Earlier this week on the one-year anniversary of the murder of 74-year-old William “Ike” Eickholt, Washington County Sheriff’s office released footage and pictures from the investigation in an effort to generate fresh leads.
Body camera footage from both Eickholt’s Denmark Township home and from the discovery of his body along Ravenna Trail were released along with images of both locations from the investigation.
In the year since the discovery of Eickholt’s death, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office has been investigating the case. No arrests have been made and at time of writing there are no suspects in custody.
A $1,000 award is being offered for information that could lead to an arrest or conviction.
Information can be shared with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at 651-430-7850.
Anonymous tips can be reported at www.crimestoppersMN.org.

Background
Eickholt was a resident of Denmark Township. During the Summer of 2024, Eickholt’s Denmark Township home burnt down, forcing him to live out of his trucks on that property.
He was last seen alive Jan. 31 in a Hastings gas station, showing no signs of distress.
Washington County Deputy Shane Thorsten discovered Eickholt’s trucks on fire the next day in Denmark Township. As Thorsten was approaching the burning vehicles, live ammunition within one of the burning trucks began to go off due to the fire, which caused Thorsten to retreat from the scene. As he was backing up from the burning vehicles, he noted large amounts of blood on the ground: “more than someone would be bleeding from a normal, minor wound,” said Thorsten.
A missing person alert was released that day for Eickholt.
Hastings Detective Chad Schlichte responded to a report of a dead body on Feb. 2, 2025 in the ditch along the 1300 block of Ravenna Trail, near the Vermillion River, nearly 6 miles from Eickholt’s home.
Eickholt was identified through a DNA match with a family member, according to the February 2025 press release from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
The cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head, which in August 2025 was ruled a homicide by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner.
Due to the regular traffic on the road, motorists driving along it are a key source of potential witnesses: “somebody out there could have seen something,” said Schlichte.
“Someone saw Ike that night. Someone knows how he got to Ravenna Trail from his driveway. He was a human being. He had a family and friends. He had routines, interests and a life. The community deserves answers,” said Detective Cooper Valesano with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

Letter
After his death, Eickholt’s family released a letter about him. They referred to him as Bill.
“Bill was a kind person who would say hello. Even if he didn’t know you. He was a trusting individual who believed all people were good. He loved nature and liked to walk and take in the beauty of his community. Bill had a dog for most of his life and loved to pheasant hunt. Bill was a free spirit and would not cause harm to anyone.”

Remaining questions
According to Commander Kyle Schenck of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in August, they do not believe the fire that occurred at Eickholt’s home in July and the fire that occurred with his truck on Feb. 1 are connected, but each are open and active investigations.
The possibility that Eickholt may have been targeted due to his gender expression has been raised by a number of residents who knew him, including Mitch Carmody, a grief facilitator and friend of Eickholt. Carmody helped organize a June 15 “Diversity and Vulnerability Day” that memorialized Eickholt’s life last year in Prescott.
When asked in August if the possibility of a hate crime was being investigated, Schenck stated “We are investigating any and all options in this case.”
Anyone who was in the area of the 1300 block of Ravenna Trail the night of Feb. 1, 2025 is asked to provide comment, even if they believe what they saw wasn’t important.