Who killed Harry Dahms? Five years later, Lake County killing remains a mystery

Harry Dahms' death from a gunshot wound to his head five years ago was quickly ruled a homicide by the Lake County coroner's office.

The longtime Lake County Fair board member was found dead on the driveway of his Russell Road home on June 1, 2012. He was shot once with a gun held just 2 to 12 inches from his head, but no weapon was found near his body.

Despite hundreds of leads and interviews over the years, who killed the 68-year-old Dahms and why remains a mystery, one that investigators with the Lake County sheriff's office say they haven't stopped trying to solve.

"You're constantly thinking of things you might try," said Detective Lana LeMons, a cold-case specialist heading the investigation. "We want to leave no stone unturned."

About 200 leads have been checked, and 100 interviews conducted, LeMons said. She hopes the five-year anniversary of Dahms' death helps bring fresh information to investigators.

Greg Koeppen, executive director of the Lake County Farm Bureau, is among those hoping the case can be solved. Dahms was a good friend to the farm bureau, he said, and the annual county fair in Grayslake was more than just a job.

Dahms served 18 years on the fair board where he was known for his helpfulness and the pride he took in the event's mission to showcase Lake County's rich agricultural heritage.

"Harry was a simple man with a big heart," Koeppen said. "His murder was a shock to many of us and, five years later, there is still a void left by his absence."

Dahms's body was found on his driveway by a passer-by about 8:30 a.m. on a Friday. He'd been last seen alive about 10 hours earlier at his home, which sits in a rural section of Lake County near Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve, about a mile south of the Wisconsin border.

There were no signs that he'd been robbed or his home burglarized. Other than the gunshot wound, there were no indications of trauma or a struggle.

Authorities quickly labeled the slaying an isolated incident. They later found a small-caliber gun nearby, but LeMons said there is no conclusive evidence yet linking the weapon to Dahms' death.

Adding to what Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran called contradictory physical evidence, gunshot residue was found on Dahms' body.

"That opens the door to a lot of different scenarios," Curran said without elaborating.

Dahms, a divorced Army veteran who lived alone, was retired from his job on the private fire brigade at Libertyville Township-based Abbott Laboratories. The investigation revealed he was due to be evicted from his house on the day he died.

Along with doing odd jobs for pals in retirement, he volunteered for the Newport Township Fire Protection District in far northern Lake County.

Newport Fire Chief Mark Kirschhoffer said he thought a resolution to the Dahms investigation would have occurred by now. He was not aware of Dahms having any enemies.

"If anybody ever needed anything, he was always there," Kirschhoffer said.

Dahms was a man of routine, LeMons said, such as regularly playing slot machines at a BP gasoline station just up the road in Kenosha and visiting the nearby Toor's Truck Stop and TA Chicago North Travel Center.

He was known to have breakfast daily with some friends at the sprawling TA truck stop about 2 miles west of his Russell Road home, Kirschhoffer said. The truck stop features a diner, video gambling, groceries and automotive supplies.

"If you wanted to see him, that (TA) was a good place to find him," Kirschhoffer said.

Curran calls Dahms an unlikely victim. While there's no clear motive for his killing and weak forensic evidence so far, the sheriff still hopes the case will be cleared.

"These cases get solved in the most bizarre ways," he said. "And it's not one anyone could have forecast."

Mystery: 'He was a simple man with a big heart'

Police want your help in Harry Dahms case

Lake County Sheriff's police welcome tips regarding the unsolved slaying of Harry Dahms.

Dahms was found dead of a gunshot wound to his head on the driveway of his house in the unincorporated area of Russell, near the Wisconsin border, in June 2012.

Anyone with information is urged to call the sheriff's office at (847) 549-5200 or Lake County Crime Stoppers at (847) 662-2222.