Missing Wisconsin Fugitive Survived For Three Years In Makeshift Bunker To Avoid Trial

A wanted fugitive from Wisconsin who was located a week ago survived for three years in a makeshift bunker.

The bunker was originally discovered by Thomas Nelson of Wausau, Wisconsin, several months ago when he stumbled across it on state land near the town of Ringle. Months later, Nelson decided to return to the sight of the bunker on Friday and was able to get in via the log door carved into an embankment.

It was here that Nelson discovered 44-year-old Jeremiah Button, a fugitive who disappeared in February of 2016 before his trial for sexual assault and child pornography began. Nelson then exited the bunker and called police to the scene, which was followed by a 20-minute standoff before Button surrendered.

“I pushed the door open, and I look inside and I can see canned foods, there's little storage boxes, and I'm like ... I gotta go in,” Nelson told WSAW-TV. “I come around the corner a bit and there he is, laying in his bed. I mean, I was shaking when I went in, I was shaking when I went out.”

Button revealed to police that he had been building the bunker while his case was moving through the courts. He would visit the Marathon County landfill nearby as a primary source for supplies to survive life inside the makeshift bunker.

Marathon County Sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Stefonek revealed Button had stockpiled the bunker with LED lights, radios, cooling fans, and more electric equipment powered by a combination of solar panels and a pedal-powered generator. It was also small enough that Button could stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Button is back in custody and is due in court for a pre-trial conference on Sept. 16th. He is currently being held on $100,000 bond and has had public defenders assigned to his case.