Brantner Arrested in Berit Beck Case

Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office Detectives Nate LaMotte and Pete Vergos arrested Dennis J. Brantner for the 1990 homicide of Berit Beck. Brantner was taken into custody without incident on Friday, March 27th, at approximately 11:36am in the City of Kenosha on an arrest warrant for first degree murder. Brantner was then transported to the Fond du Lac County Jail. The Kenosha Police Department and Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the arrest.

 

Berit Beck was 18 years old when her van was found in a Kmart parking lot in Fond du Lac in July of 1990. Her body was found in a ditch in rural Fond du Lac County about six weeks later.

 

In April of 2014, new evidence was submitted to the state crime lab, pictures of the hands of now 61-year-old Dennis Brantner of Kenosha for comparison to physical evidence gathered from Beck’s van. One of Brantner’s hands is physically deformed. Brantner was a trucker at the time of Beck’s disappearance and lived in the Brandon area. During that time, authorities also said they had evidence placing Brantner inside the van Beck was driving when she disappeared.

 

In October of 2014 a search warrant linking the Kenosha suspect to the case, was made available to the public. The document says the man’s fingerprints were on a number of items officials found in Beck’s van.

 

Berit Beck’s family has been notified of Brantner’s arrest. Berti’s parents Dave and Diane, their son Ben, and the Beck family have issued the following statement:

 

“We are encouraged and relieved for this day to have arrived for Berit and our family. We request thtat our provacy be respected as this process unfolds.”

 

The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office have scheduled a press conference on Monday at 11:00am in the Sheriff’s Office Conference room.