Burglary and felony theft charges have been filed against a couple who authorities say browsed Internet obituaries to find vacant homes to break into in several counties, including Shawano.
Seth R. Furgason, 32, of Junction City, and Casandra M. Miller, 23, of Wisconsin Rapids, are accused of breaking into the residence of Eldore and Malinda Mielke in the town of Grant.
The Mielkes passed away about a day apart in early January, according to relatives’ statements to authorities. The burglary was reported Jan. 9. A safe containing about $12,000 in currency and more than $10,000 in coins and collectibles, as well as jewelry, was reported stolen.
According to the criminal complaints filed this week in Shawano-Menominee County Circuit Court, the couple is also suspected of breaking into homes in Chippewa, Trempealeau, Dunn and Portage counties.
The complaint states Miller told authorities that her boyfriend, Furgason, searched online to find recent obituaries, then used the White Pages and an Internet maps app to locate the addresses of the deceased people.
She said Furgason usually selected rural locations for the crimes and that she drove him to and from the burglaries, according to the complaint, and that the burglaries started in September in Portage County.
DNA from a cigarette butt left at the scene of the Mielke burglary tied Furgason to the crime, according to the criminal complaint.
According to the criminal complaint, Shawano County sheriff’s deputies had previous contact with Furgason on Dec. 13 when he claimed to have run out of gas going to a residence in Wittenberg about 3:40 a.m. Furgason fled the scene before deputies arrived, leaving Miller in the vehicle.
Furgason was taken into custody April 17 by Chippewa County authorities investigating a burglary there.
Miller was found at Furgason’s residence when authorities, including Shawano County investigators, executed a search warrant the same day.
Among the items seized at the residence was a Confederate $5 bill believed to have come from the Mielke burglary.
Furgason and Miller could each face a maximum 12 1/2 years in prison and $25,000 fine if convicted of burglary, and 10 years and $25,000 for felony theft.
Furgason does not yet have a court date in Shawano County.
He is scheduled for a plea and sentencing hearing on burglary and theft charges in Chippewa County on Aug. 20. He is also due for a preliminary hearing the next day in Trempealeau County on charges of burglary and auto theft.
According to court records, Furgason was previously convicted of burglary in Washington County.
Miller is scheduled for an initial appearance in Shawano-Menominee County Circuit Court on Aug. 12. She is scheduled for a review hearing in Chippewa County on burglary and felony theft charges on Aug. 20.
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