a T-shirt and capri-style sweat pants. Her identification was confirmed through fingerprints. She had been reported missing four days earlier, Aug. 27, by her coworkers at the Wrangler.Dillon said she wasn’t sure how her sister ended up in her final resting place, but knows she didn’t get there by herself. She said her sister did not have a driver’s license, did not have a car and hadn’t driven in eight years.Nancy Herman of Custer, who knew Will, believes she knows exactly how Will ended up in that wooded area. What’s more, she says she knows for a fact who put her there.Herman, 68, is convinced Will was murdered by a boyfriend. She is active in keeping track of the investigation and has created a Facebook page called Help FIND Meshells Murderer. She also was key in getting one of Will’s relatives who lives in Wisconsin to sign off on having the nonprofit organization The Vidocq Society help with the case. The Vidocq Society is a members-only crime-solving club that meets on the third Thursday of every month in Philadelphia, Penn.Vidocq will consider only cases that meet certain requirements: they must be unsolved deaths more than two years old, the victims cannot have been involved in criminal activity such as prostitution or drug dealing and the case must be formally presented to them by the appropriate law enforcement agency. The society does not charge for its services and pays for  travel expenses of the law enforcement agents who come to present cases.Herman has made the name of the boyfriend she believes killed Will well known around town and on social media. Wardle would confirm only that a Custer man has been described as a “person of interest” in Will’s death and is not officially labeled as a suspect, nor has he been charged. Therefore, the Chronicle will not name the man.Will was last seen when she and the boyfriend checked into the Brookside Motel in Keystone. Since she was new to the area, the couple were apparently sightseeing, Herman said. Herman said the room was in the boyfriend’s name and that the boyfriend turned the key in the next day. Herman said the last time someone talked to Will was around 10:30 or 11 p.m. Aug. 24, when the hotel manager spoke to her.Herman believes the man killed Will in the room, dumped her body on Iron Mountain Road and then discarded her belongings.Herman alleges the boyfriend told people Will had sent him text messages saying she was getting on a bus and going back to Texas. However, she points out that Will was found without shoes, her purse or her phone.“No woman would be walking alone on that road barefoot,” she said.Herman believes, had the justice system done its job, the boyfriend would never have been around to court Will. She alleges he has a history of domestic violence toward women, always pleading the charges down and getting a virtual slap on the wrist.The Chronicle did confirm the man was charged with aggravated assault earlier this year, with allegations saying he attempted to cause bodily injury to another with a dangerous weapon.  After the preliminary hearing, the testimony revealed the victim did not observe what was used to cause the marks on her back and the state was unable to determine what was used. As such, the charges were reduced to simple assault.Herman believes it’s just another example of the man’s pattern of violence toward women and his ability to evade serious prosecution. Her Facebook page dedicated to Will shows past photos of Will with bruises she claims were put there by the boyfriend.Herman has put up $1,100 of her own money as a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction “of Meshell’s murderer,” and the Rapid City Community Reward Fund is offering an additional $5,000 for information that helps solve the case.Herman believes the boyfriend had assistance in covering up the murder, both cleaning up the hotel room and getting rid of Will’s belongings.“Where did all her bags go? Where did her purse go? You wouldn’t get on a bus with no shoes or phone. Who took her there?” she asked.Wardle said the investigation is active and anybody with information on Will’s disappearance should contact the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.“All I can tell you is we continue to investigate the incident. It’s an active investigation,” he said. “The more leads we can get from the public would be beneficial. We are actively following up on additional leads.”Herman said whenever Will’s killer is brought to justice, she will be in the courtroom and make sure there is no plea deal.This Friday at 5 p.m., in remembrance of Will on the fifth anniversary of her death, Herman has organized a remembrance for her at Harbach Park. Those who attend are asked to bring a dish to share.The annual memorial service is part remembering Will and part keeping her name in front of the public in the pursuit of justice for her.“Every time I call, they say the case is moving forward and progress is being made. I’m hopeful,” Herman said. “I hope this is the anniversary there might be a celebration she got justice. I didn’t know her very long, but nobody deserves to be murdered like that.”