On the afternoon of January 15, 2020, the body of 26-year-old Nicholas Day was found on a rural road in the town of Blue Mounds, Wisconsin. First thought to be a hit-and-run involving a jogger, the Dane County Medical Examiner later determined Day died of homicidal violence, having been shot and stabbed multiple times in the neck. The brutality and apparent randomness of the attack rattled the small communities of Blue Mounds and nearby Mount Horeb.

Nicholas, known as Nick, was a U.S. Navy veteran who worked as an F-18 Super Hornet mechanic. He was a loving father to a three-year-old daughter and grew up on a family dairy farm. Investigators from the Dane County Sheriff’s Office canvassed the area and searched for surveillance footage as they pursued leads. On February 13, 2020, authorities arrested 21-year-old Riley L. Berg of Mount Horeb and charged him with first-degree intentional homicide. Sheriff David Mahoney described the killing as cold, calculated and extremely violent.

Several details about why Nick was targeted remain unclear. If anyone knew him, saw him running that day, or has information about the area on January 15, 2020, please share what was seen or heard.