Sheriff's office: 2 found dead in Waukesha home, person of interest in custody on separate charges

UPDATE, 3/1/25, 10:21 p.m.: The Waukesha County Sheriff's Department confirms that two people were found deceased inside the Village of Waukesha residence. They say a person of interest is currently in custody on separate charges.

"We keep sitting by the phone hoping someone will give us some answers," said Judith Mayer, Donald Mayer's mother. "Not that they will be happy answers because they are already gone."

Judith Mayer identified the second victim as Donald's wife, Tatiana Casap. Judith shared this photo with CBS 58.

Judith Mayer says she started to become concerned when two weeks passed, and she still was getting no response from her son and his wife. Then, she got a call from Waukesha West High School Friday, saying her grandson hadn't been to school in two weeks. She called the police to investigate and that night she said her worst fears came true, her son and daughter-in-law were dead.

"When they called back and said that they were both deceased, that was when it hit us," said Mayer. "All hope was gone, and I lost my son."

Just like Mayer, neighbors say they hadn't seen the family in two weeks.

"We just thought they were on vacation," said neighbor, Kim Vonckx. "Their garbage wasn’t being put out, the snow that one day wasn’t being shoveled."

The new developments in this case are leaving neighbors uneasy and full of questions.

"We don’t know a lot of what's going on," said Vonckx. "Is it just a suicide? Is it a murder? Who knows what happened?"

Waukesha County property tax records show the home at the center of the investigation belongs to Donald Meyer and Tatiana Casap.

On Saturday, police in Kansas said they arrested a juvenile in connection to a double homicide in Wisconsin. Authorities in both Kansas and Waukesha County are declining to say whether the arrest is connected to this death investigation.

The investigation is ongoing.

UPDATE, 3/1/25, 12:13 p.m.: Family has identified the victim as 51-year-old Donald Mayer.

Donald's mother shared this photo with CBS 58 News, with Donald located on the right side of the picture.:

CBS 58 has reached out to the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department for an update, but officials have yet to release any new information.

WAUKESHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A mysterious death investigation is underway tonight in Waukesha, as detectives are searching a home on the city's southwest side.

One person is dead, two others are still missing, according to the Waukesha County Sheriff's Office.

The first call came in just before 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 28, when a woman called 911 to ask for a wellness check on the home.

She said her grandson's school called her to say he had not been to class for a while. She also said she hadn't spoken with her son or his wife in a few weeks.

Deputies found one person dead when they arrived; they have not given a name or age.

Two other people are still missing; authorities have not said if they believe those two are alive or not, and no names or ages for them.

An incident command post was on site for hours, and CBS 58 saw investigative teams back their cars up to the garage. Most of the lights in the home were on as detectives went in and out of the home.

Aerial maps show two ponds behind the home, and a line of trees. Before the sun went down, investigators used drones to search the surrounding property.

We do have some audio that shares some more information about that first 911 call.

"Caller's out of state requesting a wellbeing check on her son, [name redacted], his wife, and their teenage son. Caller got a call today from the teenager's school and advised that they hadn't been to school in a long time. Caller hasn't had contact with anyone there in a couple weeks," said an officer via Broadcastify.

Later in the law enforcement communication, they said they spoke with the school resource officer at Waukesha West High School.

That SRO told authorities the teen who lives at the home had perfect attendance, so it is really out of the ordinary that they'd miss two weeks of school without anyone calling them out.

A neighbor told CBS 58 the man who lives in the home is the Clark Griswald of the neighborhood, referencing elaborate holiday light displays, but he also said he doesn't really know the family very well.

The Waukesha County Sheriff's Department says they're actively working to determine the circumstances surrounding this incident.

At this time, officials do not believe there is a threat to the community.

This is a developing story. Stick with CBS 58 for updates on-air and online.