John Ferak

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

MANITOWOC - Just six years before the murder investigation of Teresa Halbach captivated statewide attention, the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Office was summoned to a deadly hit-and-run crash on a frontage road on the outskirts of Manitowoc.

RELATED:Manitowoc sheriff under fire in 1999 homicide

TIMELINE |Ricky Hochstetler hit-and-run homicide

The crime occurred in the middle of the night, around bar-closing time. It happened just down the road from the Club Bil-Mar, a popular banquet hall. But from the get-go, the Ricky Hochstetler homicide investigation was flawed. The homicide remains unsolved and suspicions linger about the agency's handling of the case.

Many of the key people associated with the Hochstetler case are familiar to people who watched the Netflix blockbuster, "Making a Murderer."

Here's your guide to the key people who were involved in one of Wisconsin's most baffling hit-and-run homicide cases:

Ricky Hochstetler

A 17-year-old boy who attended Lincoln High School and worked part-time at Hardee's in Manitowoc. He was killed by a hit-and-run driver around bar-closing time on Jan. 10, 1999. Hochstetler had been walking back to his home along a country road south of Manitowoc. His body was found about 50 yards from the house.

Debi Hochstetler ​

The mother of the victim. She has waged a public crusade to identify the hit-and-run driver who killed her son 17 years ago. In 2006, she launched a website — rickyh.com — to generate clues and heighten public awareness about the case.

Tom Kocourek

The long-time sheriff of Manitowoc County. The Hochstetler case quickly went cold under Kocourek’s leadership amid suspicions that an off-duty deputy committed the crime. As sheriff, Kocourek chose not to seek additional investigative help from the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation and the Wisconsin State Patrol technical crash reconstruction team. Kocourek retired as sheriff in 2001, after 22 years in elected office.

Steven Avery connection: Kocourek was accused of framing Avery for the brutal Lake Michigan shoreline attack of a Manitowoc businesswoman. As a result of Avery's wrongful conviction, the real rapist, sexual predator Gregory Allen, went on and harmed other women across northeastern Wisconsin before being caught near Green Bay around 1995.

Debra Kakatsch

The coroner of Manitowoc County at the time of Ricky Hochstetler's death. He died of a skull fracture, brain trauma, spinal cord injury, neck and back fractures and other internal and lower body injuries, and it was ruled a homicide.

Steven Avery connection: Sheriff Ken Petersen, the Manitowoc County executive and the Manitowoc County corporation counsel ordered Kakatsch to stay away from the Avery Salvage Yard after she learned that human bones were discovered near Avery’s burn pit on Nov. 8, 2005, on the fourth day of the massive police presence there.

Ken Petersen

An undersheriff/inspector at the time of Hochstetler’s death. Within days of the crime, Petersen told the Manitowoc newspaper that the hit-and-run motorist could not have come from the Club Bil-Mar, a popular social hall just up the road where the fatal crash occurred. During Petersen’s tenure as sheriff from 2001 until 2007, the case went dormant.

Steven Avery connection: Petersen arrested Avery in 1985 for the rape of a Manitowoc woman. Petersen was the sheriff in 2003 when Avery was freed from prison after DNA evidence proved that Gregory Allen was the true perpetrator. Petersen was the sheriff in 2005 when the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department made Avery its prime suspect in the murder of Teresa Halbach of rural Calumet County.

Mike Bushman: longtime traffic cop for Manitowoc County. Bushman was the first deputy to respond to the hit-and-run death of Hochstetler. Bushman, a patrol lieutenant at the time, was put in charge of the homicide by Kocourek and Petersen. Bushman’s reports revealed that he was aware of allegations surrounding a police coverup. In 2000, Petersen promoted Bushman to deputy inspector of operations, third in command of the sheriff’s agency. Bushman retired in 2005 but remained a part-time reserve deputy until 2015.

Steven Avery connection: In 1985, Bushman was one of the deputies who carried out what proved to be Avery’s wrongful arrest in the rape of the Manitowoc woman. More than 20 years later, on Nov. 7, 2005, Bushman came out of retirement during the Teresa Halbach death investigation at the Avery Salvage Yard to lead a four-member evidence search party consisting of fellow Manitowoc County sheriff’s deputies. That morning, Bushman’s team reported finding incriminating evidence inside a burn barrel near Avery’s trailer. The evidence was used to convict Avery at his 2007 murder trial.

James Lenk

A Manitowoc County detective. Under Lenk’s oversight, the Hochstetler homicide remained a cold case and Lenk made little effort to solve the crime. Lenk later told the victim’s mother that the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation could not assist Manitowoc County in solving her son's homicide because the case involved a vehicular homicide, not a murder. In 2004, Lenk also refused to let Debi Hochstetler review her son's case file. She later contacted the DCI and learned Lenk had never called the DCI. The DCI also told her that it routinely lent its assistance to local police departments in vehicular homicide cases upon being requested for help by the local agency. Lenk retired as head of the county's detective bureau in 2012.

Steven Avery connection: In November 2005, Lenk thrust himself into the murder investigation of Teresa Halbach, making Avery the prime suspect. Just three weeks earlier, Lenk was questioned during a sworn deposition in connection with Avery’s $36 million wrongful conviction lawsuit against Manitowoc County. In the ensuing days. Lenk became one of two Manitowoc County deputies accused of planting evidence at Avery's home to frame Avery for the Halbach's mueder. Months after Avery's arrest,

Rob Hermann

The sheriff of Manitowoc County since 2006. A member of the sheriff's office since 1984, following in the footsteps of his father who retired during the 1970s as a county traffic patrolman. The Hermann family also owned and operated the Cleveland Auto Sales & Salvage in far southern Manitowoc County. Sometime after 3 a.m. on Jan. 10, 1999, Hermann responded to the fatal hit-and-run in an off-duty capacity. At the scene of the crime, Hermann recovered small fragments of broken grill and drove around with them in his personal vehicle over the next several hours. By 9 a.m. — before the autopsy and before the road was searched during daylight for more vehicle debris — Hermann alerted his department that the fleeing vehicle was an older Chevrolet truck, Suburban or Blazer. He stated that he used a 2-by-2 inch piece of broken grill found at the site of the hit and run fatality to reach his conclusions. In August 2004, the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation questioned Hermann as a suspect in the hit-and-run death and he denied involvement.

Steven Avery connection: Hermann was undersheriff at the time of Avery’s exoneration in September 2003. In November 2005, the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office ignored a conflict of interest in the Halbach murder. Three Manitowoc County sheriff's deputies led efforts to find physical evidence at the Avery Salvage Yard to tie Avery to the murder. At the time, Avery was suing Manitowoc County for $36 million for his wrongful rape conviction.

Andrew Colborn

The lieutenant of Manitowoc County’s detective bureau. Colborn is currently in charge of the Ricky Hochstetler investigation, which has been inactive for years. In 1999, Colborn was one of the road deputies who, under the direction of Lt. Mike Bushman, did significant follow-up work on the case. During a meeting earlier this year with the victim's mother, Colborn suggested the culprit may be an unknown undocumented worker or perhaps a Manitowoc taxi-service operator, who passed away in 2006.

Steven Avery connection: While working in the county jail, Colborn was suspected of receiving a phone call from an outside agency indicating that Manitowoc County had wrongfully convicted someone of a rape. His decision not to vigorously follow up on the tip prompted Colborn to come under scrutiny in wake of Avery's 2003 rape exoneration. Two years later, in October 2005, Colborn was questioned during a sworn deposition in connection with Avery’s $36 million wrongful conviction lawsuit against Manitowoc County. A few weeks later, Colborn and Lenk led the evidence collection at Avery's property in the hopes of tying him to Teresa Halbach's murder. At Avery's 2007 murder trial, Colborn and Lenk were accused of planting evidence.

Todd Hermann

The deputy inspector of operations at Manitowoc County Sheriff's Office. Todd Hermann is the younger brother of the sheriff. He holds the third-highest position of power in the sheriff’s office. Back in 1999, he was one of two deputies in the sheriff's department whose names were being brought up as possible suspects in the hit-and-run fatality of Ricky Hochstetler, however, the administration of Sheriff Tom Kocourek chose not to investigate the allegations. In 2004, the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation brought up Todd Hermann’s name in connection with the crime, but state investigators focused their probe at the time on his older brother, Rob, who denied any involvement in the hit-and-run fatality and maintained that Todd Hermann did not have an older model truck or van similar to the vehicle being sought in the crime, according to DCI records.

Steven Avery connection: Todd Hermann was one of the first Manitowoc sheriff's deputies who arrived at the Avery Salvage Yard on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2005, after volunteer searcher Pam Sturm reported finding Teresa Halbach's RAV4 concealed with tree branches on the outer ridge of the property. Over the next four hours, the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department retained control of the RAV4 and Todd Hermann didn't start keeping a log of law enforcement officials coming and going at the Avery Salvage Yard property. In the coming days, Hermann, then a lieutenant, helped oversee an operations command center post set up at the Avery Salvage Yard. Although Avery was convicted of the murder, his lawyer, Kathleen Zellner of suburban Chicago, contends that there was massive evidence planting to frame him for Halbach's murder in retaliation for bringing a civil lawsuit against Manitowoc County, ex-Sheriff Tom Kocourek and ex-prosecutor Denis Vogel.

Dave Remiker

A detective for the Manitowoc County Sherrif's Department. In 1999, Remiker was one of the sheriff’s deputies who investigated Hochstetler’s whereabouts and activities leading up to the fatality. Weeks later, Remiker and Colborn explored a baseless rumor suggesting that the victim had been intentionally run over by a group of local teenagers who then drove the van 40 miles south and pushed it into the frigid waters of Lake Michigan.

Steven Avery connection: Along with Todd Hermann, Remiker was one of the first Manitowoc sheriff’s officials to arrive at the Avery Salvage Yard on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2005. Remiker informed Calumet County that the vehicle identification number was a match for Halbach's missing vehicle. Remiker, Lenk and Colborn led the evidence-collection efforts at the salvage yard, trying to link Avery to the murder, dismissing their agency's conflict of interest in investigating Avery. Four months later, after Avery's arrest, Remiker and Lenk were back on the Avery property for a follow-up search of Avery’s garage. This time, a bullet fragment containing Halbach’s DNA was discovered. Remiker’s team searched Avery’s garage four months earlier, and the bullet fragment had not been located.

Jason Jost, deputy inspector/jail administrator for Manitowoc County. As a sheriff's deputy in 1999, Jost helped Bushman follow up on leads during the hit-and-run investigation. Most noteworthy, Jost recovered several car parts at the edge of the snow-covered driveway of Hochstetler's farmhouse about 50 yards from where his body was found in the roadway. Jost stated that he recovered four pieces of vehicle damage that looked to be from a newer car. His report does not reflect that Jost took any photographs of these car parts at the scene. "I checked with Lt. Bushman and due to the fact the pieces looked newer, he did not believe they belong to the suspect vehicle on the hit and run fatality," Jost stated in his report. Days later, Jost participated in a media photo demonstration involving an older model van. No cars were ever checked as part of the Hochstetler homicide investigation.

Steven Avery connection: Leading up to Avery's arrest, Jost found the most important clue in the Teresa Halbach murder investigation on the fourth day of the massive police presence at the Avery Salvage Yard. Shortly after 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 8, 2005, Jost pointed out a large piece of bone near Avery's burn pit. It was believed to be a spinal column and there was also a smaller bone that was gray in color. Jost chose not have photographs taken. There was also no video footage showing the purported burial site of Halbach's remains.

Kenneth Olson

A forensic scientist at Wisconsin State Crime Lab in Madison. Conducted microscopic analysis from the hit-and-run victim's clothing. Olson notified Manitowoc County that he discovered two tan paint chips with black primer on the victim's jacket.

Steven Avery connection: On March 2, 2007, Olson was called to testify during Avery's murder trial. At the time, he had 27 years experience at the state crime lab, specializing in trace evidence examination. Olson testified that he asked to examine evidence recovered from Avery's property, including items found in a burning barrel along with some charred skull fragments. "The material that was submitted to me were charred items and in there was a charred portion of a Motorola cell phone, a charred Canon PowerShot A310 camera and assorted other electronic components," Olson told special prosecutor Ken Kratz.

Here are some other people who had a role surrounding the Ricky Hochstetler case:

Sandra Schindler, a Manitowoc resident. Schindler was making her deliveries of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Sunday newspaper when she came upon Ricky Hochstetler's body in the middle of County CR during a snowstorm. She called 911. Schindler also told sheriff's deputies that she had seen the tall teenager walking southbound along the roadway just a few minutes earlier.

Alvin Mrozinski, rural Cato, a bartender at the Bil-Mar supper club who had worked on the night of the fatality. The club was roughly a quarter-mile from the crash. Mrozinski told sheriff's deputies that he saw Hochstetler walking southbound along CR near Silver Creek Road. Mrozinski said he had turned on to Silver Creek at about 2 a.m. and saw no other motorists on the road.

Robert Jeffery, rural Newton resident. Jeffery called the Crime Stoppers tip line after spotting a pile of vehicle debris at the remote Manitowoc County intersection of Center Road and Newton Road. Jeffery came across the damage on his way to church on Jan. 10, 1999, just a matter of hours after the fatality. Jeffery's discovery of the additional vehicle damage indicated that the hit-and-run driver may reside in southern Manitowoc County.

Eric Szatkowski

A special agent at the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation. In 2004, Szatkowski opened an investigation into the five-year-old cold Hochstetler case amid suspicions that an off-duty police officer committed the crime. In September 2004, he notified the DCI that he was closing his probe because he had not found evidence to tie Rob Hermann or anybody else in Hermann's family to the crime. Szatkowski did identify several flaws in the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department handling of the Hochstetler investigation. In 2009, Szatkowski reopened his investigation of Rob Hermann but eventually reached an impasse after learning that the Club Bil-Mar no longer had records showing which guests attended parties at its banquet hall on the night of the January 1999 homicide. Szatkowski has since retired from the DCI.

Dennis Hebert, former president of the Club Bil-Mar. In late 2009, the DCI interviewed Hebert to determine whether Rob Hermann may have attended a party at the Bil-Mar on the night that Hochstetler died. There were two company parties that night, Copps Grocery Store and Manitowoc Ice. However, given that more than 10 years had passed, the Bil-Mar no longer had any records of its guests that night. In 2013, the banquet hall was sold and it's now called City Limits.

Sylvia (Hynek) Schmidt, Manitowoc resident and friend of the victim's family. Hynek was visiting Debi Hochstetler's home five days after Ricky's death when she spotted several broken vehicle parts in the snow at the end of the driveway. Ricky Hochstetler had been struck by a southbound motorist who was driving past the victim's house around bar-closing time. Sheriff's deputy Jason Jost interviewed her and recovered the parts, which looked to be from a newer car. However, the evidence was quickly dismissed by the sheriff's office and the vehicle was never found.

Chuck Hermann, brother of Rob Herman and deputy inspector Todd Hermann. Chuck Hermann operated the family's long-standing business, Cleveland Auto Sales & Salvage. During a 2004 interview, he told the DCI he was glad the agency was still looking into the hit-and-run homicide. He said it would be easy for someone with a damaged grill to buy second-hand replacement parts to fix the damage themselves.

John Ferak of USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin: 920-993-7115 or jferak@gannett.com; on Twitter @johnferak