Josh R. Mann, a 44-year-old White/Caucasian man, was killed on April 9, 2025, along with his wife, 43-year-old Rebecca "Becky" Mann, inside their rural home on County Road M in the Town of Pershing, Taylor County, Wisconsin. The couple had settled on a farmstead in the Gilman area, where Josh operated his own log-trucking business while also farming. He was active with the Gilman, Cornell, and Jump River fire departments and had recently been elected to the Gilman School Board.
At approximately 10:00 p.m. on April 9, the Taylor County Sheriff's Office Dispatch Center received a 911 call requesting emergency medical assistance at a residence in the 14000 block of County Road M. The caller reported that two adults inside the home were severely injured. Deputies and emergency personnel responded, but when they entered the residence, both Josh and Rebecca were already dead. Authorities initially released few details about what had happened inside the home while investigators worked to determine whether the deaths were the result of violence.
As the investigation progressed, autopsy findings and other evidence established that both deaths were homicides. Authorities have not publicly disclosed the specific injuries that killed Josh and Rebecca or provided a detailed account of what occurred inside the residence. Investigators eventually focused on 15-year-old Kadyn D. Hadden, who was identified as a person of interest. Law enforcement issued information about Hadden and warned the public to call 911 if he or the silver 2012 Chevrolet Impala he was believed to be driving was spotted.
The search for Hadden continued until approximately 12:40 p.m. on April 12, when law enforcement officers located the Impala on private property in Price County, north of Taylor County. Hadden was found dead inside the vehicle. The preliminary investigation determined that he had apparently died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. After Hadden was located, Taylor County Sheriff Corey Dassow announced that investigators had determined Hadden was responsible for the deaths of Josh and Rebecca Mann and that he had acted alone.
Authorities did not publicly disclose a motive for the killings or explain what relationship, if any, Hadden had with Josh and Rebecca. Because Hadden died before he could be taken into custody, there was no arrest, criminal prosecution, trial, or conviction in connection with the couple's deaths. Law enforcement nevertheless identified him as the person responsible based on the evidence gathered during the investigation and the autopsy findings.
The investigation involved numerous agencies, including the Taylor County Sheriff's Office, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Wisconsin State Crime Lab, Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, several surrounding sheriff's and police departments, the Taylor County District Attorney's Office, and the Taylor County Medical Examiner's Office. The deaths left Josh and Rebecca's family and the Gilman-area community grieving a couple remembered for their family life, farming, work, and involvement in their community.
