Naman Shrestha
The episode titled ‘The Butterfly’ of NBC’s ‘Dateline’ touches upon the mysterious disappearance and tragic killing of 23-year-old Ellie Weik in Liberty Township, Ohio, in the summer of 2018. During the investigation, the detectives found evidence of months and months of stalking and harassment faced by the deceased woman. Upon tracing the digital evidence, they identified and apprehended the perpetrator, who had reportedly been involved in other crimes too.
Ellie Weik Was Being Stalked When She Disappeared
Born on May 17, 1995, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Ellie “Ellen” Weik was the beloved daughter of Tamara Weik and David W. Weik. She seemingly grew up in a loving and supportive household alongside her sister, Laura Weik. Ellie had a passion for making macramé out of a simple cord and jewelry from a bunch of crystals. She also had a knack for hairstyling, especially after earning her cosmetology license. Described as a social butterfly, she loved spending quality time with her family and friends. Her other hobbies were being outdoors and climbing trees.
Starting in the spring of 2018, Ellie told her friends that she was being stalked and harassed regularly by someone. She reportedly informed the authorities about it, after which her house was heavily patrolled. Despite the protection of the cops, Ellie remained scared for her life as the stalker found new ways to harass her. The 23-year-old woman went missing on July 29, 2018, and her mother filed a missing persons report on August 1, 2018. Weeks later, on August 24, her remains, bound in duct tape and plastic wrap, were discovered in a field off Millikin Road in Liberty Township, Ohio. The cause of her death was determined to be asphyxiation, as she was strangled to death.
Ellie Weik’s Stalker and Killer Turned Out to be Someone From Her Past
A few months prior to her disappearance and demise, Ellie Weik filed a report with the police on April 11, 2018, about someone under the name Mikael harassing her online by sending her text messages since February 2018. In the report, she also claimed that her stalker, who appeared to be standing on her patio, sent her a video of her sitting at her dining room table. As the detectives began investigating Ellie’s disappearance, they tracked down her stalker’s phone number, which led them to a man named Michael Strouse, whom she allegedly dated when she was 17. It turned out that Michael had been stalking Ellie using different cellphone numbers and sending her obscene photos pretending to be other people using a text-spoofing app.
On August 23, 2018, the West Chester police reportedly brought him in for questioning. Admitting to secretly recording Ellie while she was inside her home, Michael said, “I thought she looked cute. I thought she looked cute, and I guess I was like a peeping Tom. I was going to leave, and when I went to leave, I saw her, like, through the window or whatever, and I’m like, I’m just going to film her for a little bit.” In the later stages of the interrogation on August 24, he claimed that he and Ellie were making a horror movie, which was why he had her necklace, driver’s license, and a clump of hair in a tin. He later told the detectives that he passed out after smoking weed and drinking alcohol, unable to clearly remember what transpired on the fateful night.
In the later stages of the interrogation, the suspect admitted to carrying Ellie’s remains and disposing of them in a field near his home. He told the detectives, “I’ve never been in that mindset in my life. I’ve never felt so hopeless and confused in my life. I remember picking her up and, and I thought I carried her, but it makes sense if I put her in the car, because then I could have got there to the trees.” Besides his incriminating confession, the detectives also found a heap of digital evidence against him. Thus, he was arrested and charged with the murder of Ellie Weik. Previously, he had also been convicted of indecent exposure after exposing himself to a mother of two.
Michael Strouse is Currently Incarcerated at an Ohio Prison
Months later, on March 12, 2019, Michael Strouse pleaded guilty to murder, menacing by stalking, and gross abuse of a corpse in connection with the killing of Ellie Weik. During the hearing, he also admitted to placing a plastic wrap over her head and wrapping her remains in a blanket before disposing of her remains in a field near his home. The following month, on April 17, Michael was sentenced to 15 years to life for the murder conviction, 18 months for the stalking conviction, and 12 months for the abuse of a corpse conviction. As of today, the 37-year-old killer is serving his sentence at Lebanon Correctional Institution in Lebanon, Ohio, with his parole eligibility date scheduled for February 2036.
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