‘Five years without answers’

Five years year after 41-year-old Joshua Terry was gunned down on the side of I-43 in the Town of Port Washington, authorities have renewed their call for help in finding the person who killed him.

“October 30th marks five years since my husband’s life was tragically taken from us,” Terry’s wife, Renee, said during a press conference last week. “Five years without answers, five years without accountability, and five years without the justice he so greatly deserves.”

“Someone knows what happened,” Sheriff Christy Knowles said at the press conference. “We’re asking you to do the right thing and come forward with information. Help us bring justice for Joshua Terry and closure for his family.” 

Driving a white 2013 Kia Optima, Terry, a Cedarburg resident, got on I-43 heading north at Highway 32 in Grafton Friday evening, Oct. 30, 2020, and was likely involved in a minor traffic accident between the Saukville and Port Washington exits.

Authorities believe both Terry and the driver of the other vehicle involved in the accident pulled over. Terry got out of his car, was shot and left on the side of the road at about 6:40 p.m.

Terry, a Cedarburg High School graduate, served in the military from 2000 to 2006 as a member of the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing based in Madison and earned a degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Stout in 2001.

A regular at the Feith Family Ozaukee YMCA in Saukville, Terry, who was 6 feet, 8 inches tall, was described by friends as a gentle giant.

“It’s important for us to keep talking about the Joshua Terry homicide to generate additional leads that may help in determining what happened that fateful day,” Knowles said.

Knowles said the reward for providing information of the incident is now $15,000.

“His killer is still out there, and we need the community’s help,” Renee Terry said.

According to the Sheriff’s Office:

• Terry left his home in Cedarburg at 6:15 p.m. and stopped briefly at a Kwik Trip gas station in Cedarburg. 

• At about 6:36 p.m., Terry entered I-43  northbound from Highway 32 in his White Kia Optima. 

• Near the Highway 33 exit for Saukville, there appears to have been two vehicles braking heavily while traveling in front of a red tractor/white box trailer semi.

• At 6:42 pm, Ozaukee Dispatch received the first of several 911 calls reporting a person was possibly struck by a vehicle on I-43 northbound at Northwoods Road in the Town of Port Washington. 

• At 6:46 pm, the first responding officers arrived on scene and discovered Terry had actually been shot.

“We believe someone knows something about this incident but may be reluctant to come forward,” Lt. Michael Buechler, the chief investigator in the case, said at the press conference. 

“The other person involved in this incident has likely exhibited behavioral changes in the days and months following and may to date, still be struggling because of this incident. This person is likely someone who routinely carries a firearm and could be a danger to himself or others,” Buechler said.

“We ask if any of this sounds familiar to you and if you have any information regarding this incident, that you do the right thing and report it.”

“My husband was a wonderful, funny, and kind man who was deeply loved by his family and friends. Life without Joshua has been heartbreaking and I miss him every day,” Renee Terry said.

“Someone knows something and I am pleading with you. If you witnessed the incident, if you were driving in the area and heard or saw something out of the ordinary or if you know who is responsible for Joshua’s death, please come forward. Even the smallest piece of information could make all the difference,” she said.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact the Ozaukee Sheriff’s Office by calling (262) 284-7172, emailing ozaukeecountysheriff@co.ozaukee.wi.us or leaving a confidential tip by texting keyword OZSO and a message to 84741.