The man found dead earlier this month in a roadside ditch in Hastings was officially identified on Wednesday as William “Ike” Eickholt, 74, of Denmark Township.

William “Ike” Eickholt, 74, of Denmark Township, left, with his friend Mitch Carmody, of Hastings, in July 2023. (Courtesy of Mitch Carmody)

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office was able to ID Eickholt after investigators with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension made a DNA match to one of his family members, said Dave Wilske, chief of the Hastings Police Department. Supporting evidence came from security-camera images and personal effects, Wilske said.

Eickholt was found on Feb. 2 on the side of the road in the 1300 block of Ravenna Trail (10th Street) in Hastings. The cause and manner of Eickholt’s death remain under investigation by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office, but his death is considered suspicious, Wilske said.

Mitch Carmody, a friend of Eickholt’s since 2023, said he is concerned Eickholt was a victim of violence, targeted for his gender expression.

Eickholt, who liked to wear women’s clothing, was a recognizable figure in southern Washington County, Hastings and Prescott, Wis. He regularly walked on St. Croix Trail and often hung his wardrobe on the trees at the end of his driveway.

Carmody and others helped create a memorial to Eickholt at the end of Eickholt’s driveway. There’s a wooden cross with the words “RIP IKE” written on it, a black “COEXIST” flag with the letters in rainbow colors, and ribbons saying “Justice 4 Ike” and “U R Missed.”

Eickholt was reported missing on Feb. 1 when investigators responded to multiple vehicle fires at his property at 13536 St. Croix Trail S. in Denmark Township, the southern tip of Washington County.

Friends say Eickholt had been living in his truck since his one-story house on St. Croix Trail South was left uninhabitable after a fire on July 30. The cause of the house fire remains under investigation, police said.

Investigators from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Hastings Police Department said Wednesday that they need the public’s help in connection with the case.

Specifically, residents and business owners in the areas surrounding 127th Street and Morgan Avenue between Manning Avenue/Highway 61 and St. Croix Trail South are asked to check their security cameras for anything suspicious between midnight on Saturday, Feb. 1, and 9:50 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 2

Anyone with information about Eickholt’s activities leading up to Feb. 1, information about the Feb. 1 fires at his property, or who witnessed a vehicle at or near the property on Jan. 31 or Feb. 1 also are asked to contact police.

Finally, anyone who witnessed a vehicle at or near the 1300 block of Ravenna Trail between midnight on Feb. 1, and 9:50 a.m. on Feb. 2 are asked to contact police.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Hastings Police Department at 651-480-2300 or the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at 651-439-9381.

No detail is too small to report, Wilske said.

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