Suvechha Sarkar
In July 2013, 19-year-old Jessie Marietta Blodgett was a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and had a promising future ahead of her. However, her beautiful life came to an abrupt halt when she was found dead in her home in Hartford, Wisconsin. What followed was a swift investigation that revealed a disturbing truth: Jessie already knew her killer. The case is further examined in ABC’s ’20/20: Her Last Note.’ It sheds light on her life, her close relationships, and chilling discoveries made by the investigators. Additionally, the episode features interviews with her loved ones and the officials who worked tirelessly on the case.
Jessie Blodgett Died From Strangulation in Her Home in Wisconsin
Jessie Blodgett arrived as a ray of sunshine in the lives of Buck and Joy Blodgett on March 22, 1994. She was born in Marietta, Georgia, and later moved with her family to Hartford, Wisconsin. She was known among her loved ones for her bright smile, which lit up any room she entered. After graduating from Hartford Union High School in 2012, Jessie enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2013 to pursue a degree in Music Education. During her sophomore year, the School of Music Education awarded her a Talent Scholarship. Moreover, Jessie began her career on campus by mentoring disadvantaged inner-city students. She gradually dabbled in entrepreneurship by starting her own business, teaching several musical instruments, including piano and violin, and giving voice lessons.
Over time, Jessie’s business grew as she gained 26 students within two months. She was passionate about giving back to the community, leading her to volunteer at the Central Middle School Orchestra summer program every year. Jessie reportedly aspired to serve as a University or High School Choir Director and to make an impact on people through her music. She developed a strong voice on several social causes, advocating to end violence against women, support animal rights, and more. By 2013, Jessie began acting in theater, playing the role of the Fiddler in the musical ‘Fiddler on the Roof.’ On July 14, 2013, she attended a cast party for the show following her performance and reportedly returned home late at night. According to an affidavit, Joy entered Jessie’s room on July 15, 2013, and found her daughter alone in bed.
However, Joy reportedly didn’t think much about the situation. Things took a turn when Joy returned from work around noon and found Jessie unresponsive on her bed. Once paramedics and officials arrived at the scene, they declared Jessie dead. Upon inspection, they found no signs of forced entry and discovered ligature marks on her neck, alongside her ankles and left wrist. Investigators also found a roll of tape underneath the footboard of her bed, which had fingerprints on it. In a nearby park, they uncovered ropes, tape, and bloody sanitizing wipes from the trash cans. The forensic experts discovered Jessie’s and a male’s DNA on those items. The autopsy reportedly determined her cause of death to be ligature strangulation, indicating she was strangled using a cord-like object.
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A Parallel Assault Case Finally Led the Investigators to Jessie’s Killer
From the beginning of the investigation, the authorities tried to determine the point of entry for the killer since they didn’t find any signs of force used. A breakthrough finally arrived when officials found a link to another assault case that happened on July 12, 2013, in nearby Woodlawn Park. Reports state that during that assault, another woman was attacked with a knife. Court records state that a deputy had noticed a Dodge Caravan at the same park. After running the license plate, they discovered it was registered to the parents of Daniel Bartelt. According to police records, investigators also searched the same park and found items such as ropes and sanitizing wipes. Reports indicate that when Daniel was questioned, he first denied any involvement in that crime, but later admitted to attacking the woman.
According to reports, Daniel claimed that his attack on the woman on July 12 was “a spur of the moment decision…to scare her.” The woman also reportedly identified him from a lineup. Ultimately, he was arrested on July 17 and was charged with first-degree attempted homicide, first-degree recklessly endangering safety, and false imprisonment. As per official records, detectives learned that Daniel was also connected to Jessie, as he had reportedly dated her in high school for a while. They discovered that Daniel and Jessie had once again reconnected and were active in the university’s music program, as per reports. The forensic experts reportedly uncovered that the male DNA on the rope and tape found at the park matched Daniel’s. Investigative reports indicate that officials discovered CCTV footage showing Daniel at the park on July 15.
Court records indicate that during searches of Daniel’s home and vehicle, investigators uncovered zip ties, rope, and industrial tape. Furthermore, reports state that the inspection of his laptop by digital forensic experts revealed disturbing Google search histories like “list of serial killers by number of victims.” However, when Daniel was reportedly interrogated about the same, he denied his involvement in the murder. On August 1, 2013, he was formally indicted on the charge of first-degree intentional homicide, in addition to the first three charges from the assault case. The jury trial of Daniel began in August 2014, and he was convicted of Jessie’s murder on August 19, 2014. He was ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole on October 14, 2014. Daniel entered a guilty plea for the related charges and received an additional 5-year prison term with 5 years of extended supervision, to run consecutively with his life sentence.
