A neighbor in Kenosha, Wisconsin, remembered Rena Oneal, 59, and her husband, Rodney Brushwood, 57, as a “loving couple. A hardworking couple.” Ophelia Ellis, who lived near their home at the Villa Royale Apartment complex, presumed they were the kind of people who would try to help anyone they could. Rena was the mother of 33-year-old twin sons, Anthony and Michael Fleming.
The peace of their community was shattered on the afternoon of Monday, October 19, 2026. An employee of
Rodney’s became concerned after he had not been seen for several days and requested that police perform a welfare check. Kenosha police officers were dispatched to the couple's residence in the 5500 block of Washington Road, arriving just before 3 p.m. They found the door ajar and, upon entering, discovered the bodies of Rena and Rodney. Investigators determined that both had been shot and killed. Preliminary findings indicated that the couple had been deceased for several days before they were found.
The Kenosha Police Department’s investigation quickly identified a person of interest: Rena’s son, Michael Oneal Fleming, a resident of Seattle, Washington. Detectives interviewed Michael’s twin brother, Anthony, who shared troubling information. He told police that he had recently received text messages from Michael that seemed “erratic, delusional and in some sort of mental health crisis.” Anthony also reported that Michael had asked for their parents' address, a request he had refused. Their mother had told Anthony that Michael was in Chicago.
The investigation soon revealed a shocking connection to another homicide that had occurred nearly a week earlier and thousands of miles away. On October 13, a gas station clerk named Graeme Dobbeck was shot and killed while working at a 76 gas station near the Space Needle in Seattle. The owner of the gas station reviewed surveillance footage and identified the shooter as a former employee, Michael Oneal Fleming. The owner recognized Fleming's height, build, and his distinctive "knock-kneed" gait. Fleming had resigned from his job with two weeks' notice just ten days before the shooting. Seattle police said the shooting did not appear to be a robbery; Fleming purchased a drink before walking behind the counter and shooting his former coworker multiple times.
Investigators pieced together a timeline suggesting Fleming traveled from Seattle to Wisconsin after the first killing. A multi-agency search for Fleming, who was described as armed, dangerous, and unstable, was launched. He was reportedly spotted in the northwest section of Kenosha before his trail led elsewhere.
Following an extensive search, Michael Oneal Fleming was located and arrested on the streets of Chicago around 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. The U.S. Marshals Service assisted local law enforcement in the apprehension. Kenosha police later thanked community members for providing tips and witness information that assisted in the investigation. The news of the arrest did little to calm the nerves of neighbors like Ophelia Ellis, who had interacted with Fleming before, describing him as "not polite and quiet." "When it happens right next to you, you don't know that feeling you're going to have," she said. "And I couldn't sleep."
As of late October 2026, Michael Oneal Fleming was in custody in Chicago. He was charged by the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office in Washington with first-degree murder for the death of Graeme Dobbeck. Authorities stated he would first be extradited to Wisconsin to face charges in connection with the deaths of his mother, Rena Oneal, and his stepfather, Rodney Brushwood. After those proceedings, he is expected to be extradited to Seattle to face the murder charge there. The case is proceeding through the legal system.
