Elizabeth Ann Kolba, a 33-year-old White/Caucasian woman, was found shot to death on December 30, 2024, inside a residence in the 300 block of West Bridge Street in New Lisbon, Wisconsin. Two young girls were found dead with her. Investigators identified Kolba as the girlfriend of Virgil G. Thew, who lived at the residence and quickly became the central suspect in what authorities ultimately treated as a triple homicide.
The investigation had begun before the bodies were discovered. Late on December 29, the Juneau County Sheriff's Office was asked to assist Monroe County authorities in locating a missing juvenile who reportedly had been picked up and last seen with Thew. By the following morning, New Lisbon police were actively searching for the girl and learned that a second juvenile was also missing. The first girl's phone location reportedly pointed investigators toward the West Bridge Street residence where Thew lived with Kolba while serving as a caretaker for his mother.
Police initially visited the residence while attempting to locate the missing children. Thew's mother told investigators that she was alone and that she had last seen the girls the previous day. Later that day, authorities received a report that Thew had been trespassing on private property near New Lisbon. A witness described him as walking with his dog and carrying a sleeping bag that appeared to conceal a long object consistent with the shape of a firearm. Investigators located Thew's vehicle and keys in that area, but Thew himself was no longer there.
The search returned to the West Bridge Street residence that afternoon. Two acquaintances who were looking for one of the missing girls forced their way through the locked door of Thew's bedroom and discovered Kolba and the two children lying dead on a bed. Authorities were called, and police formally located the three victims at approximately 4:29 p.m. Investigators said the bedroom had been locked, and Thew's keys fit the lock. His mother reportedly told investigators that she had not seen anyone other than Thew and the victims at the residence during the preceding days, while another relative told police she did not believe anyone else would have possessed keys to his room because of his concern about privacy and theft.
Autopsies conducted after the discovery determined that all three victims had suffered gunshot wounds to the head. Prosecutors subsequently alleged that Thew was responsible for the killings. Court records initially showed three counts of first-degree intentional homicide, with the charge involving Kolba carrying a domestic-abuse modifier because of their relationship. Authorities also alleged that the bodies had been concealed inside the locked bedroom after the killings.
By the time the bodies were discovered, Thew had disappeared. Police confirmed sightings of him in the New Lisbon area, including trail-camera images showing him walking through a rural wooded area in Lisbon Township. Ground crews, drones and numerous law-enforcement agencies searched for him, and a statewide alert warned that he should be considered armed and dangerous. As the search expanded, the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service joined local and state authorities. Investigators recovered his last known vehicle but continued trying to determine whether he had obtained another means of transportation.
The manhunt ended on January 9, 2025, when someone reported a suspicious person in Elroy, roughly a dozen miles from New Lisbon. A Juneau County deputy responded and identified the individual as Thew. He was taken into custody without incident approximately half an hour after the report was received. Authorities credited information from the public with helping bring the search to an end. The following day, his cash bond was set at $5 million.
The criminal case against Thew later expanded beyond the homicide counts. He was charged with three counts of first-degree intentional homicide, three counts of hiding a corpse, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, taking and driving a vehicle without the owner's consent, and misdemeanor resisting or obstructing an officer. In August 2025, he waived his right to a preliminary hearing and was ordered to stand trial.
At his arraignment on October 29, 2025, Thew pleaded not guilty to the charges. A nine-day jury trial was scheduled to begin December 1, 2026, with a final pretrial conference scheduled for September 29, 2026. As of the most recently available reporting before that trial date, there had been no conviction or acquittal, and the allegations against Thew remained pending in Juneau County Circuit Court. If convicted of the homicide charges, he faces the possibility of spending the remainder of his life in prison.
