CRIME
Man And 13-Year-Old Girl Found Dead In Wisconsin After Pursuit Connected To Iowa Homicide
Dane County Sheriff's Office
A man and a 13-year-old girl are dead after a car chase and standoff in Wisconsin, which investigators believe is connected to an earlier homicide in Iowa, authorities said Thursday.
The Dane County Sheriff’s Office said authorities were alerted to be on the lookout for a black Ford Escape after a suspicious man left a 5-month-old baby at a residence on Charles Lane in Dunn, Wis., shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday. McFarland Police located the vehicle first, and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver, later identified as 38-year-old Alexander C. Grunke, refused to stop.
A pursuit ensued through several Dane County townships, and the sheriff’s office said several rounds were fired from the Ford Escape toward the pursuing officers.
Law enforcement used road spikes to disable the vehicle. Grunke and his 13-year-old female passenger, both carrying firearms, ran from the vehicle.
The girl was found a short time later in a wooded area off Washington Road, and lifesaving measures were attempted, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities did not reveal her identity, or suspected cause of death.
Grunke, meanwhile, entered the home of a woman with two children and barricaded himself inside. Law enforcement get the woman and children safely out of the house, but Grunke remained inside, and was heard firing shots from inside the house.
Law enforcement established a perimeter and warned area residents to stay inside their homes. Grunke did not respond to negotiator’s attempts to make contact, and after several hours, he was found dead of apparent suicide, the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities say the infant and 13-year-old girl are the children of a woman found dead in Dubuque, Iowa, Tuesday evening. The Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to a report of a possible homicide and identified the victim as 32-year-old Tana Poppe. Her children were missing from the residence where she was found.
Grunke was identified as a person of interest in the Iowa homicide.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the families and friends who are grieving the loss of a loved one after last nights events, Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a statement. “I want to commend our deputies, detectives, and special teams for their resiliency to this dangerous and rapidly evolving apprehension of two armed individuals.
The Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office is coordinating their investigation with the Dane County Sheriff’s Office.
TMX contributed to this article.
