Manhunt ends: Suspect wanted in connection with New Lisbon triple homicide in custody

JUNEAU COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A manhunt to find a suspect wanted in connection with a triple homicide in New Lisbon, has ended. Authorities report 47-year-old Virgil Thew was apprehended Thursday, Jan. 9.

On Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, Jerry Sorenson called law enforcement after his 13-year-old daughter, Skyla Sorenson, didn’t come home the previous night. Social media app Snapchat showed Sorenson’s last seen location at the home of Jerry Sorenson’s cousin, Virgil Thew. 

The New Lisbon Police Department said the bodies of two juveniles and one woman were found in a locked room inside Thew's home in the small Wisconsin city located about 80 miles (129 kilometers) northwest of Madison.

Thew was nowhere to be found.

The victims were identified as Thew’s girlfriend, 33-year-old Elizabeth Kolba, Thew’s stepdaughter, 12-year-old Alexandria Taylor, and 13-year-old Sorenson. A search to find Thew was launched. 

“Their lives were cut short, but at least they were together,” said Sorenson's stepmother, Pamela. “I will miss my Mickey Mouse so much. I can’t even imagine my life without you in it.”

The New Lisbon Police Department said Thursday that Threw was located in the city of Elroy. He was taken into custody without incident.

The Juneau County Sheriff's office reported they received more than 170 tips from people during their search. The manhunt that included help from the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the U.S Marshals Service ended 10 days later after Thew was arrested near the City of Elroy. Sorenson's family says they just want answers to this tragedy. 

“It’s hard. Very hard," said Sorenson's father, Jerry. “Will you be a man and tell somebody why? Please.”

Thew faces three counts of first-degree intentional homicide.