The finding clarifies a July case that began with a welfare check hours after the girls’ parents finalized their divorce.

WINNECONNE, Wis. — A Wisconsin medical examiner has determined that 16-year-old Jaelyn Manke and her 11-year-old sister, Lenora Manke, were killed by their father before he died by suicide, resolving a central question that remained unanswered for weeks after all three were found dead inside a Winneconne home.

The Winnebago County Medical Examiner’s Office classified the girls’ deaths as homicides and the death of their father, 57-year-old Jeffrey Manke, as suicide. The findings transformed what authorities initially described as an isolated death investigation into a confirmed double murder-suicide. The three died July 31, the same day a judge granted the final divorce between Manke and the girls’ mother, Lindsey Lewandowski. Authorities have not identified an official motive, and the medical examiner’s conclusions do not establish why Manke killed his daughters.

The medical examiner’s reports said the three died from gunshot wounds and that evidence at the scene was consistent with a double murder-suicide. The reports also documented alcohol in Manke’s system. Investigators have not publicly described the complete sequence of events inside the Division Street residence, and available reports do not establish precisely when each death occurred. Officials pronounced all three dead later that night after police and sheriff’s deputies entered the home.

The July 31 response began at about 6:58 p.m., when officers were sent to the 500 block of Division Street for what authorities described as a medical incident and welfare check. Winneconne police, Omro police and Winnebago County sheriff’s deputies were among the agencies that responded. Officers found Jaelyn, Lenora and their father dead inside. Because of the circumstances, the Winneconne Police Department asked the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office to take the lead in the investigation. Authorities told residents early in the case that evidence indicated an isolated incident and that there was no continuing threat to the public.

The deaths followed a court proceeding earlier that day that ended a divorce case involving Manke and Lewandowski. Court records cited by Wisconsin news organizations showed the marriage had been declared irretrievably broken and that the divorce was granted July 31. Later reporting by the Oshkosh Northwestern said the final hearing also addressed financial issues, including maintenance and child support. Manke was denied maintenance and ordered to pay $771 a month in child support, according to that reporting. Lewandowski later said she believed money was important to what happened, but that is her assessment and not an official determination of motive.

The court record had drawn attention even before the medical examiner released the final manner-of-death findings. NBC26 reported that documents from the divorce case identified a collection of 14 firearms belonging to Manke. The collection included handguns, rifles and shotguns, according to the station. Four days before the deaths, court records reflected a request for a witness to appear in connection with issues involving Manke’s firearms and health. Earlier records also showed a restraining-order proceeding in which his access to guns was noted. Those records provide context to the case but do not by themselves establish that court officials knew a killing was imminent.

The custody dispute was also more complicated than the final hearing alone suggested. Records reviewed by news organizations showed that Manke and Lewandowski had shared legal custody and had been involved in disagreements over placement, counseling and other parenting issues during the divorce. At an earlier stage, the court had used a shared placement schedule. Records also reflected concerns about tension between Manke and the older child and disputes over whether the children’s schoolwork was being completed during his placement time. By late July, a partial settlement continued joint legal custody and addressed counseling and other family matters.

After the deaths, Lewandowski publicly said both girls had told people they felt unsafe with their father. In a social media statement reported by several Wisconsin outlets, she said counselors, law enforcement and child-protection authorities had been contacted during the prolonged family dispute. She said she had fought to keep the girls safe and believed their concerns had not been adequately acted upon. Her account raised questions about how earlier warnings were handled, but officials have not released a comprehensive review showing what each agency knew, when it knew it or what legal options were available at each point.

Additional reporting by the Oshkosh Northwestern added detail about the hours before the deaths. Lewandowski told the newspaper that Jaelyn drove herself and Lenora to their father’s residence at about 5 p.m. after the court hearing. She also said one of the girls communicated concern about Manke’s mood. Those statements came from Lewandowski and have not been presented by investigators as an official reconstruction of the killings. The medical examiner’s findings establish how the three died, but they do not answer every question about the period between the court hearing and the police response roughly two hours after the girls arrived.

The medical examiner’s findings also clarify what investigators had declined to say publicly during the first several weeks of the case. Initial statements focused on the fact that three people had been found dead and that authorities did not believe anyone else was in danger. That restrained approach left relatives, neighbors and the broader community without an official description of whether the deaths were accidental, homicidal or self-inflicted. The September findings formally classified the sisters as homicide victims and identified their father’s death as suicide.

Community members have sought to keep attention on Jaelyn and Lenora as individuals rather than only as victims in a criminal case. Their obituary described the sisters as close friends whose interests included dance, athletics, animals, art and faith. Jaelyn was remembered as a dancer, reader and animal lover who also practiced martial arts and enjoyed skateboarding. Lenora was remembered for gymnastics, aerial arts, making jewelry and building with Lego. A family memorial website says a scholarship is being established in their names for a student at the dance school where the sisters participated.

Friends and relatives held public memorial events after the July deaths, including a candlelight vigil and a celebration of life. Carmen Leal, a family friend who had hired Jaelyn to help in her garden, told NBC26 that she remembered the sisters as strong young people. Their obituary said the girls were surrounded by extended family, friends, teachers, coaches and classmates who had known them through their activities. Those remembrances developed alongside the law-enforcement investigation and gave the community another way to understand the loss beyond the circumstances of the deaths.

The case also leaves questions that may not be answered through a criminal prosecution. Because Manke died, there will be no trial at which prosecutors would present a theory of motive and witnesses could be questioned about the family’s history, the final court hearing or events inside the home. Public records and the medical examiner’s findings can establish portions of the chronology, but they cannot substitute for every fact that might have emerged through a contested criminal case.

The September medical examiner findings remove the uncertainty about manner of death, but questions remain about the circumstances that preceded the killings and whether additional institutional reviews will follow. The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office took responsibility for the investigation after the bodies were discovered. Publicly available reporting has not identified another suspect, and authorities have not announced criminal charges because Manke is dead. The official findings classify Jaelyn and Lenora’s deaths as homicides caused by their father and Manke’s death as suicide.

Author note: Last updated September 20, 2026.