2016 WI Deaths
The first domestic violence homicide of 2016 in America happened in Wisconsin. As of 12/30/16, the Death Toll of Domestic Violence in Wisconsin alone rests at 70 victims and 19 abusers, 1 unknown, for a total of 90 lives lost. That is a life lost every 4.1 days. Almost one out of four victims were age 18 or under. If the trend continues, that will be at least 89 lives lost in our state this year due to domestic violence. Another three cases are under review, meaning the death toll could rise to 92. By comparison, End Abuse WI recorded 58 domestic violence related deaths in 2015, the most recent year on record. The highest year recorded was 67 deaths in 2009.
(NOTE: This site is built with the intent of helping family members and raising public awareness about the magnitude of domestic violence in our state. If you are a family member who would prefer to limit or modify the information about your loved one, please let us know via the contact page.)
January 1, 2016 Skylar Hartman, Age 2
WI: “Police in Cudahy, Wisconsin found a father and daughter dead on New Year’s Day in what investigators have called a murder-suicide.
A woman called 911 at 1:40 AM Friday requesting police and medical assistance and when officers got to the house, they found Brett Monroe, 27, and his 2-year-old daughter suffering from gunshot wounds.
Department tried to revive the little girl, Skylar. The father was pronounced dead at the scene. Emergency responders rushed the child to Chidren’s Hospital where she was later pronounced dead.
“This is a horrific tragedy,” said Chief Tom Poellot, Cudahy Police Department.
Police are still trying to uncover a motive as friends rally to support the mother, Heather, pay for funeral expenses.”
http://www.theglobaldispatch.com/brett-monroe-shot-and-kil…/
WI: “Police identified on Saturday, January 2nd the man and two-year-old girl found dead with gunshot wounds inside a Cudahy home Friday morning, January 1st.
Cudahy Police Department say they’re investigating the deaths of two-year-old Skylar Hartman and her father, 27-year-old Brett Hartman.
A family friend tells FOX6 News a picture of Skylar, her hair braided, is her mother’s favorite.
Police say Skylar was killed in the first hours of 2016. Police responded to the home on Whittaker Avenue around 1:30 a.m., and found Skylar suffering from a gunshot wound…
“…I’m just really shocked,” said Kaitlyn Monroe, Skylar’s cousin.
Monroe says Brett Hartman had made cryptic statements in the past, but the family never thought he could do such a thing.
“He was just basically saying how he was just going to kill himself and take the one person he loves, which is Skylar, with him but they just didn’t believe him because he says this a lot,” said Monroe.”
More: http://fox6now.com/…/update-father-daughter-killed-in-cuda…/
“On Saturday, the Cudahy Police Department identified the 2-year-old girl, Skylar Hartmann, who died at the hands of her father, 27-year-old Brett Hartman, early on New Year’s Day.
She was shot by her Hartman who then turned the gun on himself.
When police arrived at Hartman’s home, they found him and his daughter with gunshot wounds. He died at the scene, and Skylar was pronounced dead at Children’s Hospital.
It all happened only days before the little girl’s third birthday.”
More: http://www.wisn.com/…/community-steps-up-to-help-m…/37237008
January 11th, 2016 Lauren Johnson, Age 32
WI: Wauwatosa man accused of Murder, Endangering Police Officer
A 34-year-old man is accused of killing his girlfriend at a Wauwatosa apartment complex before fleeing from police, stabbing an officer with a knife and getting shot by two other officers.
Jerry R. Hubbard faces charges of first-degree reckless homicide in the death earlier this month of 32-year-old Lauren Johnson, and first-degree reckless endangering of safety in the struggle with Wauwatosa police.
Johnson was found under an apartment balcony the night of January 11th, after another resident of Normandy Apartments, on North 124th Street called 911 to report hearing a woman screaming.
The Milwaukee County medical examiner determined Johnson was suffocated and died before the fall off the balcony.
January 12th, 2016 Kevin Monroe, Age 55
A 21-year old Merrill man who has been under mental health commitment since shortly after a family member discovered his father’s deceased body on January 12 of last year, now faces several felony charges related to his father’s death; including 1st Degree Intentional Homicide.
On January 12, 2016, the deceased body of 55-year old Kevin Monroe of Merrill, was discovered on the floor of his upstairs Wisconsin Street apartment; which he shared with his son Tyler. Later that night, Tyler Monroe was taken into custody at gun-point by a Lincoln County deputy after a 7 hour search; following the discovery of Kevin Monroe’s car in a ditch on STH 107, near Tug Lake Road.
Since then, Monroe had been considered a person of interest in his father’s death, but had not yet been charged. However during a competency hearing last month, Monroe appeared in Lincoln County Circuit Court with his attorney and according to court records; indicated he was competent to render a defense and waived the competency hearing. Upon review of a physician’s report, the court deemed Monroe was competent, discharged Monroe from commitment and ruled for criminal proceedings to resume.
Friday morning, Monroe was officially charged in connection with his father’s death, facing Felony charges of: 1st Degree Intentional Homicide, Hiding a Corpse, Take and Drive Vehicle Without Consent, two counts of Felon in Possession of a Firearm and two counts of Felony-Bail Jumping.
According to court records, officers and investigators of the Merrill Police Department responded to a report of a deceased male located in an upper apartment at 507 Wisconsin St. and Monroe’s body was subsequently discovered; covered with a sheet on the floor of his bedroom. Family and neighbors indicated having been concerned about Kevin Monroe, due to not hearing from Kevin since early January of 2016. Family and neighbors indicated last contact with Kevin had been on New Year’s Day of 2016.
The reporting party who found Monroe’s body, indicated he and other family members had become suspicious of Tyler Monroe’s responses to inquiries regarding his father’s absence and whereabouts. The reporting party indicated difficulty in opening Monroe’s bedroom door and Tyler Monroe becoming agitated when the reporting party attempted to enter. Tyler reportedly advised the reporting party his father had left town and would be “real mad” if the reporting party entered the bedroom. Tyler Monroe had reportedly continued to reside at the apartment during the period of his father’s sudden absence, from early January until the day his father was discovered. At one point, the reporting party “shouldered’ the door to gain entry, causing it to fall open and leading to the discovery of Monroe’s body on the floor. The reporting party indicated to investigators of the door appearing to have been glued shut. Inside the bedroom, a window had been left open and an oscilating fan placed near Monroe’s body. The temperature in the bedroom was reportedly below zero.
At 5 PM on the evening of January 12, a motorist on STH 107 reported observing Kevin Monroe’s car veer off STH 107 near Tug Lake Road and go into the ditch. Tyler Monroe was reportedly observed exiting the vehicle and removing a pair of blue latex gloves which he was wearing. At 5:06 PM a Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputy investigated the area where the car was located and discovered a duffel bag. Deputies and officers from the Merrill Police Department followed Tyler Monroe’s snow footprints until 10:30 PM, when the search proved unsuccessful. At 11:04 PM, officers of the Merrill Police Department responded to a report of a suspicious male walking in the area of the search. When officers arrived, a Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputy had Monroe at gun-point. Monroe was subsequently taken into custody and transported to Ministry Good Samaritan Health Center for medical clearance.
According to the criminal complaint, a search warrant was obtained to search the duffel bag and the interior of Kevin Monroe’s vehicle. A subsequent search yielded various makes and designs of firearms and ammunition; including a loaded .45 handgun. Other items discovered included blue latex gloves, red-stained black electrical tape, an insulated sleeping bag, camouflage and thermal clothing, several changes of clothes, personal care/hygiene items and credit cards belonging to Kevin Monroe. During a search of the Monroes’ apartment, a note was discovered reading: “Gone Business Trip Over Month.” Upon analysis by the Department of Criminal Investigation, Tyler Monroe was found to have written the note.
As a result of an autopsy on Jan 13. in Madison, Kevin Monroe’s cause of death was ruled to be a result of ‘Sharp force homicide’ caused by 26 stab wounds, including; four fatal wounds to the liver, three fatal wounds to the right lung and multiple other wounds to the face, neck, torso, shoulder, thigh and shin. An exact time and date of death court not be determined, however the Medical Examiner performing the autopsy concluded Kevin Monroe may have lost his life as late as January 4, but could have been several days earlier. Monroe’s employer indicated Monroe had last worked December 31 and was due back January 4, but did not show up for his shift and had not been seen or heard from since.
Tyler Monroe remains in the custody of the Lincoln County Jail on the original $100,000 cash bond, which was set when the case was initially filed for Felon in Possession of a Handgun charges on February 27. He returns to court January 26 for his preliminary and bond hearing.
February 1st, 2016 Ilona Gonzalez, Age 30
WI: “A 30-year-old woman was found murdered in her Milwaukee home on February 1st. This tragedy, which police now say was domestic violence related, has left many people shocked. We are now learning more about Ilona Gonzalez, who died as a result of a head injury.
Gonzalez was a mother, an educator, a volunteer and an inspiration, according to her friends, co-workers and former teachers.
While the violent and tragic way in which she died isn’t lost on those who knew her, their focus now is on how she lived.
“She always joked about people not being able to spell her name or pronounce her name,” Vanessa Vasquez said.
Vasquez can’t help but smile when she talks about her friend Ilona.”
More: http://fox6now.com/…/woman-killed-in-domestic-violence-rel…/
February 2,2016 Caroline Nosal, Age 24
February 15, 2016 Tracy Krueger, Age 41
WI: Suspect, Victim Identified in Portage Homicide
UPDATE (WKOW) — Police have now identified the suspect and the victim in Monday’s homicide.
Portage Police Chief Ken Manthey says the suspect is 51-year-old Kevin Krueger. He is now in the Columbia County Jail on the tentative charges of first degree intentional homicide and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Manthey says the victim is 41-year-old Tracy Krueger. Manthey says the Kruegers were going through the process of a divorce. A court hearing had been scheduled for Thursday.
Manthey says Tracy Krueger was a guest at the Ridge Motor Inn, where the fatal shooting took place.
Authorities say Kevin Krueger was arrested during a traffic stop on Highway-16 four miles from the shooting scene. Manthey says a gun was recovered.
Tracy Krueger’s neighbor in Freisland, Alane Coleman, tells 27 News she would see Krueger with her teenage daughters. “She seemed like a very caring person, and cared about her kids,” Coleman says. “Very sad, very sad.”
February 20th, 2016 Rachel Pauls, Age 32
“Muscoda woman found dead, man detained”
A Muscoda woman found dead in a southern Richland County home on Saturday has been identified as Rachel Pauls, 32.
Authorities said Pauls had “substantial trauma to her face,” and a man who reportedly fled the scene was captured and detained for questioning.
Sheriff’s Office deputies went to 22004 Catherine Street in the town of Orion at about 2:45 p.m. Saturday, after the 911 center got a call for someone who needed medical attention.
“When emergency responders and deputies arrived, the body of the 32-year-old female was located inside the residence,” the Sheriff’s Office report said.
A police dog brought to the scene tracked and found the man who fled the scene. He was booked into the Richland County Jail on a probation violation.
February 24, 2016 Christina Hatcher, Age 24
WI: “The man suspected of killing his 24-year-old girlfriend on Madison’s North Side may have tried to kill himself by setting the woman’s car on fire near a city park, officials said…
…The homicide victim, who was identified as Christina Hatcher by her grandparents, Kathleen and Roger Hatcher, was found Wednesday morning in her apartment at 2501 Calypso Road. Police have not said how or when Hatcher died.
Hatcher, originally from Milford Center, Ohio, about 40 miles northwest of Columbus, has two children, the elder Hatchers said. It’s not known how long she lived in Wisconsin.
While police have yet to identify the suspect, Christina Hatcher’s mother, Angela Hatcher, confirmed he is her daughter’s boyfriend, Jose Vasquez.”
More: http://host.madison.com/…/article_2d33a72f-2d74-582b-876c-2…
February 28th, 2016 Patricia Sturm, Age 62
WI: Husband Texted Lover Before Wife of 42 Years was Found Dead
WAUSAU (WAOW) – The day before a rural Wausau wife was killed, her husband of 42 years texted his new lover and told her, “There is no love anymore between me and Patty,” according to criminal complaint filed Wednesday. “All I been doin is workin and thinkin about you.”
The document provides the first evidence of a motive in Patricia Sturm’s death. The 62-year-old mother of four and grandmother of nine was found dead in her bed of a single gunshot wound to the head on Feb. 28.
Her husband, 62-year-old Mark Sturm, was charged with first-degree intentional homicide during a brief appearance in Marathon County Circuit Court on Wednesday.
A judge ordered him jailed on $1 million bond and set a preliminary hearing for March 16 for prosecutors to present evidence to justify the charge. Sturm’s attorney, Richard Lawson, declined comment.
Sturm was arrested immediately after the shooting for what the Marathon County Sheriff’s Department said was a probation violation of having guns in his Town of Berlin home from a 2015 conviction for felony theft. He was told Tuesday he was under arrest for his wife’s death, the agency said.
The criminal complaint indicates investigators were immediately skeptical of Sturm’s story of finding his wife dead in bed of an apparent suicide, a .22-caliber pistol near her left hand. No blood splatter was found on the gun.
March 5th, 2016 Hermalinda Arvelo, Age 45 and Arturo A. Arvelo, Age 12
March 7th, 2016 Jessica L. Joyner, Age 29
WI “Homicide Suspect in Custody”
On March 6th at 11:17 pm La Crosse Police were dispatched to 1320 5th Ave So. for a report of a female stabbed. Upon arrival, Jessica L. Joyner (DOB 06-28-1986) was located on the floor in 1318 5th Ave So suffering from stab wounds. First responders arrived and transported Jessica to Gundersen Lutheran Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased at 12:41 am on March 7th.
Responding officers were able to determine the incident started as part of an argument between Jessica and her husband Haron J. Joyner (DOB 09/15/1980). The argument escalated into a violent confrontation which resulted in the injuries to Jessica Joyner. Haron Joyner had fled the scene prior to the officers’ arrival.
During the course of the investigation, officers were able to locate Haron Joyner in a vehicle in the area of 3600 So 29th Ct. Heron Joyner was taken into custody without incident at 2:07 am on March 7th. Heron Joyner is being held at the La Crosse County Jail on charges of 1st Degree Intentional Homicide.
March 16th, Julie Rozewicz, Age 68
A charge of first degree intentional homicide has been filed against 40-year-old Robert Rozewicz of Hales Corners, in connection with the death of his mother, 68-year-old Julie Rozewicz. Hales Corners police had been searching for Julie Rozewicz since Friday, March 18th, when it was learned that she was missing. Partial human remains were found at the Emerald Park Landfill in Muskego on Monday, March 21st.
According to the criminal complaint, on Friday, police received a request to check the welfare of Julie Rozewicz. Police were unable to make telephone contact with her, and then went to her home on South 116th Street in Hales Corners.
There, police had contact with Rozewicz’s son Robert. He indicated that his mother wasn’t home, and that he hadn’t seen her for days.
The complaint indicates Robert Rozewicz allowed officers into the home in an effort to locate his mother.
An officer noted that the carpeting on the landing and staircase had been partially removed.
Officers contacted hospitals and other communities in an effort to locate Julie Rozewicz, and they also attempted to locate her phone.
With the help of Verizon officials, police learned Julie Rozewicz’s phone was located in the area of the Emerald Park Landfill in Muskego.
When officers returned to the Rozewicz home, the complaint indicates a large pool of blood was observed at the bottom of a garbage can, small blood spots on the stairs of the home, blood stains on a door to the garage and on the garage floor.
Robert Rozewicz was taken to the Hales Corners Police Department for questioning.
According to the complaint, during an interview with officers, Robert Rozewicz initially said he hadn’t seen his mother for several days — but then admitted to killing her. He told police “she was affecting his life,” so he “took her out.”
The complaint indicates Robert Rozewicz killed his mother three days before the interview with polic– indicating he killed her via suffocation. Rozewicz said that happened in the kitchen, and he said “it took about five minutes for her to stop breathing.”
Rozewicz told officers he then “took a knife and stabbed her in the heart one time” so that she “wouldn’t wake in the garbage can.”
Prosecutors say Rozewicz then picked her up and placed his mother and the knife in a garbage can in the garage — before cleaning up the house.
Rozewicz said he then placed the garbage can at the curb, and drove his mother’s vehicle to a Pick ‘n Save parking lot, where he left it.
Rozewicz told police he killed his mother because “she was always looking for little ways to hurt him — including having the police take him to the (Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex).”
The complaint indicates that Rozewicz said on the day he killed his mother, she had done nothing to him, but he decided to kill her anyway. Rozewicz said he “didn’t feel bad” about killing his mother.
The Emerald Park Landfill in Muskego was searched on March 19th and March 20th — by Hales Corners police, officials with the Hales Corners Fire Department, officials with the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation, and Muskego police.
“What appeared to be human remains” were found on Sunday, March 20th.
A FOX6 News crew was there as a stream of unmarked vehicles left the property.
According to the complaint, the remains appeared to be a portion of the head, arms and abdomen. Using dental records, the remains were positively identified as Julie Rozewicz.
A neighbor of Julie and Robert Rozewicz told FOX6 News the last conversation she had with Julie Rozewicz was regarding help for her son’s mental health issues.
The criminal complaint makes reference to a 2015 criminal case against Robert Rozewicz, charging him with fleeing. He was released from custody in that case on the condition he commit no further crimes.
According to a criminal complaint, Rozewicz took gas from a gas station without paying, and wouldn’t stop for police.
Court documents show that during the court proceedings, the judge asked for a competency hearing, and Robert Rozewicz was found not competent to proceed. He was ordered committed for treatment for incompetency.
March 23th, 2016 Kristina Irene Knopp, Age 20
WI: “Medford Deaths a Murder-Suicide”
MEDFORD – A Medford man who shot and killed his girlfriend and then himself last week was a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq and still was married to another woman, according to court documents.
Kristina Irene Knopp, 20, died after being shot by Chad K. Mayes, 27, who then killed himself, according to police.
Knopp’s parents found Knopp and Mayes dead Thursday evening inside her apartment in Medford and called 911 around 7:40 p.m., according to court documents. Medford is a city in Taylor County more than 30 miles north of Marshfield.
Knopp was born in Novocheboksarsk, Russia, in 1995 and was adopted by the Knopp family when she was 13, according to her obituary. They brought her to the United States in 2009. She graduated from Abbotsford Christian Academy in 2013.
Mayes entered the U.S. Marine Corps in 2008, was stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and did an extended tour in Iraq, according to his obituary. He was married and had two children.
Mayes was separated from his wife, who knew about his relationship with Knopp, according to court documents.
After Knopp’s parents called 911, Medford police responded to Knopp’s apartment to investigate, according to court documents. Investigators applied for warrants to search and take evidence from Knopp’s apartment, Mayes’ apartment and Mayes’ car.
Two semi-automatic pistols were on the floor. Items taken from Mayes’ apartment included four long guns, five handguns, a launcher that would normally be used to launch flares or smoke, ammunition and an empty prescription bottle that had contained anti-depressants, according to court documents.
March 27, 2016 Jessica Ellenberger, age 29, and her daughter, Madyson Marshell, age 4
WI: “The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office has charged Patrick D. Fowler in connection to a double homicide in the 100 block of 68th Street over the weekend.
The daughter and granddaughter of a retired Milwaukee police lieutenant were killed shortly before a Saturday fire that police said was set intentionally.
Fowler faces two counts of first-degree intentional homicide for the killing of Jessica Ellenberger, 29, and her daughter, Madyson Marshell, 4.
The 31-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested in Texarkana, Arkansas, earlier this week.
According to a criminal complaint, Fowler admitted to killing Ellenberger, his girlfriend, and her daughter. He told investigators that he and Ellenberger had gotten into an argument, and he “felt as if he were being disrespected,” said the complaint.
Fowler became violent when Ellenberger asked him to “back off.” He stabbed both of the victims several times, then used coloring books to set the home on fire, the complaint said.”
More: http://www.wisn.com/…/arrest-made-in-double-homici…/38673690
March 31, 2016 Audrea Williams, Age 18
19-year-old Frank Lopez Jr. has now been officially charged in connection with the shooting death of Audrea Williams, which happened on March 30th at a home near 81st and Villard.
Lopez Jr. is facing one count of first degree reckless homicide, use of a dangerous weapon. According to the criminal complaint, police were dispatched to the home, and came upon a woman who was flagging down officers who said: “Hurry, she’s losing consciousness.”
Police found Williams lying on the floor in a bedroom at the home near 81st and Villard. A man was holding a cloth to the back of Williams’ head, applying pressure to her wound. Police observed Williams to be breathing slowly, but unable to answer questions.
A .25 caliber casing was found on the floor, near Williams. No other casings were found in the home. Williams died after being transported to the hospital from the scene.
An autopsy determined Williams died as a result of a single gunshot wound to her head. Her death was ruled a homicide. The complaint indicates investigators spoke with the woman who had initially flagged down officers at the scene. She indicated she was in her bedroom in the home with a man — and that Williams and Lopez Jr. were also in the home.
At one point, the woman told investigators she heard “screaming and yelling.” When she ran out of her bedroom, the woman told investigators she asked Lopez Jr. what he had done, and Lopez Jr. said “I didn’t do nothing. She shot herself.” The woman said she never heard any gunshots — but she did see Williams on the ground, bleeding from her head.
After the shooting, the woman told investigators Lopez Jr. fled the scene. The man who was in the home at the time of the shooting said he heard Williams and Lopez Jr. arguing for about 10 minutes before hearing a single gunshot. Then, the man told investigators that Lopez Jr. came out of a bedroom and said: “I just shot my baby’s mama!” The man described Lopez Jr. as “distraught, angry and possibly crying,” saying: “I can’t lose my baby’s mama.”
The man said he attempted to calm Lopez Jr. down, but he backed away and fled the home. Lopez Jr. turned himself in on April 1st.
According to police, a witness took the couple’s two-month-old baby from the scene briefly, but the baby was returned and was then with Child Protective Services. Lopez Jr. made his initial appearance in court in this case on Wednesday, April 6th. Probable cause was found, and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for April 13th. Cash bond was set at $250,000
April 6th, 2016 Lazarus Gray, Age 22
WI: “Authorities didn’t believe 24-year-old Dominique Boseman when she said her boyfriend tripped and fell on a butcher knife, giving him a fatal wound inside their shared Milwaukee apartment.
That’s because her boyfriend, Lazarus Gray, 22, suffered two serious stab wounds and Milwaukee police found him with a knife stuck in his chest at an angle inconsistent with falling, according to a criminal complaint.
Boseman was charged Tuesday with first-degree reckless homicide and was being held in Milwaukee County Jail on $75,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Boseman called 911 about 8 p.m. Thursday to report the stabbing inside their apartment in the 9000 block of N. 95th St. Milwaukee police arrived to find the front and rear doors to the apartment locked, as well as the windows.”
Source: http://www.jsonline.com/…/girlfriend-charged-in-boyfriends-…
April 14th, 2016 Stacy Witkowski, Age 43
WI: “The recent death of a 43-year-old New Auburn woman, who was severely injured in June 2012 in an incident of domestic violence, could result in further prosecution, according to local sources.
Stacy Witkowski died Saturday, April 9, more than 3.5 years after she suffered traumatic brain injuries during a June 2012 domestic quarrel at her New Auburn home. The injuries left her near death and in a coma for months, according to Barron County Circuit Court records.
Her assailant and then husband, 31-year-old Troy B. Birkenmeier, is now at the state prison at Waupun, serving the third of a 10-year sentence for “first degree reckless injury.”
He was sentenced in October 2013.
Birkenmeier had been charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide, punishable by up to 60 years in prison. The criminal complaint charged that Birkenmeier repeatedly slammed his wife’s head on a wood floor during a quarrel at their home and took a cell phone away from her daughter when she tried to call for help.
But in an August 2012 agreement with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of first-degree reckless injury.
Witkowski regained consciousness months after suffering the injuries, according to her father, rural Chetek resident Michael Witkowski. But she required round-the-clock nursing home care ever since that time, he said.”
More: http://www.chetekalert.com/…/article_5deae7c0-0176-11e6-8e9…
See the memorial video for Stacy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lHVK4cDXd0&feature=youtu.be
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April 14th, 2016 Unnamed Girl, Age 2
Madison man was charged Tuesday with first-degree reckless homicide for what police are calling the child abuse death of his girlfriend’s daughter nearly two weeks ago.
Joshua S. Gehde, 25, told police he didn’t know how the 2-year-old girl sustained the many bruises that police and doctors noticed after she was taken to UW Children’s Hospital on April 12, though Gehde admitted that he had lightly spanked the girl once and had slapped her on the back because he thought she was choking on food, according to a criminal complaint.
But the array of injuries that the girl suffered, which included brain injuries, “are consistent with a child who has been abusively head injured,” concluded Dr. Barbara Knox, a UW child abuse expert, the complaint states. The girl died at the hospital on April 14, according to the complaint.
Gehde appeared in court Tuesday, where he was jailed on $300,000 bail. In addition, Deputy District Attorney Matthew Moeser said, Gehde is being held on an alleged probation violation related to a prior theft conviction in Fond du Lac County. Moeser said the state Department of Corrections is moving toward revoking his probation.
Speaking at a news conference Tuesday just before the charges were filed, Madison Police Chief Mike Koval noted the toddler’s death was the fourth homicide in Madison this year, and said that while all homicides are tragic, the killing of a child represents “an extra-special, deep, dark place” that particularly shakes investigators and surviving members of the victim’s family.
“Their lives are inalterably changed,” he said.
Koval, who was visibly upset as he talked about the 2-year-old’s death, said he and other officers had attended the toddler’s visitation, describing the scene of many toys piled around the child’s casket as harrowing.
“It’s just not right,” he said. “She deserved better.”
According to the complaint: Police and medical personnel were called to an apartment at 1718 Onsgard Road, on Madison’s Far East Side, at 12:47 p.m. on April 12 for a child who had stopped breathing and had no pulse. As fire department personnel treated the girl, Gehde told Sgt. Dave McClurg that he had been caring for the girl that morning, took her to the park to play and returned home where she ate crackers and a Pop-Tart.
Gehde said he talked on the phone with the girl’s mother, then went to the bathroom, and while there heard the girl coughing. He came out to find her lying on her side, not breathing. He called 911. He said he tried to perform CPR until paramedics arrived.
On April 13, Gehde told police that he had been dating the girl’s mother since July 2015, had lived with her but then moved back with his parents. He moved back in with the girl’s mother in January. He said that on the morning of April 12, he and the girl watched TV before going to Reindahl Park about 10 a.m.
Afterward, he said, they went to the PDQ store at 1625 N. Stoughton Road and bought some food, including the crackers and Pop-Tarts, then went home. Later, after he said he heard the girl cough, he said he found her in the living room, cold and not moving.
Asked about injuries that doctors had seen on the girl, including a handprint-shaped bruise on her buttocks, Gehde said he didn’t know how that got there. He said he didn’t know how she received other bruises, other than one on her back, which he said might have happened when he struck her back to clear her airway.
Told by police that the girl had brain injuries indicative of abuse and that she was not going to survive, Gehde said she wasn’t injured at all on April 11 or April 12, and that on April 10 she had been “like a kid.”
In security video taken at the PDQ store about 10:30 a.m., the girl appeared to be fine as Gehde held her. And pictures that Gehde sent to the girl’s mother at 11:26 a.m. show the girl sitting up in a high chair, while another picture at 11:57 a.m. shows her on the couch in the living room, leaning on a pillow.
Asked again about the handprint bruise, Gehde said, “Yeah, you know what, I spanked her a little but it wasn’t that hard. Not through the diaper, like that. She wouldn’t get in the high chair. Wasn’t listening. It was nothing. She didn’t cry.”
Examining the girl’s injuries, Knox noted bruises on the girl’s head, including around her right eye and jaw, bruises to her arms, shoulders and back, and bruises to her buttocks. The girl’s mother said she hadn’t seen any of that bruising before leaving for work on April 12 or while bathing the girl the day before.
Medical imaging of the girl’s head found brain injuries, including areas of bleeding on her brain, and evidence of bleeding within her spine. She also had areas of bleeding in blood vessels in her eyes.
Knox’s conclusion was that the girl had suffered abusive head trauma, which included “significant visible trauma” to her head and scalp with areas of hair loss not previously noticed.
An autopsy confirmed the areas of bleeding on the brain and in eyes, indicative of substantial head trauma.
April 17, 2016 Shelly Johanik, Age 44
WI: Bayfield Co. Authorities: Evidence Points to Murder Suicide in Deaths
The Bayfield County Sheriff’s Office says evidence suggests two deaths on Sunday were the result of a murder-suicide.
The office has identified those who died as 44-year-old Shelly Johanik and her husband, 59-year-old Randy Loppnow.
Investigators believe Loppnow made a very brief 911 call at 7:09 a.m. reporting a shooting at the home on Stuart Road in the Town of Kelly. The caller did not identify the names of the victims or the location, but authorities were able to plot the call to the residence.
When law enforecement arrived, they found Johanik dead in the yard of an apparent gunshot wound. Loppnow was found nearby, also with gunshot wounds, and later died at a Duluth hospital.
Authorities found a shot gun believed to have been used in the shootings next to Loppnow.
The sheriff’s office says evidence and interviews suggest Loppnow deliberately shot Johanik and then shot himself before authorities arrived. There is no evidence that anyone else was involved.
Authorities say Johanik’s 13 year-old was in the home at the time of the shootings, but they believe she slept through the incident. She is now in the care of other family members.
Court papers indicate Johanik filed initial divorce paperwork with Bayfield County in April 2015, but never followed through with the divorce.
Rebecca Sullivan, a friend of Shelly Johanik, says Johanik was one of the most giving people in the community. Sullivan says, “She was constantly giving…I mean to any organization that was in need. She would give, or she would rally to get other people to give.”
April 23, 2016 Richard Larson, Age 49
A man charged with First-Degree Intentional Homicide reportedly admitted to stabbing another man, who later died.
Rusk County District Attorney James Rennicke filed the charge against Thomas Martin, 25, of Ladysmith on Tuesday. The criminal complaint said officers responded to a report of a fight at an apartment on West 2nd Street North in Ladysmith on April 23. Investigators found Richard Larson lying on the floor and visibly in pain. A large butcher-style kitchen knife was also found on the floor. The complaint goes on to say that Larson told an officer at the scene “He was attacking my daughter. Threw the vase at her.” It also said that Larson had one deep stab wound on his back, and that he died later that night at the hospital. Larson’s wife told dispatchers that her daughter was Martin’s girlfriend, but the daughter said she and Martin were going through a break-up.
The complaint said Martin was also at the apartment, and that he said “I did it. He attacked me. I stabbed him.” Martin declined to speak with officers at the Law Enforcement Center and requested an attorney. He’s due in court July 5.
April 27, 2016 Paige Bohn, Age 5 and Devon Bohn, Age 3
Police name father, 2 kids killed in Wisconsin Rapids
WISCONSIN RAPIDS (WAOW) – Wisconsin Rapids police on Friday named the father and his two children killed in a double homicide/suicide.
Justin Bohn, 36, his daughter Paige, 5, and son Devon, 3, each died of a single gunshot wound at their home in Wisconsin Rapids early Wednesday, Lt. Brian Krzykowski said in a statement.
Police were called to the home about 2:15 a.m.
No motive in the slayings has been given. The children’s mother was not home at the time but police have not said why.
Supporters of the family started a GoFundMe campaign on the fundraising website. It had raised $10,300 by late Friday afternoon for the “Bohn family memorial.”
Jennie Rose Schott organized the campaign, explaining the father worked with her at Best Buy in central Wisconsin and was always willing to help.
Amanda Bohn, the mother of the children killed, will need help getting back on her feet after this tragedy and the money raised will “offset some of the costs of the funerals and burials of her family,” Schott wrote on GoFundMe.
To contribute to the Love and Support for Amanda Bohn Go Fund Me Campaign, click here.
May 1, 2016 Officer-Involved Shooting
The Wausau police officer who fatally shot a knife-wielding suspect on a domestic disturbance call joined the department 17 months ago, the agency said Tuesday.
Oswald Mattner, 42, was shot several times by Officer James Martin about 10:30 p.m. Saturday at a home in the 700 block of Gilbert Street, Capt. Matt Barnes said in a statement.
Martin and three other officers – Jenna Zinkowich, Brady Copas and Shawn Meyer – were sent to the home about 9:35 p.m. and determined probable cause existed to arrest Matter on domestic-related charges, Barnes said.
Matter was not located in his home, a search was done, he was spotted, he got inside the home, Martin attempted to arrest him, Matter “armed himself with a knife” and was shot, Barnes said. He died at the scene.
The other officers did not witness the shooting but responded to render aid, the captain said.
All four have been placed on administrative leave as the state Department of Justice investigates to determine if the use of deadly force was justified.
In a statement Monday, Mayor Robert Mielke said it “completely appears that this was self-defense and justified.” He declined to elaborate.
Police Chief Jeff Hardel said Tuesday he could not talk about details of the shooting until the state completes its investigation.
According to Barnes, Martin joined the department in January 2015 after spending two years as a reserve deputy for the Marathon County Sheriff’s Department.
Zinkowich joined the department in January 2015, Copas last June and Meyer last August.
May 14, 2016 Kimberly Howe, Age 43
May 14, 2016 Nicholas Chaulkin, Age17
Evidence suggests a man who had recently been kicked out of the home he had been living in with his girlfriend and her son caused the May 14 fire and explosion on Ketterhagen Road in the Town of Burlington and is responsible for killing all three, according to Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling.
While the actual events leading up to the fire and explosion that leveled the home at 29235 Ketterhagen Road may never be known, investigators came to that conclusion “based on the totality of information obtained throughout the investigation,” a news release on the findings states.
“…The evidence suggests that Craig Lambert is responsible for the death of Nicholas Chaulkin, Kimberly Howe, and the subsequent fire and explosion,” investigators concluded.
According to investigators, Lambert, 41 – who had been living with Howe and her son, Chaulkin, at the home for several years – had been kicked out by Howe. Howe, 43, and Chaulkin, 17, had stayed at a hotel the night before the explosion “to get away from Lambert,” the release states.
Howe and her son were reportedly on the way to the home in the minutes leading up to the explosion. The release states Howe made a phone call to an acquaintance at 2:31 p.m. to say “she was en route to ensure Craig Lambert was packing his belongings and leaving the residence.”
The first report of a fire at the home came in 45 minutes later at 3:16 p.m.
Two of the bodies – later identified through dental and DNA records as Lambert and Chaulkin – were discovered in the charred rubble a day after the explosion.
The release states Chaulkin had suffered a gunshot wound to the back of the head and was dead prior to the fire because there was no evidence of smoke in his lungs.
“…Autopsy results did reveal the presence of smoke in Craig Lambert’s lungs, which is consistent with him being alive after the fire began,” the release states.
After a week of searching by investigators, other human remains collected from the site were later identified as Howe. “The injuries sustained by Lambert and Howe in the fire were so severe that the Medical Examiners Office was unable to determine the exact manner of death,” the release states.
While the exact cause of the fire could not be determined due to the level of destruction, the release states “…evidence at the scene indicated the intentional removal of an LP gas line in the basement allowing the home to fill will gas and explode upon introduction to an ignition source.”
A full story with additional details of the investigation and conclusion will appear in this week’s editions of the Burlington Standard Press, Waterford Post and Westine Report.
A copy of the Sheriff’s Department news release is available by clicking here.
May 21,2016 Nicole Vanderheyden, Age 31
BELLEVUE – Douglass R. Detrie, 34, was arrested Monday night on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide in the weekend death of his girlfriend, 31-year-old Nicole Vanderheyden.
Vanderheyden’s body was found Saturday near Hoffman Road and Bellevue Street in Bellevue. Blood was found near the couple’s residence in the 2300 block of Berkley Road in Ledgeview, according to Capt. David Konrath of the Brown County Sheriff’s Department. Based on the blood and other nondisclosed evidence, deputies took Detrie into custody at about 5:30 p.m.
Konrath did not release the cause of death or whether Vanderheyden was killed at the couple’s home or in another location.
“Her injuries obviously were substantial,” Konrath said at a 9:45 p.m. news conference. Officials know the activities of the couple before the body was found, but Konrath declined to provide additional details, noting it is early in the investigation. Authorities are searching the yard and fields near the home, he said.
Officers are not looking for a weapon, he said, but he would not reveal whether they had collected a weapon of any kind, although officers have collected “evidence.” He said both of their cars were collected as evidence. Police will continue to interview neighbors, family members and others who might have seen or heard something Saturday.
Authorities believe it is an isolated event between the two and others are not in danger.
“We talked to him a couple times, and we obtained statements from him, based on the fact evidence was found in the proximity of his home, and some of the things we know, he is a primary person of interest,” Konrath said.
He would not say whether there was a history of domestic violence between the couple, who had a child together. Vanderheyden also had two other children.
Detrie was taken into custody at his parents’ home, and the child is with Vanderheyden’s family.
Konrath expects charges could be referred to the Brown County District Attorney on Wednesday.
The investigation is being handled by the sheriff’s department with the help of the state crime lab, Brown County Drug Task Force, Green Bay Police Department and other area public safety agencies.
Update: Douglas Detrie was released by Brown Co. 6/10/16 due to insufficient evidence
Update: George Burch, charged with Nicole VanderHeyden’s murder, says Detrie killed her. April 2017
Update: Detrie arrested on domestic abuse charges involving Nicole VanderHeyden’s sister May 2017
May 22, 2016 Teneya M. Little, Age 40
May 24,2016 Tuneija Tornai-Jackson, Age 19
The man and woman killed in a shooting on Madison’s east side Tuesday night were identified by a community leader Wednesday.
The two people who died are Tuneija Tornai-Jackson, 19, formerly a student at La Follette High School and her 39-year-old father Mike Jackson, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County Michael Johnson said Wednesday afternoon.
Madison police said Mike Jackson shot his daughter, then committed suicide.
The incident at 14 Kanazawa Circle is being investigated as a murder-suicide, Madison police Chief Mike Koval said.
Dane County dispatch said police responded to reports of two people shot at the home just before 6 p.m.
La Follette High School sent a note from Principal Sean Storch to students’ families Wednesday saying a team of services staff can provide support to students because some may have connections to the teen killed and her family.
Family friends remember Tuneija as an athlete, big sister and best friend.
“She spent a lot of time with us helping with my day care and caring for my youngest son when I needed help,” said Heather Chadwick, a neighbor who spent a lot of time with Tuneija.
“She was like the older sister I never had,” Heather’s daughter, Zoe, said. “I knew I could always go to her when I need someone to talk to.”
“She’ll be greatly missed, and she was greatly loved by everybody,” Chadwick said.
Madison Police Department spokesman Joel DeSpain said investigators don’t believe the incident is related to other recent gun violence, and they don’t believe there is any danger to the public.
Koval said investigators believe no one else was home at the time of the incident, but a family member who attends middle school found the father and daughter.
Koval said 100 to 150 extended family members and friends came to the area, and it was a very emotional scene.
May 27, 2016 – Chad Hafeman, Age 35
Victim’s wife arrested in Appleton Homicide
What neighbors call a quiet neighborhood was anything but early Friday morning.
Police were originally called to this home on North Durkee Street, for a medical call.
“Upon arriving, it was quickly determined the male victim had suffered stab wounds,” said Captain Todd Freeman of the Appleton Police Department.
Police say 35-year-old Chad Hafeman had been stabbed multiple times.
Hafeman was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“Investigators were called to the scene and escorted the victim’s wife here to the police department,” said Freeman.
After several hours of questioning, Hafeman’s wife, Tina, was arrested. She has not yet been charged, but authorities are recommending charges of first degree intentional homicide.
However, authorities are not saying what they believe led up to the incident.
“There’ll be more details to come in the days that follow once the District Attorney’s office has had a chance to review reports and issue a criminal complaint that’ll be a little bit more detailed,” Freeman said.
Police say there were multiple children in the home, those children are being taken care of by family members.
John Scheibe lived next door to the Hafeman’s, he said they kept to themselves.
“All I know is that they did love fishing,” he said, “that was it, because they go fishing pretty much every day.”
Scheibe says he is stunned.
“Now I don’t really feel safe, but we were planning on moving,” said Scheibe, “so this might solidify our decision more.”
Police say they are confident this was an isolated incident.
Tina Hafeman is expected to be in court Tuesday.
Man found dead in Lily Lake involved in domestic dispute
He had been reported missing after tactical situation in Wheatland
A man found dead along the Lily Lake shoreline Saturday was involved in an earlier domestic dispute that required the Sheriff’s Tactical Team. According to Sgt. Daniel Ruth of the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department, Richard L. Warnke Sr. became distraught after the May 23 domestic dispute with his wife at a residence in the 7800 block of 336th Avenue, and later turned up missing. “He had been involved in a domestic dispute with his wife earlier in the night and had been seen with a gun by his wife and neighbor,” Ruth stated. “He fled the scene prior to the Sheriff’s Department arrival in an unknown direction, apparently despondent over domestic issues.”
Ruth reported the Kenosha Sheriff’s Department Tactical Team canvassed the area from 8 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. When Warnke Sr. failed to show up for work May 24, his family notified authorities, who listed him as missing and endangered due to the nature of the original call.
According to a Sheriff’s Department press release, a local resident discovered his body along the shoreline of Lily Lake near the 7700 block of 334th Avenue early Saturday afternoon. Authorities were unable to positively identify Warnke Sr. until Tuesday when a medical examiner’s autopsy confirmed his identity. Ruth stated Warnke had been “missing for about five days total.”
June 1, 2016 – Mathias L. Freeman, Age 11 months
Family members have been taken into custody after the death of a baby last week in Milwaukee that police now are calling suspicious.
Mathias L. Freeman, who was about a month shy of his first birthday, died suddenly June 1. The death initially was thought to have happened in the 2900 block of N. 70th St., but police said Monday that Mathias actually died in a home in the 3900 block of N. 42nd St.
The police news release said several family members are in custody, without being more specific about their identities or the circumstances of the baby’s death.
June 7, 2016 – Heesun “Sunny” Teague, Age 63, and Sabrina O. Teague, Age 25
HOBART – An Ashwaubenon man suspected of murdering two Hobart women is being held in the Brown County Jail on a $5 million cash bond.
Jacob P. Cayer, 26, of Ashwaubenon, is suspected of fatally stabbing Heesun “Sunny” Teague, 63, and Sabrina O. Teague, 25 at a Hobart home Tuesday evening, and also stabbing Joel A. Kennedy, who survived wounds to his chest and arms.
Police believe Cayer was the younger Teague’s ex-boyfriend.
He was arrested on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide after police found him in a woods near the home Tuesday night.
Cayer, strapped to a restraining chair, appeared in Brown County Circuit Court via video Thursday afternoon from the jail. District Attorney David Lasee, in seeking the high cash bond, told Court Commissioner Jane Sequin that he has concerns about Cayer’s mental stability. That concern was echoed by Cayer’s defense lawyer, Carrie LaPlante from the Public Defender’s Office.
No complaint was filed. Lasee said the state Crime Lab was still gathering evidence and he would need two weeks to prepare a criminal complaint. LaPlante said she worried about Cayer’s mental state deteriorating if things were delayed too long. Sequin scheduled the matter for June 17 but said Lasee could ask for a few more days at that hearing if he still needed it.
Lasee submitted a four-page probable cause document laying out reasons why the state believes Cayer was responsible for the stabbings. He said the document should be sealed out of consideration for the families of the victims and to protect the ongoing investigation.
Sequin granted Lasee’s request and his request that Cayer have no contact with families of victims, an unlikely occurrence given the size of the bond.
Police were called to the Hobart home at 8:12 p.m. Tuesday, though they haven’t said who called. On arrival, they found the older Teague stabbed to death in the home’s bathroom and the younger stabbed to death outside the home. Investigators have recovered the knife used in the attack.
Deputies used police dogs to find Cayer hiding in the woods near the home.
He has unrelated cases already under way in Brown and Outagamie counties. He is charged in Brown County Circuit Court with felony bail jumping and resisting arrest. He was free on a $500 cash bond, and is scheduled to plead June 21 to the charges, filed in April.
He is expected to plead June 23 to charges of substantial battery and disorderly conduct in Outagamie County Circuit Court. Those charges were filed in March.
Cayer previously was convicted in 2013 in Door County of battery, disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property as domestic violence. Two counts of strangulation/suffocation, one count of false imprisonment and one of damage to property were dismissed against him but read into the record at sentencing. He was given two years of probation, which was revoked in May 2015, and he received an additional three months in jail, according to court records.
June 11th, 2016 – Judy Smith, age 49
Judy C. Smith was found to have been beaten to death on June 11, 2016. She was discovered in the 200 block of N. 34th St., and the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide.
Smith was born on May 4, 1967. She was 49 years old when she died.
Authorities have arrested one or more suspects in connection with this homicide.
A 47-year-old male suspect was arrested in the Smith homicide, which will be presented to the District Attorney’s Office in the coming days.
A Milwaukee man was charged with second-degree reckless homicide Wednesday after stabbing his partner during an argument on Saturday, according to a criminal complaint.
The man, Fredrick Ramsey, 30, got into an argument at a gas station with his partner, Alexandria Taylor, a day after Taylor told Ramsey she was leaving him, according to the complaint. That argument was broken up by police, but when Taylor left the scene, Ramsey followed her home, where he stabbed her to death on their porch in the 3600 block of N. 5th St., the complaint said.
Ramsey and Taylor had two children and had been together for 11 years, according to the complaint.
The charge carries a possible penalty of up to 25 years in the prison system.
To help the family, a Go Fund Me Account has been established. Go Fund Me Help
June 15th, 2016 – Eric G. Franklin, Age 38, killed in self-defense
Milwaukee police are investigating a fatal stabbing that occurred Wednesday morning, June 15th on the city’s northwest side.
Police were called to a home near Teutonia and Villard Avenue around 8:55 a.m.
Upon arrival, officers located a man, identified as 38-year-old Eric Franklin, who had been stabbed during a domestic dispute. The victim died at the scene despite lifesaving efforts by the Milwaukee Fire Department.
Police say a woman is currently in custody for the crime and MPD continues its investigation.
MPD will present this case to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office in the coming days for a review.
June 20, 2016 Update: A 32-year-old Milwaukee woman accused of stabbing a man to death last Wednesday won’t face criminal charges after authorities concluded she acted in self-defense, Milwaukee police said Monday.
The woman stabbed Eric G. Franklin, 38, in the 5100 block of N. Teutonia Ave. on June 15, the department said in a news release, which didn’t elaborate on the circumstances of the stabbing.
June 19th, 2016 – Lamont Shields, Age 35
Milwaukee police are investigating a homicide that happened Sunday, June 19th near 38th and Roberts.
Police say a 35-year-old man was stabbed to death by his 39-year-old wife. The victim has been identified as Lamont Shields.
The circumstances surrounding this incident remain under investigation.
Police say the man’s wife remained at the scene and was taken into custody.
MPD will present this case to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office in the coming days for a review.
June 20, 2016 Update: Lamont C. Shields, 35, was stabbed to death in the 3800 block of W. Roberts St., police said, but the Milwaukee County medical examiner’s office determined the death was not a homicide.
Police did not elaborate on how Shields died but said his 39-year-old wife still was in custody on unspecified charges.
June 19, 2016 Melody L. Helgren, Age 40
A 52-year-old Milwaukee man accused of fatally shooting a woman in the head earlier this month faces up to 60 years in prison if convicted of first-degree reckless homicide.
According to the criminal complaint:
Tony Nollie and Melody Helgren returned to Nollie’s home in the 5000 block of N. Sherman Blvd. after a night of drinking at a local bar when the two began arguing.
Nollie told police he pulled a gun from his dresser drawer when Helgren threatened to leave.
He pointed the gun at Helgren’s head and fired. Nollie called his neighbor, who called 911. Helgren was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead there.
Nollie is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing Wednesday.
7/1/16 Officer Involved Shooting
WASHINGTON COUNTY — A 57-year-old man is dead after the Village of Jackson police are called to a home on Stonewall Drive south of Highland Road Friday evening, July 1st. Family says their mother was being held by a man at knifepoint. Police rushed in and killed him.
Investigators remain on the scene Saturday evening.
They were called to the home before 7:00 p.m. Friday night.
Family tells FOX6 News it was a domestic situation they never expected — when they heard the news they rushed to be by their mother’s side.
“It’s a horror story,” said Michelle Eskildsen, woman’s daughter.
It’s a trip back to Jackson, Michelle Eskildsen never expected to take.
“Everything hits you so close to home,” said Eskildsen.
Michelle Eskildsen
Eskildsen returns to the normally quiet neighborhood that is now surrounded by investigators — her mother’s home covered in crime tape.
“Something you never expect to have to deal with,” said Eskildsen.
Police were called to the scene Friday evening, and neighbors watched as officers rushed inside.
“We watched a bunch of cops go in, enter their condo,” said Jessie Schumacher, neighbor.
“They pulled their guns immediately,” said Lee Bateman, neighbor.
“I opened the garage door and the place was flooded with police cars and crime scene tape,” said David Abuya, neighbor.
Investigators say a Jackson officer shot and killed a 57-year-old man inside the home.
Eskildsen says it was her mother’s estranged boyfriend. She says he was armed with a knife and threatening her mother.
“We’re just not sure what made him snap or go to this extent,” said Eskildsen.
Eskildsen’s mother was taken to the hospital.
“She’s doing well and is recovering,” said Eskildsen.
Even with the outcome, a family is grateful a call for help was answered.
“Thankful the police were able to get here when they did,” said Eskildsen.
No officers were injured during this incident. An outside agency has
The Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is now leading the investigation.
July 4, 2016 Michael Gayan, Age 51
Siblings accused of working together to kill Kenosha man
Donna Matthews came to Kenosha planning to kill Michael Gayan, according to court records, and her brother, Derrick, helped her do it.
A criminal complaint filed Wednesday in Kenosha County Circuit Court outlines investigators’ theory as to how Gayan, 51, was shot and killed last month. Gayan’s body was found July 26, in his home in the 300 block of 59th Place, after city workers reported a foul smell and many flies in the area.
The siblings both face charges of party-to-the-crime of first-degree intentional homicide. Derrick Matthews, of Kenosha, is due in court this afternoon for his initial appearance. Donna Matthews, of Hawaii, is in custody in Seattle, where she was arrested Monday on a Kenosha County warrant.
Police found Gayan inside, in an advanced state of decomposition. He had several gunshot wounds in his chest, and police believe he had been dead for several weeks. Police used fingerprints to identify him.
The only thing missing from the home, the detective reported, was Gayan’s cell phone.
Three days later, on July 29, Derrick Matthews’ neighbor told police that he knew there was “a history” between Donna Matthews and Gayan. She and Gayan had dated, and lived together at one point. She filed a restraining order against him in July 2015. That order was lifted in November, at her request, according to online court records.
Donna Matthews had reported threatening phone calls and text messages coming from Gayan, something which the neighbor also reported to police. The neighbor said Derrick Matthews had told him that his sister wanted to kill Gayan.
On July 4, the neighbor told police that Derrick Matthews came home for a short time, and then leave again. At some point that day, the criminal complaint states, Derrick Matthews told the neighbor that “the fireworks were a good time to test out the gun because no one would know the difference.”
After July 4, the neighbor reported, he believed Derrick Matthews’ demeanor “was depleted” and he feared his neighbor had become suicidal.
When police searched Derrick Matthew’s home they found a box of ammunition with five rounds missing, but no gun. According to the criminal complaint, Derrick Matthews said he had taken the gun to Michigan but had since lost it.
Derrick Matthews later told police that in the week to months before July 4 his sister had asked for his help. She told him she feared for her life and asked if she could buy his gun.
He said he would sell it for $500 and that it needed to be thrown out after she used it. Derrick Matthews told police “he was aware she had a plan to kill Mr. Gayan,” according to the criminal complaint.
She told her brother that Gayan had bought her a plane ticket to come back to Kenosha on July 5. She instead flew to Chicago on July 4.
When she got to town, Derrick Matthews said he used his own debit card to get her a room, that she paid him for the gun. Around 7 p.m. he drove her to a spot near Gayan’s house and let her out of the car, telling her he would see her later.
He said that after the finale of the fireworks she called him, and he met her about a block away from Gayan’s house.
He told police Donna Matthews had changed her clothes, and that she was trembling.
According to Derrick Matthews, Donna Matthews had gone into Gayan’s house and hid. When she came out of hiding, she said she swore at him, and shot at him five times. She also reportedly hit him in the head with the butt of the gun.
She told her brother that she took the phone because “she felt there were messages there that would save her if all this came to light.”
Derrick Matthews told police that Donna Matthews returned the gun. He said they threw the casings into the lake near the Kemper Center, and that he gave the gun to his ex-wife.
July 7, 2016 Theresa M. Saxon, Age 57
MILWAUKEE –Milwaukee police say a death investigation from July 7th near 17th and Hadley is now being as a homicide.
Milwaukee police were called out to a home near 17th and Hadley round 10:30 a.m. Thursday, July 7th after a woman was found dead inside the residence.
The victim has been identified as 57-year-old Theresa M. Saxon.
The victim’s boyfriend, a 54-year-old Milwaukee man, has been taken into custody in connection with her death. Our investigation is ongoing.
July 10, 2016 Unnamed Daughter, age 3 1/2 months
A Grant County judge has set bail at $25,000 for a Boscobel woman who police say confessed to fatally injuring her 3½-month-old girl on Saturday.
Renae Bellis, 31, was arraigned Tuesday on charges of first-degree reckless homicide and obstructing an officer. She remained in jail Tuesday afternoon, the Grant County Sheriff’s Department said.
Boscobel police were called Saturday to a home on North West Street for a report of a deceased infant. They arrived to find the girl dead, and the Grant County Coroner conducted an autopsy.
The autopsy revealed that the infant died of “blunt force,” which prompted authorities to open a homicide investigation, the sheriff’s department said.
Initial interviews and evidence led authorities to arrest the child’s father, Mark Rand. Rand, 39, was released after detectives conducted a subsequent interview with Bellis.
The sheriff’s department said Bellis was interviewed again when she came to the jail to drop off personal items for Rand. Bellis allegedly confessed during the interview that she was responsible for the injuries to the infant and admitted to lying to authorities the previous day.
Bellis was arrested and charged Monday.
She is scheduled to appear again in court Thursday.
July 17, 2016
Milwaukee police turn to two-person squad teams after officer shooting
In the wake of a shooting that seriously injured a Milwaukee police officer early Sunday morning as he sat in his squad car, the Milwaukee Police Department is sending all officers out in two-person squad teams.
All seven Milwaukee police districts were instructed to use two-person squads “effective immediately and until further notice,” Assistant Milwaukee Police Chief William Jessup said at a news conference Sunday afternoon.
Authorities identified the wounded Milwaukee police officer as Brandon Baranowski. He was being treated for serious injuries after being shot while seated in the front seat of his squad car.
Baranowski, 31, is a father and husband as well as a 13-year MPD veteran.
“He is a very dedicated and hardworking employee,” Jessup said. “At that moment, he was doing his best to provide safety to a woman and child in the middle of a domestic violence situation.”
The shooting came on a day in which at least three law enforcement officers were killed in Baton Rouge, La. The city has been scrutinized after its officers fatally shot Alton Sterling, 37, on July 5 while he was pinned to the ground. Sterling was black and the officers involved were white. It also follows the July 8 killings of five police officers in downtown Dallas.
Domestic violence calls
Two officers were dispatched in separate squad cars for domestic violence property damage calls in the 3500 block of S. 17th St. In each of the two incidents, the suspect was not at the scene when police arrived.
About 2 a.m. the suspect approached the passenger side of Baranowski’s squad car and fired multiple shots into the car, striking Baranowski several times in the arm and chest, police said. Baranowski was wearing body armor that protected him from the chest shots, said Mayor Tom Barrett, adding that Baranowski will “most likely” have surgery in the next day or two.
About 2:30 a.m., investigating officers heard a single shot and found a man dead of a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound. The deceased suspect is a 20-year-old West Allis man with an arrest record that includes two felonies. He is suspected in the domestic violence incidents for which the police were originally called and is believed to be the man who shot the officer.
In a statement Sunday night, the suspect’s family said the shooting of Baranowski was “not the result of any movement, political agenda, race or gender. It is the result of a young man who was suffering from profound emotional distress.”
The suspect’s family also said it was “deeply saddened by his desperate and misguided actions and would like to express our most heartfelt apologies to Officer Brandon Baranowski and his entire family as a result of this tragic incident.
The Milwaukee Police Association made a request for routine two-person officer teams in Milwaukee early Sunday morning in a statement about the shooting.
“With a partner seated next to our cop today would the outcome have been better? … I believe it would have been,” the association said in a written statement. “Two-man squads are essential in the ever-changing high-risk environment.”
Jim Palmer, executive director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, said the two-officer squads would “create a funding issue for any department or municipality around the country, but clearly more needs to be done to protect law enforcement.”
Barrett, however, said Milwaukee police can implement such squads with current resources.
Still, Ald. Bob Donovan, a frequent Barrett foe, believes Milwaukee lacks enough officers to police effectively.
“We are about 280 officers short of what our authority strength level was in 2008,” Donovan said. “One-man squads are not the best way to monitor our streets, especially in an urban environment.”
Denise Held, president of the Wisconsin chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors, said city administrators are not doing enough to make sure officers come home safe each day.
“Anyone looking at crime trends in the city of Milwaukee will see that there are many issues and it’s getting worse,” Held said. “I would hope our administration would look at what’s happening, because it’s a scary time to be an officer.”
In the last eight years, nine officers have been shot in the city of Milwaukee, according to Barrett.
“I think we as Americans, we as Milwaukeeans, need to once again reassess the relationship between our police officers and our citizens,” Barrett said.
July 18th, 2016
One dead, one hurt in Winnebago County shooting
WINNEBAGO COUNTY, Wis. (WBAY) – The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office has released new information on a double shooting in the Town of Utica.
Investigators say 29-year-old Luke A. Smith of Pickett died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound Monday morning at a residence in the 5200 block of County Highway N.
Smith’s 36-year-old girlfriend was found shot at the scene. She underwent surgery and is recovering at a local hospital, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Her name has not been released.
The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office tells Action 2 News they were called to the scene at 7:03 a.m. for a domestic disturbance.
A neighbor had reported hearing an argument between the couple who lived in the home before several gunshots were fired off.
“While deputies were en route, we received a report of multiple gunshots being fired,” Capt. Mark Habeck with the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office said.
“The incident was a dynamic incident involving locations immediately outside of the house as well as inside the house,” he continued.
Upon arrival, deputies found the man and woman in the detached garage.
Officials say three dogs were also shot and killed.
According to Captain Habeck, “The public is not in danger. This event was localized to the scene. And deputies did not fire or discharge their weapons at this event.”
The sheriff’s office says at no time did any responding deputy fire a weapon. The incident was over by the time they arrived.
The Sheriff’s Office is awaiting medical records, reviewing 911 calls, and interviewing the survivor before releasing more information.
July 23, 2016 Jovonte M. Daniels, Age 22
Milwaukee man charged in killing ex’s boyfriend
A 21-year-old Milwaukee man was charged Tuesday with first-degree reckless homicide in the shooting death of his ex-girlfriend’s boyfriend outside a gas station.
According to the criminal complaint:
Andrea Robertson and her boyfriend, Jovonte Daniels, were getting groceries July 23 at the BP gas station at 3114 N. Sherman Blvd. when Robertson’s ex-boyfriend, Lorainz Johnson, pulled up in a white car and met Daniels as he exited the store.
The men argued over Robertson and Daniels appeared to challenge Johnson to a fight, when Johnson pulled a small silver revolver from his pocket and fired one shot into Daniels’ chest.
Robertson drove Daniels to St. Joseph’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Johnson faces up to 60 years in prison if convicted.
July 27, 2016, Claudia Bergan – Age 56
July 30th, 2016 Sean A. Flowers III, Age 3 months
Milwaukee police have identified the baby they suspect was drowned by his father as Sean A. Flowers III, who was born April 18.
His father, Sean A. Flowers Jr., 25, is being held without bail at the Milwaukee County Jail. Police have referred the case to prosecutors who are expected to consider possible homicide charges early this week.
Police say that after a dispute with the child’s mother Saturday night, Flowers took the child and waded into a nearby pond and sat down holding the baby under water. A witness ran into the pond to try to get Flowers to hand him the child.
“I yelled at him ‘where’s the baby? Where’s the baby?’ a man identified as Joey Griffin told Fox6 News. “And then I saw a baby floating in the water. I grabbed it. I tried to swim away with it. He lunged at me and took the baby again and swam farther, deeper,” the witness said.
Another neighbor had called 911 during the early argument in the 7400 block of W. Glenbrook Road, in the Northridge area.
Officers ran into the pond in an effort to rescue the boy, but the father was no longer holding him. Police arrested the suspect and began searching for the child, who was found unconscious within minutes, the department said in a statement.
Milwaukee firefighters tried unsuccessfully to revive the child. He died at the scene.
Court records show that the victim was the second child of Flowers and the boy’s mother, who is 26. She bore their first child, a girl, in August 2014, but Flowers disputed paternity until a hearing in February 2015. After DNA testing showed he was the biological father, both parents acknowledged his paternity.
A judge granted them joint custody, with primary custody to the mother and Flowers to have the child for reasonable amounts of time upon reasonable notice. The judge also ordered Flowers to make child support payments of $20 a week and pay $500 toward expenses of the birth.
A couple months later, the woman filed for a restraining order against Flowers, alleging he had threatened her and kicked down her door, and that he had previously struck her in the face and punched her repeatedly at other times and refused to let her leave.
Last month, the original 2015 child support action was consolidated into a new one, and Flowers was ordered to begin paying $62.50 a week starting Monday.
In 2012, Flowers and the woman had been charged together with felony theft, for snatching the purse of a Marquette University student early in the afternoon near N. 16th St. and W. Kilbourn Ave. Flowers was arrested hours later, and both he and the woman pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft charges.
She later wrote to the judge, asking that Flowers be released from jail to witness the birth of their first child. Flowers had been sentenced in July 2012 to a suspended 18-month jail term, in lieu of 18 months probation, but had violated his probation and was serving the jail time. Records do not indicate that he was released early for the birth.
In April, Flowers had written to the judge in the theft case asking to have his 2012 record expunged, because it was making it hard to find a job or get credit and to support his family. A court official wrote back to explain that Flowers was not eligible to have the theft conviction expunged because his probation had been revoked.
August 4th 2016, Dexter Kinateder, Age 2
A Sheboygan Falls woman has been charged with 1st Degree Intentional Homicide for the death of her 2-year-old son.A criminal complaint obtained by Action 2 News says Katlyn Kinateder, 27, suffocated her son Dexter by placing a plastic grocery bag over his head.
Kinateder told police she had “lost my mind” and “wanted to die,” according to the complaint.
The Sheboygan Falls woman said she had stopped taking anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medications 9 months earlier and felt “lost.”
Last Thursday, Kinateder called dispatchers to report she had killed her child:
Dispatcher: “OK, what’s the problem?”
Caller: “I killed my son.”
Dispatcher: “You what?”
Caller: “I killed my son.”
Police say officers responding to the home on the 700-block of Woodview Avenue were attacked by the mother with a butcher knife as she advanced down the stairs toward officers. Police say she ignored commands to drop the knife and get on the ground. She eventually dropped the knife but advanced on the officers a second time.
An officer used his Taser stun gun twice to restrain Kinateder as she “struggled aggressively.”
After placing her in handcuffs, officers went into the condominium and found the toddler in a cardboard box in a closet.
The boy was pronounced dead at St. Nicholas Hospital.
After she was taken into custody, Kinateder told police she had wanted them to “shoot her dead.”
August 16th, 2016 – Worth Rathsack, age 68
A man and woman found dead in a home on Milwaukee’s north side Tuesday were identified by police Thursday as Worth J. Rathsack, 68, and Susan M. Luitink, 59.
The two were found in a residence in the 3900 block of N. 24th St.
Luitink shot and killed Rathsack and then killed herself, according to a news release from the Milwaukee Police Department.
Milwaukee police continue to investigate the shootings.
September 1st, 2016 Shelby Manriquez, age 63
A Milwaukee woman died Wednesday from serious injuries she sustained when her 35-year-old daughter beat her earlier this month, according to Milwaukee police.
Police responded to a report of a battery at a residence in the 2200 block of S. 16th St. about 11:00 p.m. Aug. 14.
The victim, Shelby R. Manriquez, 63, suffered serious injuries and was transported to a hospital, where she died Wednesday.
The daughter, Vicenta G. Manriquez, 35, has alrVicenta G. Manriquezeady been charged with first-degree reckless injury.
According to the criminal complaint:
Shelby’s granddaughter said Vincenta was trying to get money from Shelby, and two began arguing.
The granddaughter said Vicenta was addicted to pills and used Shelby’s money to buy pills.
As the argument escalated, the two walked into the front yard and Vicenta picked up a lamp from the sidewalk and struck Shelby in the head using a “baseball swing,” according to the granddaughter. Shelby fell to the ground unconscious and Vicenta fled.
Paramedics transported Shelby to St. Luke’s Hospital, where she underwent surgery for a fractured skull, a subdural hematoma, brain swelling and a broken neck before she lapsed into a coma, unconscious and nonresponsive in critical condition.
When Vicenta returned to the home the next morning, the granddaughter called police and Vicenta was arrested.
Vicenta is being held at the Milwaukee County Jail on a $75,000 bond. The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office is expected to file an amended complaint in the coming days increasing the charge to first-degree reckless homicide.
September 2nd, 2016 Cedric Powe, Age 35
No arrests have been made three weeks after the death of a 35-year-old Sun Prairie man, and now that man’s family is demanding answers.
Cedric Powe’s oldest sisters said the family doesn’t believe his death was intentional, but someone should be held accountable.
“We just buried him on Saturday and it’s the hardest thing to wrap our minds around, because he is gone. A senseless act of violence and he is gone and we have no answers,” said Reschalle Peoples, Powe’s sister.
Sun Prairie police were called to the 1200 block of Sunfield Street on Sept. 2 on reports of a man bleeding. Court documents show Powe’s former girlfriend’s son called police after finding him bleeding on the kitchen floor, surrounded by glass from a broken table.
The boy heard Powe tell his mom, “Look what you have done.”
“(When) two people who were there and present together and get into an altercation and one person ends up dead, somebody is responsible,” Peoples said.
Police say the woman’s story changed multiple times, including a claim that Powe had choked her. When investigators interviewed her again, she denied that ever happened.
While calling 911, the son heard his mother say, “That’s what you get” and kick the victim while he was bleeding on the floor, according to documents.
“You kick him while he is down. You don’t help him, but you kick him while he’s down,” Powe’s sister Angela LaFrance said.
The woman told investigators the two had been arguing and drinking and she lost consciousness. She believes Powe hit her in the head but said she doesn’t know how he cut his arm.
Police also interviewed a neighbor who witnessed the aftermath from his window. He told investigators he saw a woman lying on the kitchen floor and a man. The neighbor said he heard the man saying, “My arm is bleeding. Look what you did to my arm.”
“If she was not a party to his death, then she didn’t do anything to save his life, that is one thing that we know,” LaFrance said.
Police executed a search warrant and confiscated marijuana knives, cocaine and prescription drugs from the home and car.
Sun Prairie police say this is still an active investigation. Investigators hope they will be able to determine if a crime was committed within the next month.
September 5th, 2016 Christina Schuster, Age 34
According to the criminal complaint, shortly before 10:30 p.m. Monday, September 5th, Schuster’s brother found her dead inside her apartment at the River Place Apartments near Wisconsin Avenue and Industrial Drive.
The criminal complaint states Christina Schuster’s brother told police he stayed with his sister sometimes at her apartment, and her “on again, off again” boyfriend, Jessie Lee. In the complaint, Schuster’s brother stated to police Christina recently told him she planned to break up with Lee, and that she did not think it would go well. The three also smoke marijuana together, during which time Christina showed Lee a photo of another man who she indicated would “treat her right.”
Officials say Christina’s brother left her apartment to go to work on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. He told police Christina came to visit him while at work, which was the last time he saw his sister alive.
Schuster’s brother told authorities he left for work again on Monday, and returned to Christina’s apartment around 10:20 p.m. — at which point he entered Christina’s bedroom and discovered her body.
According to the criminal complaint, Christina’s brother says Lee is known to carry a firearm around and he has personally seen one in Lee’s waistband. Her brother told officials he sent a text message to a friend where he referenced observing the gun on Lee. He showed the text message to police which was dated December 27th, 2015.
The message read: “So im in a complicated place. Ive been staying with my sister during the week while I work and they are fighting pretty bad. Aaarrrrrggggg… Dude has a gun.”
Detectives learned Christina owned two vehicles, a black Chevy Cobalt and a 1998 Chevrolet Lumina — and the Lumina was missing from her residence.Schuster’s brother told police the Lumina was frequently used by Lee, and was probably in his possession. The Lumina was later found in a vacant parking lot.
A woman who knew both Christina Schuster and Jessie Lee, also spoke to police regarding the case.
According to the criminal complaint, the woman told police she lived in a split level home and that Lee had visited the lower unit on September 9th. She told police she confronted Lee, and asked what happened with Christina.
In the criminal complaint, Lee responded to the woman, “it was an accident” and indicated, “she didn’t deserve that.”
The woman told police Lee never specifically mentioned shooting Christina, however he told her, “First of all, we all know when somebody does something like that we don’t say certain words to each other, so that we don’t get other people involved.” At that time, the woman believed Lee knew she was aware of what happened.
When police asked the woman if she ever saw Lee with a gun, she said no, but he always talked about it.
With that information, police were able to locate Lee and take him into custody on municipal warrants.
According to the criminal complaint, Lee asked police for a photo of Christina and after a period of silence, Lee said that he talked to Christina September 13th, more than a week after she was found dead — and then he told police, “she forgives me.”
September 12th, 2016, Mannix Franklin, Age 21
A central Wisconsin man accused of killing a man he believed was having an affair with his wife is being held on $1 million bond.Court documents allege 58-year-old Mark Kusters shot 42-year-old Richard Flynn early Thursday at the couple’s Grand Rapids home near Wisconsin Rapids. A probable cause statement says Kusters’ wife told investigators she, Flynn and a neighbor had been out drinking Wednesday night and when she returned home she and her husband saw Flynn looking in their windows.WAOW-TV cites court records that allege Kusters grabbed his shotgun, confronted Flynn outside and shot him. Flynn was taken by air to a Marshfield hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.Kusters has not been formally charged. Court records do not list a defense attorney.
September 17th, 2016 Barbara “Barb” Kendhammer, Age 46
A West Salem man who claimed his wife died after a pipe from a passing truck crashed through the windshield of their car faces an intentional homicide charge in her death.
Todd Kendhammer, 46, made his first appearance in in La Crosse County Circuit Court Tuesday afternoon, where La Crosse County Circuit Judge Todd Bjerke set a cash bond of $250,000.
Authorities arrested Kendhammer at 7 a.m. for first-degree intentional homicide after an extensive investigation, according to the La Crosse County Sheriff’s Department.
His wife’s death is the result of domestic violence, authorities said.
Kendhammer told authorities he was driving north on Hwy. M between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. Sept. 16 when a pipe that fell from a passing truck impaled the passenger side of his windshield, striking his wife, Barbara.
Authorities found the couple’s damaged Toyota Camry on nearby Bergum Coulee Road in the town of Hamilton, a dead-end road just seven miles from the couple’s home at N6617 E. Scotch Coulee Road. Todd Kendhammer, who was not injured, told authorities he had removed the pipe from the windshield and his wife was unresponsive.
Barbara Kendhammer died the next day at Gundersen Health System. She was 46.
Todd Kendhammer’s attorney Jonas Bednarek said last month that his client was facing unfounded accusations while grieving the loss of his wife.
“Todd’s been through a lot,” he said. “This is a terrible, tragic accident.”
The Wisconsin State Patrol Technical Reconstruction Unit, state Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation and sheriff’s department on Oct. 28 returned to the site to recreate the crash as described by Kendhammer.
They let a 53-inch metal pipe weighing 10.5 pounds – an exact replica of the one recovered after the incident – roll from an incline constructed in the bed of a pickup truck speeding 40 and 50 mph. Multiple cameras recorded the fall of the pipe and where it struck the pavement.
September 18th, 2016 River Michael Hughes, Age 23 days
A 20-year-old Tomahawk man has been charged with first degree reckless homicide and child abuse after his 23 day old son died.
Henry Hughes was formally charged Wednesday in Lincoln County Circuit Court. Judge Jay Tlusty set Hughes’ bond at $50,000 cash.
According to an online obituary, River Hughes died Sept. 18.
In a press release, Police Chief Al Elvins said his department is in the process of concluding an investigation into the infant’s death.
Hughes did not have an attorney at Wednesday hearing. A judge has given him until Nov. 4 to obtain one.
September 26th, 2016 Nya Hammond, Age 19
Glendale police say a 21-year-old Milwaukee man has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old woman. The victim has been identified as Nya Hammond of Milwaukee. FOX6 News has learned Hammond was on her way to work when she was shot and killed.
Hammond’s body was discovered in a parking lot in the 400 block of River Woods Parkway in Glendale around 5:30 a.m. on Monday, September 26th.
FOX6’s Myra Sanchick spoke with Hammond’s mother on Wednesday, September 28th — who described her daughter as a dedicated mother to her three-year-old son, PJ and a hard worker — getting up at 5:00 a.m. to clean the Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin in the River Woods Parkway in Glendale.
On Monday, Hammond was on her way to work when her mother says she collapsed at the front door and died after she was shot.
Hammond’s mother told FOX6 News the 21-year-old man who has been arrested in this case is the father of Hammond’s child. Hammond’s mother said Hammond left the man earlier in September due to domestic violence.
“She kind of kept it quiet because I guess she didn`t want to feel ashamed or want us to think we were ashamed of her or you`re stupid for going back with him,” Hammond’s mother, Shalonda Hammond said.
Shalonda Hammond said on September 12th, the 21-year-old man now facing charges for Hammond’s murder allegedly beat her with an extension cord.
“She was at work one morning and she sent me a text and said ‘this is why I left him.’ And then a couple pictures popped up and she was in the bathroom taking pictures of where he beat her with an extension cord,” Shalonda Hammond said.
Shalonda Hammond said her daughter had made contact with police, but hadn’t filed an official report.
“She was getting to the point where she wanted to leave this dude for good. That`s why she showed me the pictures and made the statement. There`s even more pictures that I don`t want to show you,” Shalonda Hammond said.
As she mourns the loss of her daughter, Shalonda Hammond said she has a message for others who are victims of domestic violence:
“Get out. Get out of the relationship because it`s not worth it. Take this and learn from it ladies, and mothers, and sons, and fathers,” Shalonda Hammond said.
The 21-year-old man arrested in this case could be in court as soon as Thursday, September 29th.
19-year-old Milwaukee woman found shot, killed in parking lot in Glendale
LINKS: Helpful resources for those affected by domestic violence
Sojourner Family Peace Center 24-hour domestic violence hotline: 414-933-2722
Milwaukee Women’s Center hotline numbers:
24-Hour Crisis Line: (414) 671-6140
Domestic Violence Hotline: (414) 933-2722
National Domestic Violence Hotline: (800) 799-SAFE
Emergency shelter for domestic violence victims:
Milwaukee Women’s Center’s Shelter: (414) 671-6140
Sojourner Family Peace Center (414) 933-2722
Waukesha Women’s Center (262) 542-3828
October 1st, 2016 Alexandra “Sandy” Marifke, Age 75
A 73-year-old Racine man is being held on a $500,000 cash bail for first-degree intentional homicide in connection with the strangulation and stabbing death of his sister in the town of Bridge Creek.
The woman, Alexandra “Sandy” Marifke, 75, was killed over the weekend at her residence at E23695 Highway
During a bail hearing Monday for James J. Bonczkowski, Eau Claire County District Attorney Gary King said authorities found Marifke’s body at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
Bonczkowski was taken into custody at the scene.
An autopsy was conducted Sunday and Marifke’s cause of death was complex homicidal violence, King said.
There appeared to be evidence of a struggle at the residence. Bonczkowski had blood on his hands and clothing. Authorities also found a broken cane and bed frame at the scene, King said.
An autopsy showed Marifke had six stab wounds. Authorities found a knitting needle sticking out of Marifke’s chest, King said.
Asphyxiation was also evident and Marifke had fractures in her neck. Authorities found a phone cord with blood on it behind a microwave, King said.
A dog in the home was also stabbed and covered in blood when authorities arrived, King said.
Bonczkowski returns to court at 11 a.m. Thursday to face formal criminal charges.
Eau Claire public defender Laurie Osberg, who appeared in court Monday with Bonczkowski via videoconference from the Eau Claire County Jail, questioned Bonczkowski’s competency to assist with his defense.
Bonczkowski has been diagnosed with Alzeimer’s disease and stage-2 dementia, Osberg said.
Bonczkowski’s wife told Osberg his condition worsened after being given anesthetics for surgery he had earlier this year.
Bonczkowski has no criminal record, is an Air Force Vietnam-era veteran and needs an inpatient evaluation, Osberg said.
Eau Claire County Judge Michael Schumacher approved a court-appointed attorney for Bonczkowski, who does not financially qualify for public defender services.
Schumacher also ordered a competency evaluation of Bonczkowski by a psychologist or psychiatrist.
October 5th, 2016 Linda Kline, Age 53
A Georgia man faces an intentional homicide charge in the Wednesday death of his girlfriend in the Crawford County town of Bridgeport.
Authorities found Linda Kline, 53, dead outside her house on Velvet Lane about 12:20 a.m., according to the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department. Her sister and boyfriend Jimmy McDaniel, 48, also were at the house.
Police arrested McDaniel Thursday at a Prairie du Chien hotel while he was waiting for a ride to the La Crosse Regional Airport for a flight back to Georgia, according to the department.
When police arrived at East Somers and Kirkwood, the 26-year-old man’s injuries were serious enough to be flown to the hospital. The victim was brought to Cudahy High School by ambulance and loaded into a helicopter and taken to Froedtert Hospital.
Prosecutors are expected to file charges next week.
October 15th, 2016 Jeffrey Horton, Age 26
Appleton Police identify shooter in “tragic domestic violence incident”
Appleton Police have identified a man who shot his brother before taking his own life Saturday night.
Police say the shooter was Danny Ortega, 21, Appleton. Officers are waiting for results of an autopsy completed Monday morning.
The police department calls it a “tragic domestic violence incident.”
Officials say a lengthy verbal argument between Ortega and his brother led to the 21-year-old shooting his 24-year-old brother in the leg. The two lived together at a home in the 800 block of N. Oneida Street.
Ortega’s brother fled the home after being shot. Police say Ortega then shot himself with the same weapon. The self-inflicted gunshot was witnessed by a family member.
Ortega was pronounced dead at the hospital. His brother was treated but has since been released from the hospital.
October 25th, 2016 Kenneth Myskewicz, Age 43
A Whitewater man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to shooting and killing his brother-in-law.
Alan M. Johnson, 31, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the death of 43-year-old Kenneth Myszkewicz, who is married to Johnson’s sister, at Myszkewicz’s home on the 900 block of West Peck Street in Whitewater on Oct. 25.
After Johnson denied knowing how Myszkewicz died, police said they received a call from Johnson’s father, Eric Johnson, a retired police officer, who said “come over right away,” according to the complaint.
When police entered the home, Johnson stood up and said, “Arrest me. I killed him,” according to the complaint. Eric told police rounds of ammunition for his .40-caliber Smith and Wesson pistol were missing and the gun had not been cleaned since it was last fired.
Assistant District Attorney Diane Donohoo would not specify a motive for the shooting, but alluded to family problems as a possibility.
November 11th, 2016 Anthony T. Jones, Jr. Age 28
RACINE — The male friend of a Racine woman has been charged with fatally shooting the father of the twin children she and the victim shared.
Police say that Phalon Hunter-Barker, 25, Racine, is responsible for the crime of fatally shooting Anthony T. Jones on the 1800 block of Roosevelt Ave. on Nov. 11.Hunter Barker faces up to life in prison if he is convicted.
According to Hunter-Barker’s criminal complaint, police were called to the rear parking lot of 1851 Roosevelt Ave. When offers arrived, they observed that Jones had a gunshot wound to his upper-left chest area and had fresh blood draining from his nose and mouth. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the criminal complaint, the mother of Jones’ twin children and Hunter-Barker went to Mr. Kool’s at 1400 Washington Ave., where they were confronted by Jones. The complaint states that Jones was jealous that the mother of his children and another man were going out, but the mother assured Jones that “it wasn’t like that.”
The complaint states that the mother and Hunter-Barker left Mr. Kool’s and relocated to the Ultra Lounge a short time later. The complaint states that Jones confronted the two a second time, and began to follow them by vehicle after they left the Ultra Lounge in order to avoid a conflict with Jones.
Hunter-Barker and the mother thought they lost Jones as they drove to a relative’s house on Roosevelt Ave. – that is, until Jones “appeared out of nowhere” and began to confront the mother, the complaint stated.
According to the complaint, Jones struck the mother in the face “exceptionally hard,” causing her to fall to the ground.
The complaint states that as the mother lay on the ground, she heard gun shots and saw Hunter-Barker shooting at Jones. The complaint states that after shooting Jones, he picked her up and transported her into a relative’s house where she fell asleep.
When she awoke, she learned that Jones had died, and later told police what happened. According to the complaint, she did not know that Hunter-Barker had a gun.
Police conducted a search warrant of Hunter-Barker’s mother’s apartment at Roosevelt Ave. and located a .38 Special handgun – consistent with the firearm used in the shooting, the complaint stated.
Hunter-Barker is being held in the Racine County Jail on a $100,000 cash bond.
November 14th, 2016 Kortni Thornton, Age 30
GREEN BAY (WLUK) — Police have released the names of the two people killed in what was determined to be a murder-suicide on the city’s west side last week.
Investigators believe 55-year-old Joseph D. Kiefer killed his girlfriend, 60-year-old Patricia M. Hayden, before then killing himself. Both lived at 1276 Division St.
Police found their bodies in the house last Tuesday. Details on how the two died were not released, but police said last week at least one was found with a gunshot wound. A cat was also found shot to death in the house.
GREEN BAY (WLUK) — Police have released the names of the two people killed in what was determined to be a murder-suicide on the city’s west side last week.
Investigators believe 55-year-old Joseph D. Kiefer killed his girlfriend, 60-year-old Patricia M. Hayden, before then killing himself. Both lived at 1276 Division St.
Police found their bodies in the house last Tuesday. Details on how the two died were not released, but police said last week at least one was found with a gunshot wound. A cat was also found shot to death in the house.
November 23rd, 2016 Karen Krueger, Age 71
A man and woman who died Wednesday morning in an apparent murder-suicide inside their New Berlin home have been identified.
New Berlin police said William Krueger, 76, and Karen Krueger, 71, were died from gunshot wounds.
Officers were called to their house on Hickory Trail shortly after 6:30 a.m. Wednesday after receiving a 911 call for help from a man.
“There was a male caller who did not identify himself but gave this address and said, ‘Help was needed here,'” said New Berlin Police Capt. Mike Glider. “The dispatcher asked him for more details, and he just repeated ‘Help was needed here,’ and that’s all he said.”
The caller then hung up the phone.
Responding officers found the front door open, and two victims in a bedroom, police said.
William Krueger was dead when police arrived. Karen Krueger later died at a hospital, police said. Both had been shot once.
December 2nd, 2016 Justin Ogden, Age 32
MENOMONIE — An apparent domestic disturbance led to the shooting death of a man in a rural area about 10 miles southwest of Menomonie Friday night, according to Dunn County sheriff’s authorities on Monday.
Justin Ogden, 32, E1745 361st Ave., was shot at his residence by Jerad A. Jones, 30, who lived at the same town of Weston residence, officials said. They are reportedly brothers-in-law.
Pam Ogden of Ellsworth, Justin’s mother, said Monday that this is her second child she has lost. Her daughter, Laura Ann Ogden, 28, died in July 2014.
“It’s all very sad, losing Laura and now Justin,” Pam Ogden said. “It’s just not right.
“I want to be mad about what happened to Justin, but I don’t know everything that happened,” she said. “I have to wait to hear more. All I know is that Friday night was not very good for a lot of people.”
Justin Ogden and Joanie C. Jones, 28, have a 4-year-old girl together and were married last summer, Pam Ogden said, adding that those three were living at the residence with Jerad Jones and others.
“I don’t know if there was more anyone could have done, but you have to think something else other than using a gun should have happened,” she said.
Ogden said her son was shot with a shotgun, although sheriff’s officials have not provided any information on the weapon used.
Ogden mentioned that her son had legal problems, including a 2002 armed robbery conviction in Pierce County in which he was sentenced to five years in prison.
“He made his mistakes, but he was working to get things taken care of in a good way,” Ogden said.
A fundraising effort has been established to assist Ogden in covering expenses related to her son’s death. It can be found at gofundme.com/pam-ogden-grieving-mother.
Authorities were called to the residence at about 10:20 p.m. Friday after receiving an emergency call about a male who had been shot.
Deputies and emergency medical workers attempted lifesaving measures on Ogden, but he was pronounced dead at the scene by the Dunn County medical examiner’s office, according to a news release.
Jerad Jones was taken into custody at the scene without incident. Jones is expected to appear in court today.
He is being held at the Dunn County Jail on unrelated probation and parole violations, said Sheriff Dennis Smith, adding that authorities have had previous contacts with Jones. The shooting is being treated as a homicide.
According to online court records, Jones was convicted in August of bail jumping in Dunn County. He was on one year of probation. He also was convicted of disorderly conduct in March 2016 from an incident in December 2015 and was sentenced to one year probation.
Ogden was wanted on a bench warrant issued in June in Pierce County for theft and possession of drug paraphernalia. He also had conviction of battery and disorderly conduct in Dunn County from incidents in 2015, and had a paternity acknowledgement for a case filed by Joanie C. Jones.
The incident is being investigated by the sheriff’s office, Smith said.
December 3rd, 2016 Sesalie Dixon, Age 27
JUNEAU — Three people from Fox Lake face charges related to the death of Sesalie Dixon, 27.
Laverne Ware Jr., 36, was charged Tuesday with hiding a corpse; while Marjorie L. Jones, 64, and Vernon L. Mickey, 59, were charged with harboring/aiding a felony. District Attorney Kurt Klomberg said that additional charges will be filed against Ware.
Judge Steven Bauer set a $200,000 cash bond for Ware, who appeared without an attorney. Klomberg originally requested a $250,000 cash bond.
Klomberg argued that Ware had a history of criminality.
He said, “Laverne Ware over the last 19 years has had over a dozen criminal cases resulting in 20 criminal convictions. He has had 6 arrest warrants issued to him. He has had 10 total missed appearances. He has had cash bail in almost all of his cases.”
Ware, who refused to have a public defender represent him at his initial appearance, said, “Your honor, since I have been at the facility I have had little to no contact with anyone. I have tried to have my aunt and uncle contact my attorney that I have dealt with previously. I have received little to no response from them. I wouldn’t go into the situation trying to represent myself.”
He added, “The evidence as it stands, what can I say? I don’t understand anything that is going on. No one is talking to me. I am not having any correspondence with any type of lawyer.”
Bauer ordered that Ware have no contact with Jones or Mickey. He is also not allowed to leave the state while his case is pending.
Bauer set a $25,000 cash bond for Jones.
Klomberg said, “Judge, this is a situation where the defendant’s son (Ware) was hiding the murdered body of his girlfriend in the garage where she lives inside a truck. It is very clear that she was assisting in covering up the fact that her son was hiding the body.”
Klomberg added that the victim had been dead for several hours when her body was discovered and claimed that Jones lied to police.
“She was conspiring with her son as to how the body should be disposed of,” Klomberg said.
Mickey was issued a $5,000 signature bond. Klomberg argued that a $25,000 cash bond was appropriate.
“Mr. Mickey is the person who ultimately reported the corpse being present in the garage in the home he lives in, but only after it became clear that he might be harmed. He knew for the entire day that the body was in the garage and that Laverne Ware had put it there.”
Bauer argued that he believed the evidence against Mickey was lacking.
“What I see here is very thin. I am not going to lock the guy up. I am concerned about what I have got in this complaint is thin,” Bauer said.
According to the criminal complaint, Mickey contact Dodge County Central Communications at 3:58 p.m. Sunday to report a possible homicide at 100 We Go Trail.
Mickey said he lived at the residence with his wife Jones and her son Ware, but was calling from a Kwik Trip gas station about a block away because he did not want them to know he was calling.
The complaint states that Mickey reported there was a lot of blood in the garage, but he did not see a body and that Ware’s girlfriend Dixon had been missing since the previous night.
Investigators found a blue Ram 2500 Pick Up Truck inside the garage with Dixon’s body in the front, passenger seat. Officers noted that the death appeared to be several hours old.
A provisional report from an autopsy revealed that the death Dixon’s death was consistent with homicide.
Jones was interviewed by officers Dec. 4 and she asked why she couldn’t return home claiming that Dixon “ain’t dead up in there.” When asked if she knew where Dixon was, she responded, “Hell no.”
Mickey also was interviewed Dec. 4. He told officers there had been a recent death in the family and relatives had been visiting from Milwaukee. He told officers that Ware had been taking care of the family and that he left at some point with Dixon.
Mickey told officers the next thing he knew Ware’s truck had returned, was parked in the garage and that there was blood under it. Mickey told officers that Ware allegedly told him “he ain’t going to leave no witnesses.”
Mickey said that the events occurred Dec. 3 around 7 p.m. He told officers that he and Ware went to a local bar Dec. 3 and returned home around 2:30 a.m. Dec. 4. Mickey said it was at that time that Ware began to tell him what was in the truck, but claimed that Ware never openly admitted anything to him.
According to the complaint, Mickey told officers that Ware said Dixon had left him.
Mickey characterized Ware’s relationship with Dixon as “volatile.” He allegedly said that Ware had always had trouble with women so “he’s used to putting hands on them” Mickey allegedly said, “It’s like when I told you in that garage, I saw that coming that this situation right here coming years ago. I’m surprised that he didn’t do it a long time ago. She doesn’t deserve it, but that’s how his character is.”
According to the complaint, Mickey said the three of them sat down in the living room at the we Go Trail Home in the early hours of Dec. 4 and claimed that Ware and Jones tried to “recruit” him to be all in so they could discuss where they could dispose of the body.
Jones will appear again for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 15. Mickey will appear for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 19. Ware will appear for a review hearing on Dec. 14 and again on Dec. 15 for a preliminary hearing.
December 10th, 2016 Anthony Sanders, Age 44
A 31-year-old Milwaukee woman was charged Thursday with killing her half-brother by hitting him with a vodka bottle during an argument.
Aquino D. Boyd, was charged with one count second-degree reckless homicide in the slaying Saturday of Anthony Sanders at the home they shared in the 5200 block of N. 35th St.
According to the criminal complaint:
Boyd told police she and Sanders each drank three to four cups of vodka before they began to argue, and Sanders told her to leave their apartment. Boyd said she wasn’t leaving because it was cold outside. Sanders grabbed her wrist but she pulled away from him, picked up the glass vodka bottle and hit him in the head.
Boyd said she struck Sanders with the broken bottle in the neck. An autopsy showed Sanders’ jugular vein and carotid artery were cut. She ran to a neighboring apartment and asked her neighbor to call 911.
Bail was set at $2,500 and Boyd was ordered to appear for a preliminary hearing on Wednesday.
December 12th, 2016 Melanie Johnson, Age 15 and Melanie’s unborn child
Teens charged in girl’s death
Two teenagers were charged Tuesday in the death of 15-year-old Melanie Johnson, who was fatally shot when gunfire struck her home on Milwaukee’s north side.
Alex L. Dixon, 18, and Martaouse C. Holloway, 19, were each charged with being party to the crime of first-degree reckless homicide for allegedly shooting into the girl’s home in the 5500 block of N. 35th St. on the evening of Dec. 12.
On Tuesday an arrest warrant was issued for Holloway, who was also charged with possession of a firearm by a felon for a conviction in March of second-degree recklessly endangering safety-use of a dangerous weapon, according to the complaint and court records.
According to the complaint, Melanie’s brother and a male cousin, identified only by their initials, had been having trouble with a group that includes Dixon after the brother entered a physical relationship with the mother of Dixon’s child.
Dixon and Holloway believed that the brother and cousin were in the home when Dixon, armed with a single-shot sawed-off shotgun, and Holloway, armed with a large revolver, shot through a kitchen window.
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Commissioner Grace Flynn set bail at $20,000 for Dixon, who was in custody Tuesday in the Milwaukee County Jail, according to jail and court records.
Man found dead after Barron County standoff
A rural Cameron man apparently killed himself after a standoff with Barron County authorities on Thursday.
James Bacon, 49, died during the incident east of Cameron, according to the Barron County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities were called to a motor home at 4:43 p.m. after a complaint from Bacon’s wife, who said she was held against her will by her husband, who had a handgun, for several hours Wednesday night.
Deputies responded to 2165 U.S. 8 where Bacon informed officers by phone that he had a handgun and was not going to go to jail. He also made threats to blow up the motor home he had been staying in.
The Barron County Emergency Response Team was called, and with the assistance of the Cameron and Chetek Police Departments, U.S. 8 was closed.
Negotiators with the Emergency Response Team attempted for more than an hour to get Bacon to leave the motor home; he continued to make threats to harm officers and blow up the motor home.
The Barron County armored vehicle deployed gas into the motor home to get Bacon to exit, then authorities heard three gunshots from inside the motor home. No rounds struck any deputies.
Negotiations continued with no response and more gas was deployed. Authorities then entered the motor home and found Bacon dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
December 21st, 2016 Terrance Tucker, Age 27
WEST ALLIS – 28-year-old Brittany Baier has now been charged with 1st-Degree Intentional Homicide and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon following the shooting death of Terrance Tucker.
On December 23rd, Tucker’s mom reported to West Allis Police that she believed her son was missing from the home that he shared with his girlfriend, Brittany Baier, and their 1-year-old son. Shortly before police went to check out their residence in the 2500 block of S.88th St, Baier called and also reported Tucker missing. She stated she was in Oshkosh and was in the process of driving back home to meet police at the residence.
When officers arrived on the scene, Baier was outside and told police that Tucker was in the house dead and that an intruder had killed Tucker and assaulted her.
Police entered the house and found a body tied up with electric extension cords on the stairway leading to the basement. The body, later identified as Tucker, had been dead for a period of time.
An autopsy performed revealed that Tucker died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head.
Baier originally denied being involved in the killing, blaming it on the intruder, but then changed her story. She admitted to shooting Tucker around 5 a.m. on December 21st. Baier said that in the hours leading up to the shooting the two were arguing and the decedent beat her. Later, when Tucker was laying on the basement couch with his gun near his head, she picked up the gun and shot him in the back of the head several times.
Baier will be in court on January 5th for her preliminary hearing. If convicted of first-degree intentional homicide, she faces life in prison.
December 25, 2016, Beth Johnson, Age 50 – Buffalo County
BUFFALO COUNTY, Wis. (WEAU) — A Minnesota man is arrested and charged tied to the death and hiding the body of a Buffalo County woman more than three years ago.
The criminal complaint was filed today against 48-year-old Randall Merrick of Rochester.
It details the disappearance of 50-year-old Beth Johnson.
She was last seen at her home in the Village of Nelson on Christmas Day 2016.
Authorities allege Johnson and Merrick were living together at the time.
A month after Johnson was last seen, her son received a receipt from her debit card.
It showed Merrick signed the receipt for buying a sledgehammer, trash bags and industrial cleaning products.
In April 2018, a K9 searching the area of Johnson’s home came upon decomposing human remains. Two months later, a witness saw Merrick crying and admitting, “I killed her.”
When the witness asked who he killed, Merrick is said to have answered “Beth.”
December 29, 2016 Edward Kohls, Age 50
A Fall Creek man injured at his home Tuesday after a struggle with his son, has since died.
Eau Claire County Medical Examiner Chris Kruse told News 18 that 50-year-old Edward Kohls died Thursday after life support was discontinued. His organs were harvested for donation. An autopsy is currently being done at UW-Madison. The cause of death is expected to be released next week.
Investigators said 25-year-old Cody Kohls told police he had an argument with his father and attempted to restrain him. Kohls is currently being held in the Eau Claire County jail on a $25,000 bond on charges of domestic battery and strangulation/suffocation. He will be in court Thursday
December 30th, 2016 Nicole Weinkauf, age 40
West Allis police identified on Tuesday, January 3rd the victims in a death investigation near 94th and Schlinger.
Officials say the deceased are 40-year-old Nicole Weinkauf and 35-year-old Caleb Klein.
Officials say Weinkauf and Klein had been in a relationship and were known to one another. The investigation indicates Klein went to Weinkauf’s residence on S. 94 Street and refused to leave when asked to do so. Klein appears to have shot and killed Weinkauf and then shot and killed himself.
Detectives continue to investigate the events leading up to the incident.
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