Dunn County homicide investigation: 4 people killed, no known motive

MENOMONIE, Wis. (WEAU) - Sunday night WEAU started to receive tips on this homicide case, but it was not until early Monday morning, authorities confirmed the death investigation in the town of Sheridan. It was later learned it was a quadruple homicide discovered Sunday afternoon. Dunn county sheriff Kevin Bygd says in his 33 years working for the county, this is a first.

Sunday afternoon, a farmer in the town of Sheridan found an abandoned vehicle near his property. He called law enforcement, reporting three people inside, not moving.

“About 12 minutes later deputies and first responders arrived on scene they discovered a black SUV that had intentionally driven off of the road about 50 yards inside a standing corn field. Inside the SUV our responding deputies found a total of four occupants all deceased,” said Sheriff Bygd.

All from the Twin Cities area, found shot to death in rural Wisconsin.

“Nitosha Flug- Presley, 30-years-old, Matthew Pettus, 26-year-old Loyace Foreman III, 35-year-old and Jasmine Sturm 30-year-old,” said Sheriff Bygd.

The motive is still a mystery. Dunn County Sheriff Bygd explains the relationship between the victims as, two being siblings and two were dating. Their relationship to the suspect, or suspects, is unknown as of Tuesday night.

“We don’t believe they were locals, so we believe they went back to their home base,” said Sheriff Bygd.

It is also unknown if the victims were shot at the scene in Dunn County, or elsewhere.

Nitosha Flug-Presley’s father spoke out, expressing confusion to KARE11 in St. Paul.

“My daughter was a loving caring mother and exceptional daughter ... I’m still not understanding why someone would do this to my daughter,” said Presley Sr.

Presley says his daughter has no connection to the area where her body was found.

“I’m angry, I truly believe someone knows something ... my daughter has no dealing in Wisconsin no request or call, no one in that area I know for sure,” said Presley Sr.

K.G. Wilson is a longtime friend of the Presley family. He also tells KARE11, he is outraged, and the community should be too.

“They said there is no present danger there which I don’t understand because if you don’t know where the monster is who did this to these people murdered four people in cold blood and left them in a corn field is you don’t know where that person is how can there not be any danger? wherever that individual is there’s danger,” said Wilson.

In Dunn County, Sheriff Bygd says his team is dedicated to bringing the four victims, and their families justice as soon as possible. Bygd says he feels there is no remaining threat to the community here in Dunn County.

In terms of tips, authorities says they have already received tons of information from the public, and hopefully more information continues to come in to help solve this case.

Various law enforcement agencies are investigating multiple ‘acquaintances’ of the victims. Sheriff Bygd says, at this time, everyone is a suspect.

MENOMONIE, Wis. (WEAU) - The Dunn County Sheriff’s Department says there’s no known motive in the shooting deaths of four people from Minnesota Sunday.

In a press conference Tuesday afternoon at the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office, Dunn County Sheriff Kevin Bygd said that the investigation continues as to what led to the four people being killed and abandoned in an SUV in a corn field in northern Dunn County.

“That one is a mystery,” Bygd said.

All four people -- 35-year-old Loyace Foreman III, 26-year-old Matthew Isiah Pettus, and 30-year-old Jasmine Christine Sturm, all of St. Paul, Minn., and 30-year-old Nitosha Lee Flug-Presley of Stillwater, Minn. -- were found dead due to gunshot wounds, according to the preliminary autopsy report done by the Ramsey County (Minn.) Medical Examiner’s Office.

Bygd said so far, investigators believe the location, east of the Town of Sheridan town hall, or about 30 miles northwest of Eau Claire, was chosen at random.

“We can’t find any connection to this area other than randomly driving out of the Twin Cities,” Bygd said. “We don’t believe [the suspect(s)] are from the area.”

As for suspects, Bygd said that they are analyzing everything at their disposal so far, including known acquaintances, tips from people in the area and footage from highway, business, or trail cameras, but it will take some time.

“It could take several weeks to go through all of that information,” Bygd said. “Everyone is a suspect at this point, but we haven’t nailed down anything in particular.”

While the area has seen homicides in the past, Bygd said that this type of case is not normal for Dunn County.

“It’s highly unusual for this area, something of this magnitude,” Bygd said. “I’m on my 33rd year of working for Dunn County, and this is a first.”

Bygd echoed what has been included in past public releases about the case, in that the public is not presently in danger.

“We are confident that this is a place that these victims were randomly brought to,” Bygd said.

Bygd closed out the press briefing by saying that they will provide updates when they can share more information, and that “hopefully” they can make some arrests soon.

Anyone with information related to the case is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 715-232-1348.

TOWN OF SHERIDAN, Wis. (WEAU) - Law enforcement is naming four victims in a homicide investigation from an incident Sunday in rural Dunn County, Wis.

The Dunn County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday that the four victims are 35-year-old Loyace Foreman III, 26-year-old Matthew Isiah Pettus, and 30-year-old Jasmine Christine Sturm, all of St. Paul, Minn., and 30-year-old Nitosha Lee Flug-Presley of Stillwater, Minn.

A preliminary autopsy report said that all four people died from gunshot wounds.

“Our hearts go out to the family and friends of these victims,” Kevin Bygd, Dunn County Sheriff, said. “I wish we could release more details of our investigation, but we have to balance the public’s desire to know the details with running the risk of harming our investigation and losing evidence for building a good homicide case.”

A press conference is scheduled for 4 p.m. in Menomonie.

On Monday, the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office said that the four people were found dead in an abandoned black SUV near the Town of Sheridan town hall in a standing corn field on Sunday at 2:18 p.m.

According to investigators, there is no present danger to the public in the area. Investigators also believe the four people who were found dead do not have any connection to the area.

The Dunn County Sheriff’s Office said that a second dark-colored SUV may have been involved. If you have information about a black SUV with Minnesota plates in northern Dunn County on Sunday afternoon, or any other information related to the case, you’re asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 715-232-1348.

Assisting the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office are the Dunn County Medical Examiner’s Office, the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation, the Wisconsin State Patrol, and the Wisconsin Department of Justice Crime Lab. Autopsies were conducted by the Ramsey County (Minn.) Medical Examiner’s Office.

No other information is being released at this time.

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