Update on Mazomanie Homicide Investigation

September 02, 2025
Elise Schaffer, PIO, (608) 284-6142
Sheriff's Office

The Dane County Sheriff’s Office is shedding some light on the timeline of events before and after a homicide in the town of Mazomanie last Thursday, August 28th.
What we know at this time is that the victim, a 70-year-old man, left Madison around 10 A.M. on Thursday to go to his cabin on Dunlap Hollow Road. Investigators believe that when he arrived, he encountered a 23-year-old man who had broken into the cabin and been staying there for an unknown period of time. 
When the victim did not arrive back in Madison for a family dinner on Thursday evening, his family reported him missing to Madison Police. At the request of Madison Police, a Sheriff’s deputy went to check the cabin at around 8:00 P.M.; however, no vehicle was on the property, and there was no answer at the door. Later that night, family members went to the cabin, and when they went inside, they found the victim deceased. The Dane County Sheriff’s Office was now leading a homicide investigation. Knowing that he arrived at the property in his 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe, a statewide alert was sent out to seek the help of other law enforcement agencies in finding the vehicle and its driver. 
According to a news release from the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), an officer with the Marinette Police Department found the vehicle at 9:12 A.M. and tried to make a traffic stop. The driver refused to stop, leading multiple law enforcement officers on a high-speed pursuit along U.S. Highway 41, which resulted in the vehicle crashing and coming to a stop near the intersection of U.S. Highway 41 and Schacht Road. The driver got out of the SUV and approached officers. During the encounter, a law enforcement officer with the Marinette County Sheriff’s Office deployed a Taser, which was ineffective, and two officers with the City of Marinette Police Department discharged their weapons, hitting the suspect. He died a short time later at a local hospital. DCI is leading this portion of the investigation.

“Dane County Sheriff’s Office detectives and the Crime Scene Unit continue to process evidence and complete interviews regarding the events on Dunlap Hollow Road, but at this time, there is no evidence that the victim in this case was targeted or that there was any previous relationship between the two men,” said Sheriff Kalvin Barrett. “We sincerely offer condolences to the families affected by this senseless tragedy.”

The name of the victim will be released by the Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office following their autopsy. The name of the suspect will be released by the Marinette County Medical Examiner’s Office.