The girls’ mother said she had repeatedly raised concerns that her daughters felt unsafe while staying with their father.
WINNECONNE, Wis. — A Wisconsin father and his two daughters were found dead inside a Winneconne home hours after a judge finalized the parents’ divorce, authorities and court records show.
Jeffrey Manke, 57, and his daughters, Jaelyn Manke, 16, and Lenora Manke, 11, were discovered July 31 when officers responded to a medical incident and welfare check in the 500 block of Division Street. Investigators have not released the causes or manners of their deaths. They described the incident as isolated and said there was no continuing threat to the public.
The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation with assistance from the Winneconne Police Department and the county medical examiner’s office. Authorities have not publicly said what happened inside the home, identified a suspected cause of the deaths or characterized the case as a murder-suicide. The investigation remained active as of Thursday.
Online court records reviewed by local news organizations show that a divorce hearing involving Manke and the girls’ mother, Lindsay Lewandowski, was held earlier on the day the bodies were found. The court granted the divorce after finding that the marriage was irretrievably broken and could not be repaired.
The parents had shared legal custody of their daughters after Lewandowski filed for divorce in 2024, according to reports based on court records. NBC 26 reported that a restraining order filed earlier in 2026 noted that Manke had access to firearms. A divorce settlement also listed a collection of 14 firearms, the station reported. Authorities have not said whether any firearm was involved in the deaths.
NBC 26 reported that four days before Manke and the girls were found, a witness had been asked to appear in the divorce case to discuss his health and firearm collection. Those court-related details have not been connected publicly to the deaths by investigators, and no official finding has been released explaining why the three died.
Lewandowski said in a social media post that she had tried for two years to alert others that her daughters did not feel safe while staying with their father. She said reports had been made to child protective services and calls had been made to police, but that she was still legally required to send the girls to Manke under the custody arrangement.
“I was legally forced to send them when they felt unsafe,” Lewandowski wrote. She said she believed the girls would still be alive had their concerns been taken seriously, adding, “The system failed my babies.” Her statements describe her account of the custody dispute; authorities and court officials have not publicly responded in detail to each of her allegations.
Winneconne Police Chief Ben Sauriol said the deaths shocked the small community, where many residents know one another. He extended condolences to the family and described such incidents as exceedingly rare. A candlelight vigil was being planned in memory of the sisters, according to local reporting.
Jaelyn and Lenora participated in dance programs at Richard’s School of Dance in Oshkosh, the studio said in a social media post. A fundraiser established to help their mother with memorial and living expenses described the sisters as kind children whose devotion to their family and faith left a strong impression on those who knew them.
Investigators are asking anyone with information about the deaths to contact the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office. Officials have not announced when autopsy findings or additional investigative details may be released.