By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-02 02:11:26 | Updated at 2025-01-09 07:52:26
1 week ago
A manhunt is underway for a convicted felon after three people - including two children - were found dead inside a Wisconsin home.
Convicted felon Virgil Thew, 47, was seen picking up one of the children later found dead inside the New Lisbon home in Juneau County on Monday, Wisconsin Rapids Tribune reported.
Thew is wanted through Wisconsin Probation and Parole Office and is considered to be armed and dangerous.
The manhunt comes after the Monroe County Sheriff's Office contacted Juneau County authorities in regards to a missing child shortly after 10pm on Sunday evening, according to the New Lisbon Police Department.
Investigators said that the missing child had been picked up and was last seen alongside Thew.
The New Lisbon Police Department began to investigate the missing Monroe County child at around 7.40am Monday morning when they received another call informing them of a second missing child from New Lisbon.
But hours later, officers made the heartbreaking discovery of two children and one adult dead inside a New Lisbon home on West Bridge Street.
The Wisconsin State Crime Lab, Juneau County Sheriff's Office and Monroe County Sheriff's Department responded to the scene to process the home.
A manhunt is underway for 47-year-old Virgil Thew, a convicted felon, in connection to the deaths of two children and one adult who were found inside a Wisconsin home on Monday afternoon
The bodies were discovered inside a New Lisbon home on the 300 block of West Bridge Street following a search for two missing children
Authorities were alerted of a missing child on Sunday evening and informed of a second missing child the very next morning - one of whom was said to be seen getting picked up by Thew the last time they were seen alive
Neighbors were left in utter shock upon learning about the grim discovery.
'Everybody is terrified,' Kristina Johnson, one neighbor, told News 3 Now.
Johnson said she headed outside to check out the abundance of police cars - initially believing that it may have been a drug bust or a routine traffic stop.
But once she learned of the bodies discovered just steps away from her own home, she ran upstairs, turned the lights and television off and hid in the bathroom with her dog.
'That's extremely unnerving,' Johnson told the outlet. 'When I found out there was a murderer and that he was on the loose, I was totally terrified.'
She noted how the entire community was left feeling on edge - making sure to religiously lock their doors as they wait for more information.
While the police department said that one of the missing children found dead inside the home was last seen with Thew, it remains unclear if the other minor found was the second child reported as missing just a day later.
The search is still on for the 47-year-old man, who is described as being 5-foot-10, weighing around 150 pounds and last seen wearing a dark-colored down coat, blue jeans and a hat.
It still remains unclear if the other minor found dead inside the home was the other child reported missing
Neighbors initially thought the police presence was in regards to a possible drug bust, but the community was left 'terrified' after learning about the grim discovery right next door
Thew - who is described as being five-foot-10, weighing around 150 pounds and believed to be armed and dangerous - has been convicted of committing dozens of felonies and is wanted by the Wisconsin Probation and Parole Office
Parole records show that he has been convicted of committing dozens of felonies and is currently on active community supervision, Fox News reported.
Some of his crimes include possessing a gun as a felon, burglary and theft.
He has been in and out of jail nearly every single year since 1995 before he was officially paroled in 2012.
'If seen, do not confront or approach him,' authorities wrote in a statement, adding how he is considered to be a dangerous criminal.
Anyone who has information regarding his whereabouts are instead urged to contact the New Lisbon Police Department or 911.
