Missing for 8 Days, ForgottenWisconsin Councilman Found Dead — Town Thought He’d Just Moved to Milwaukee
Forgotten, WI — Residents of the small rural town of Forgotten, Wisconsin, are in shock after the body of longtime town council member Harold “Hal” Dempsey was discovered in his home Monday morning — eight days after he was last seen.
Dempsey, 68, was reported missing last week by a local librarian, who became concerned after he failed to show up for the town’s biweekly Bingo and Budget meeting. Initial attempts to contact him went unanswered, but few in the town were worried. Many believed he had simply moved to Milwaukee, as he had often joked about “finally escaping the cornfields for the big city.”
According to police, Dempsey was found in his recliner, surrounded by stacks of unopened mail and half-finished crossword puzzles. Authorities suspect natural causes, though an autopsy is pending.
“He always talked about retiring somewhere with sidewalks,” said neighbor June Ellert, 72. “So when we didn’t see him for a few days, we figured he’d packed up and left without making a fuss. He wasn’t much for goodbyes.”
Dempsey, a fixture in Forgotten’s modest political scene for nearly two decades, was known for his dry humor, love of black coffee, and fierce debates over pothole funding. His absence left the town council deadlocked on a proposed ordinance about lawn flamingo limits, which may now remain unresolved.
“He was the tiebreaker on all the important stuff,” said Mayor Bob Thorson. “We disagreed on nearly everything, but we always knew Hal would vote after everyone else left and slide it under the door.”
The discovery has sparked both grief and introspection in the close-knit town of just over 600 residents. Some are calling for wellness checks on older community members, while others are rethinking their assumptions about those who “just disappear.”
“If we’d knocked on his door instead of assuming he left us,” said Thorson, “we might’ve found him sooner. But this is Forgotten. We’re used to folks just quietly moving on.”
A memorial for Dempsey is scheduled for Friday at the town’s only diner, where a booth will be dedicated in his honor — and where, according to locals, “he always sat
