This story has been updated
EDGERTON — A 38-year-old man and a 13-year-old girl were both found dead in rural Edgerton after a police pursuit and hours of police negotiations Wednesday night.
In a press release issued Thursday, Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett identified the two as Alexander C. Grunke, 38, of Middleton, and a 13-year-old girl whose name was not shared.
According to the release, officers are investigating whether Grunke is the suspect in a homicide in Dubuque County, Iowa. According to the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office, the 13-year-old and the infant are the children of that homicide victim.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the families and friends who are grieving the loss of a loved one after last night’s events,†Barrett said in the release. “I want to commend our deputies, detectives, and special teams for their resiliency to this dangerous and rapidly evolving apprehension of two armed individuals. There was communication and collaboration with numerous other state, county, and local law enforcement agencies in Dane and Rock County. We are grateful for their support and partnership.â€
An emergency message was released late Wednesday on the Dane County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, urging residents to stay inside and lock their doors because of an investigation involving two armed people around 8 p.m.
According to the sheriff’s office Facebook post, the teen girl, who had a handgun, and Grunke, who had a rifle, were last seen fleeing police in the 1300 block of Washington Road in the town of Albion, near the Dane-Rock County line.
Several hours later, another sheriff’s office post said an armed suspect fleeing from law enforcement had barricaded themselves inside a home on Ramsey Road in the town of Albion. The Dane County Sheriff’s Office Tactical Response Team and crisis negotiators were on the scene. State Highway 51 and County Highway W and Washington Road were closed during the investigation.
After hours of attempted contact with the armed suspect in the home, a robot was sent inside the residence. Using the robot, police were able to locate a deceased male who appeared to have died from suicide, a 7 a.m Facebook post on Thursday morning said. He was identified as Grunke.
The teen girl was also later found dead.
In the press release issued Thursday, Barrett said a check person call had been made in the town of Dunn, which is in Dane County south of McFarland, at around 5:20 p.m. Wednesday. It was deemed suspicious because a man had left a 5-month-old infant at a Charles Lane residence in the town. The call gave a description of a man in a black Ford Escape.
McFarland police were the first to spot the Escape, and they tried to stop the vehicle. Grunke refused to stop, which initiated the pursuit. During the pursuit, several rounds were fired from the Escape toward officers. The pursuit went through McFarland, Stoughton and townships in southeastern Dane County, where law enforcement used road spikes to disable the vehicle.
The 13-year-old girl fled from the vehicle after it was disabled. She was later found dead in a wooded area off of Washington Road. Life-saving efforts by law enforcement and EMS were unsuccessful.
Grunke continued to run, forcing his way into the lower level of a home on Ramsey Road where a woman and her two children were inside. Officers were able to enter and safely get the woman and her children out.
