The search for 42-year-old Lisa Janine Pipp began after she was reported missing on January 13, 2025, from Menominee, Michigan. On that day, Lisa was last seen walking away from a vehicle and onto the ice of Green Bay near the Menominee North Pier Lighthouse. It was reported that she had been in an argument with her boyfriend before she exited the vehicle without her phone or a jacket, wearing a purple shirt and blue jeans. Concern for her welfare was heightened due to the frigid temperatures.
An extensive search was launched by the Menominee City Police Department and other agencies, covering the area on the ground, in the water, and from the air. Investigators reviewed surveillance footage and spoke with witnesses. During the search, a shoe believed to belong to Lisa was found on the rocks along the shore. Footprints were also discovered leading from the shore out toward the open water; one print was from a shoe and the other was from a bare foot. Notably, there were no return footprints found, suggesting she was alone at the time. The search efforts, which included the use of drones, divers, and sonar, continued for weeks but yielded no further signs of Lisa.
Sadly, on June 4, 2025, the Door County Sheriff's Office in Wisconsin received a report of a body in the water near Little Strawberry Island, in the bay of Green Bay. The remains were recovered, and on June 6, the Brown County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the body to be that of Lisa Pipp. Preliminary autopsy findings indicated no signs of foul play, though the final determination of the cause and manner of death was pending full autopsy and toxicology results. The recovery and identification of Lisa brought the search to a somber close, a heartbreaking end to a months-long effort to find her. The Menominee Police Department expressed their condolences to Lisa's family during this difficult time.
Lisa Janine Pipp, a 42-year-old female, was last seen on January 13, 2025, in Menominee, Michigan, near the lighthouse along the Bay of Green Bay. What began as a winter night near the water became a deeply concerning missing-person case when Lisa reportedly exited a vehicle without her phone or jacket. Authorities said she had been with her boyfriend when an argument occurred, and according to his account, she walked away from their vehicle on the ice toward open water. He reportedly tried to stop her, but she continued away from him, and when he left to seek help and returned, he could no longer find her.
The circumstances made the search urgent from the beginning. Lisa was believed to have been without a jacket in freezing conditions, near the Menominee North Pier Lighthouse and the dangerous winter shoreline of Green Bay. Public reports described her as about 5 feet 2 inches tall and around 250 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, and said she was last known to be wearing a purple shirt and blue jeans. She was also reported to have a cross tattoo on her chest. Those identifying details were released as police asked the public for help, hoping that someone might have seen her near the lighthouse, along Harbor Drive, or in the surrounding waterfront area before she disappeared from view.
As the investigation unfolded, the Menominee Police Department and assisting agencies searched across land, air, and water. Authorities reviewed surveillance footage and witness information, used drone and ground searches, brought in helicopter resources, and conducted a difficult multi-day dive search with the Michigan State Police Dive Team. The search focused heavily on the area around the lighthouse and Green Bay, where the conditions were challenging and dangerous. During the investigation, police reported that a shoe believed to belong to Lisa was found among rocks along the shore. Investigators also found footprints leading away from the shore toward open water, including one shoed print and one bare footprint, with no return footprints identified. Police said that detail indicated she was alone at the time.
The search continued for weeks, but Lisa was not found in the immediate aftermath of her disappearance. The uncertainty left her family and the community in a painful waiting period, with officials continuing to ask anyone with information to contact the Menominee Police Department. Public updates repeatedly stated that there was no indication of foul play, but that did not lessen the heartbreak of the case. Lisa's disappearance carried the weight of a sudden and frightening moment: a woman leaving without the things she would normally need, walking into a dangerous winter setting, and then vanishing before help could reach her.
Official reports later confirmed the case had reached a tragic conclusion. On June 4, 2025, emergency crews in Door County, Wisconsin, received a report of a body in the water near Little Strawberry Island in the Bay of Green Bay. The Menominee Police Department later confirmed that the remains were Lisa Pipp. Preliminary autopsy findings showed no signs of foul play, though final determinations on cause and manner of death were pending toxicology and the full autopsy report at the time of public reporting. Her recovery brought an end to the active missing-person search, but it also confirmed the devastating outcome her loved ones had feared.
Lisa Pipp's case is the story of a woman whose disappearance began near the Menominee lighthouse on a cold January night and ended months later across the bay near Little Strawberry Island. She was last seen after leaving a vehicle without her phone or jacket, walking toward open water as authorities later searched the shoreline, the ice, and the bay for any sign of her. The investigation found evidence consistent with her movement toward the water, and police publicly reported no indication of foul play. In overview, Lisa's case began as an urgent missing-person search in Menominee, Michigan, became a large multi-agency effort across harsh winter conditions, and was ultimately closed after officials confirmed she had been located deceased in the Bay of Green Bay.
Last Seen: Jan 13, 2025
