940.11 Mutilating or hiding a corpse. (1) Whoever mutilates, disfigures or dismembers a corpse, with intent to conceal a crime or avoid apprehension, prosecution or conviction for a crime, is guilty of a Class F felony.
May 22, 2026, are designated by NOTES. (Published 5-22-26)
940.11
CRIMES AGAINST LIFE AND BODILY SECURITY
(2) Whoever hides or buries a corpse, with intent to conceal a crime or avoid apprehension, prosecution, or conviction for a crime or notwithstanding s. 946.90 (2) or (3), 946.91 (2), 946.92, or 946.93 (2) or (3) with intent to collect benefits under the assistance program for families with dependent children administered under ss. 49.141 to 49.161, the Medical Assistance program administered under subch. IV of ch. 49, or the food stamp program, as defined in s. 49.79 (1) (c), is guilty of a Class F felony. (3) A person may not be subject to prosecution under both this section and s. 946.47 or under both this section and s. 948.23 (2) for his or her acts regarding the same corpse. History: 1991 a. 205; 2001 a. 109; 2011 a. 268; 2013 a. 226; 2015 a. 147. Evidence that the defendant dragged a corpse behind a locked gate into a restricted, secluded wildlife area, then rolled the corpse into water at the bottom of a ditch was sufficient for a jury to conclude that the defendant hid a corpse in violation of this section. State v. Badker, 2001 WI App 27, 240 Wis. 2d 460, 623 N.W.2d 142, 99-2943. To convict a person of the offense under sub. (2), the state needs to prove two elements: that the defendant hid a corpse and that the defendant hid a corpse with intent, however ill-conceived or irrational, to conceal a crime. The statute does not specify the type of crime that the person must intend to conceal. State v. Minck, 2025 WI App 35, 417 Wis. 2d 1, 24 N.W.3d 125, 22-2222.