September 22, 2026

The Grant County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a double fatality that occurred in the Township of Smelser, just south of Cuba City, Wisconsin.

Authorities received a 911 call at approximately 1:28 p.m. reporting two people with gunshot wounds outside a residence. When deputies arrived, they found a woman and a man on the ground near a vehicle. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. First aid was provided to the man, who was taken to Southwest Health Center in Platteville and later transferred by ambulance to a hospital in Madison, where he also died.

Investigators have identified the woman as Katie Kieffer, 35, of Darlington. She and Ben Randecker, 40, of rural Cuba City, had been in a relationship and shared a child. The relationship had recently ended.

Court records show that on August 14, 2026, Randecker was arrested and charged in Lafayette County with domestic battery, domestic disorderly conduct, criminal damage to property, and stalking stemming from an earlier incident in Darlington.

According to investigators, on September 19, 2026, Kieffer went to an address on Rose Lane to drop off their child at the Randecker residence. When she got out of her vehicle, Randecker shot her with a handgun and then shot himself. Kieffer died at the scene; Randecker died later at the Madison hospital.

The Grant County Sheriff’s Office and Grant County Coroner’s Office continue to investigate the incident. No further details have been released at this time