Frederick L Ellis (Courtesy: Oshkosh Police Department)
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Two days after a missing Oshkosh man was found dead, police are asking for the public’s help in the investigation.
On Tuesday morning, the body of Frederick Ellis, 59, was discovered by county highway workers in a drainage area south of the on-ramp to southbound Highway 41 and W 9th Avenue. Police said it appeared he had been dead for a long time.
Ellis was formally reported missing Jan. 10, but his family and friends told police they had not heard from him since October 2025. Police initially reported Ellis was homeless; however, the department issued a correction, saying he resided with family in Oshkosh and was known to leave for short periods of time, but always returned home.
The Oshkosh Police Department said an autopsy was conducted Thursday by the Fond du Lac County Medical Examiner’s Office. While final autopsy and toxicology reports are pending, preliminary autopsy results indicate there were no injuries observed.
Police say the last known contact with Ellis was Oct. 25. Authorities received and investigated several citizen reports of possible sightings of Ellis at various locations throughout the city, but none of those sightings were ever confirmed.
Despite numerous ground and drone searches, Ellis was not found until earlier this week.
Officials are now asking anyone who had contact with Ellis after Oct. 25 to contact Detective Mentink at (920) 236-5267.
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