Two people are dead at Hannibal, found deceased after deputies and EMS responded to a 911 call Wednesday, April 9.
The 911 call came in to Taylor County Dispatch at 10:00 p.m. Wednesday, with EMS dispatched to a farmhouse at 14805 County Road M in the Town of Pershing, for what was described as “two severely injured adults.”
The adults were deceased upon deputy arrival.
“We can’t release anything, because everything is still getting looked at,” a Taylor County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson said Friday of the then ongoing investigation. A law enforcement meeting was held Friday afternoon at the Gilman Village Hall, the hall and adjacent library closed for the day as law enforcement reviewed the murder case. The two deceased adults were later confirmed as 44-year-old Joshua Mann and his 43-year-old wife Rebecca Mann.
As for a suspect in the killings, authorities named 15-year-old Kadyn D. Hadden as a person of interest. Hadden was later found dead Saturday, April 12 in his vehicle in Price County on private property, from what authorities described as a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It is believed that Hadden acted alone and is responsible for the murders.
At nearby Gilman, meanwhile, Josh and Rebecca Mann were remembered fondly, with Josh recently winning election to the Gilman School Board. A memorial for Josh and Becky is planned for 11 a.m. Saturday, April 19 at First Baptist Church in Medford, with a visitation Friday, April 18 from 4 to 8 p.m., also at First Baptist. The obituary for Josh and Becky at Hemer Funeral Service shares more of who they were:
“Josh was a hardworking, ambitious family man, as well as a man of God. He ran his own log trucking business while farming; was on the fire departments for Gilman, Cornell, and Jump River; and most recently elected to the Gilman School Board. He was usually outside tending to his animals, which included dairy cows, beef cattle and chickens; working on his farm equipment, watching the weather, especially storms, or grilling out. A true “Mr. Fix It” could fix or improve anything he worked on and was good at everything. Each day started with a pot of coffee (which may explain where his energy came from), and he was off to work.
Becky was first and foremost a mom, and stayed home with her children for many years, while also being a farmer’s wife. When she did work out of the home, she was a bank teller for many years at Nicolet Bank; and when Vault Village opened in Gilman, Becky managed the store, as well as also worked at Village Feed and the Western Taylor County Library. She too was a hard worker with boundless energy. She enjoyed landscaping, gardening, decorating, shopping, and listening to 90’s music. She has been described as an “over the top Aunt” who loved to spoil all the kids in the family.
Becky and Josh were always together and put God and their family first. They led with their faith every day and grew as a devoted Christian couple. They enjoyed working together, whether it was on the farm, on family matters, or in their community where they were very active. They were a team in every sense. Not only were they at every game their own children played, they also attended many of their nieces’ and nephews’ events. Both were sports fanatics and enjoyed watching any and all sports. Josh especially loved watching basketball and cheering on the Packers; and when it was time to relax, they enjoyed watching the Golden Girls in the living room together, Josh with his coffee and Becky with her double-stuffed Oreos.”
A Go Fund Me has been set up by Krista Ziembo for the couple’s children. Entitled “Help the Mann Kids Through the Loss of Josh and Becky” it had exceeded its goal as of Monday, raising over twice the sought amount of $29,500, with the village hall an alternative collection site.
“The Village Clerk’s Office will be a collection site for monetary donations for the family if unable to use the Gofundmesite.” The village announced Monday. “Please call the office 715-447-8650 to drop off! We appreciate you keeping the Mann family and their extended families in your thoughts! Thank you.”
Agencies assisting with the investigation over last week included the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI, Wisconsin State Crime Lab, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR)Wisconsin State Patrol (WSP), Wood County Sheriff’s Office, Barron County Sheriff’s Office, Stanley Police Department, Rice Lake Police Department, Gilman Police Department, Taylor County District Attorney’s Office, and Taylor County Medical Examiner’s Office.