TOWN OF MAZOMANIE, Wis. (WKOW) — Investigators in Dane County believe a 23-year-old broke into a home in the Town of Mazomanie and later killed the 70-year-old man who owned the property.
The victim has been identified by the Dane County Medical Examiner's Office as Thomas B. Muckler.
Investigators believe Muckler left Madison around 10 a.m. last Thursday to go to his home on the 9800 block of Dunlap Hollow Road. It was around that time where he encountered the 23-year-old suspect who took Muckler's life.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said during a Tuesday press conference that investigators aren't sure how much time the suspect spent in the home before the crime.
"When the 70-year-old man did not attend a dinner with his family back in Madison, they became suspicious, and they reported him missing," Barrett said.
Deputies first responded to Muckler's home around 8 p.m. At that time, no vehicle was on the property and there was no answer at the door.
Later that night, family members went to the home just before midnight and found Muckler deceased.
Law enforcement issued a statewide alert for the vehicle involved in the case.
Later Friday morning, officers from the City of Marinette Police Department tried to pull over the car that authorities said was connected to the death investigation. The suspect drove away.
Several law enforcement officers followed the vehicle until it crashed on US Highway 41 near Schacht Road, according to a news release from the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
Police said the driver got out of the car and approached them. A Marinette County deputy deployed their taser, but that did not stop the driver from approaching them, they said. Then, two officers from the Marinette Police Department shot the driver, and he later died at the hospital.
Law enforcement found a "sharp-edged weapon" at the scene. 27 News asked if that was used to kill Muckler.
"We're still trying to figure that out," Barrett said.
Barrett said there is no evidence that the victim in the case was targeted or that there was any previous relationship between the two men.
"We sincerely offer condolences to the families affected by this senseless tragedy," Barrett said in a statement.
The suspect's identity will be released by the Marinette County Medical Examiner's Office.
The crime remains under investigation.
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