McHenry County Sheriff’s Office sergeant named as the ILACP’s Officer of the Year for assisting in a missing person’s murder case

McHenry County — Sergeant Trent Raupp of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office has been named the 2022 “Most Outstanding Law Enforcement Officer of the Year,” by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police (ILACP), according to an April 18 press release.

Raupp was nominated for the award by McHenry County Sheriff Bill Prim, due to his outstanding achievements as an investigator and his dedication to protecting the community and bringing justice to area residents.

According to Prim, Raupp has held several roles in law enforcement. He began his law enforcement career as a correctional officer back in 2007 and later served as a deputy sheriff and detective.

Raupp has been with the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office for 15 years, where he was just recently promoted to the role of sergeant in early 2022.

As for the reason for his nomination, Prim explained that Raupp played an integral role in investigating the disappearance of Michelle M. Arnold-Boesiger, a resident who was reported missing to the Holiday Hills Police Department in early January 2021.

Raupp became involved in the case when the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division was asked to assist with Arnold-Boesiger’s whereabouts.

Despite numerous dead-ends in attempting to track down Arnold-Boesiger, Raupp was undeterred and continued analyzing her social media accounts, cell phone data, and previous police interactions to develop a victimology.

Through outreach efforts with other law enforcement agencies in and around Illinois, it was discovered that the FBI was investigating a missing persons/child abduction case in Wisconsin that involved Arnold-Boesiger’s current boyfriend, Jonathan J. Van Duyn.

Van Duyn had abducted his biological daughter from Wisconsin and was later located by FBI agents in a camper trailer in Hartsville, Indiana. Van Duyn was also in possession of Arnold-Boesiger’s vehicle.

Raupp began working closely with the FBI and the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigations to analyze the data obtained through subpoenas on vehicles, cell phones, social media, bank records, and I-PASS accounts.

Through the analysis of the acquired data, Raupp was able to help plot the movements of Arnold-Boesiger and Van Duyn during the latter part of 2020. It was then that Raupp noticed a place in Roscoe, Illinois that was frequently being visited by the couple.

Following Raupp’s discovery, a search warrant was obtained for a storage unit located in Roscoe. It was there that law enforcement officers were able to locate the body of Arnold-Boesiger, who was found deceased within Van Duyn’s vehicle that was housed in the storage unit.

The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office was notified of the situation shortly after and arrived at the scene to collect evidence.

“Following months of interviews, additional search warrants, the coroner’s report, and a review with the Winnebago County State’s Attorney’s Office, Van Duyn was arrested and charged with the homicide of Arnold-Boesiger in August 2021,” stated the ILACP in their press release. “Around the same time, Van Duyn pleaded guilty to kidnapping his 10-year-old daughter, an incident that reportedly happened a month after the murder of Arnold-Boesiger.”

ILACP Executive Director Ed Wojcicki stated that the persistence displayed by Sgt. Raupp throughout the investigation and his overall outstanding work led to him being chosen as Officer of the Year.

“Sheriff’s offices and police departments often collaborate,” said Wojcicki. “Our communities are always safer when we bring our resources together, as illustrated in the solving of Michelle Arnold-Boesiger’s gruesome killing near the Illinois-Wisconsin border.”

In response to his nomination, Raupp said he is “truly honored and humbled” by the recognition he has received from the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Administration and the ILACP. He also gave credit to the team of law enforcement professionals he has worked alongside.

“Thank you to my fellow investigators, supervisors, and deputies who assisted untold hours to bring the case to a close, as I could have not done it without them,” Raupp added. “Finally, I’d like to thank my family for their never-ending support throughout my career.”

Raupp will be honored with his award on April 29 at the ILACP Annual Awards Banquet in Northbrook.