In the cold of late December 2017, the life of Wayne M. Valliere Jr., a 25-year-old male member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, came to a brutal and violent end. He was last seen alive on December 22, a day that began with a party in Lac du Flambeau and ended on a desolate, snow-covered road in a remote part of Iron County, Wisconsin.
The festive season was shattered for his family when he was officially reported missing on Christmas Day, sparking a week-long investigation that drew in multiple law enforcement agencies. The search concluded grimly on New Year's Day 2018, when his frozen body was discovered hidden behind a berm in the woods near Mercer. An autopsy would later confirm he died from multiple gunshot wounds in what was ruled a homicide.
The investigation into Valliere's disappearance and death quickly revealed a dark narrative involving drugs, gangs, and betrayal. Five men were identified and subsequently charged in connection with the murder: Richard F.A. Allen, Joseph D. Lussier, James B. Lussier, Curtis A. Wolfe, and Evan T. Oungst. Court testimony and statements from some of the defendants painted a chilling picture of Valliere's final hours. On the night he was last seen, the group, including Valliere, traveled together in a minivan. The atmosphere was thick with tension, fueled by alcohol, drugs, and conflicts related to the Native Soldiers Gang and a belief that Valliere had stolen meth or was acting as a police informant. The van eventually stopped on Swamp Creek Road, where Valliere was pulled from the vehicle, mercilessly beaten, and then shot in the face by Richard Allen. Joseph Lussier then took the same 9mm handgun and shot Valliere several more times as he lay in the road.
In the aftermath of the killing, all five men collaborated to hide Valliere's body, concealing it from view in the wintery landscape. The truth began to unravel as the investigation pressed on, with Evan Oungst eventually leading authorities to the location of the body. The legal process brought the five perpetrators to justice. Richard Allen and Joseph Lussier were tried by a jury, convicted of first-degree homicide and hiding a corpse, and sentenced to life in prison. James Lussier, Joseph's younger brother, accepted a plea deal for testifying against the others and received a 15-year prison sentence. Evan Oungst, who helped police find the body, pled guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced to 22 years. The fifth man, Curtis Wolfe, was also prosecuted and sentenced, closing the final chapter on the brutal murder that shook the northern Wisconsin community.
