Thew arrested in Elroy without incident

ELROY, Wis (WRCO / WRCE) – A Juneau County man accused of killing three people in December was taken into custody on Thursday, after a week-long manhunt.

Officials charged Thew with the shooting deaths of his girlfriend and 2 minors. Found deceased last Friday were 33-year-old Elizabeth Kolba, Thew’s 12-year-old step-daughter, and the girl’s 13-year-old friend.

The victims’ bodies were discovered at Thew’s mother’s house in New Lisbon on December 30, 2024.

The Juneau County Sheriff’s Department said that Virgil Thew, age 47, was arrested Thursday afternoon in the city of Elroy, about 13 miles from where the murders took place.

A Juneau County Sheriff’s Department deputy identified Thew while responding to a report of a suspicious individual in Elroy.

Thew was taken into custody “without incident,” that according a Juneau County Sheriff’s Department press release.