A man who shared a farmhouse with James S. Ruland before Ruland disappeared in 1995 has been arrested and charged with first-degree intentional homicide, bringing a decades-old Fond du Lac County case into court. Jerome Baier was arrested Friday at his home in Spencer. During an initial appearance Monday in Fond du Lac County Court, a judge set his cash bond at $1 million. A status conference is scheduled for Sept. 30 to determine whether Baier has an attorney. Ruland, 40, was last seen Oct. 24, 1995, in the North Fond du Lac area. His vehicle was later found at a truck stop in Fond du Lac, but investigators have never located his remains. Ruland was declared legally dead in 1999. According to the criminal complaint, Baier and Ruland had been roommates at a farmhouse in the Town of Ripon. The two had a dispute involving allegedly stolen money and unpaid utility bills, after which Ruland stopped staying at the farmhouse, obtained other housing and began moving out. The complaint also alleges that Baier forged and deposited Ruland’s checks. That conduct led to a theft conviction in 1997, investigators said. Authorities said the investigation continued for roughly three decades. New forensic testing in 2021 helped investigators examine evidence, and the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office said the broader investigation ultimately established probable cause for Baier’s arrest. In late 2023, investigators brought two separate cadaver-detection dogs to Baier’s former property on Cork Street Road near Ripon. Both dogs alerted to the possible scent of human remains, according to the complaint. Searches, including excavations, the use of specialized K9s and ground-penetrating radar, have not produced a body. Investigators also accuse Baier of giving authorities shifting or false accounts about his alibi, possible motives and Ruland’s whereabouts. The complaint says Baier claimed Ruland had a drug addiction and owed child support, but investigators found evidence they said contradicted those statements. During a coroner’s inquest in July 2026, Baier reportedly acknowledged that he had lied to investigators. The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office worked with the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation and the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office. Ruland’s family has asked for privacy. Anyone with information about Ruland’s disappearance can contact Fond du Lac County Lt. Alex Volm at 920-924-2406 or Detective Dave Olig at 920-906-4799. Anonymous tips can be submitted to the county law enforcement tip line at 920-906-4777. Baier is accused in a criminal complaint, and the charge has not been proven in court.