A neighbor remembered Rodney Brushwood and his wife, Rena O’Neal, as a “very nice couple. No problems. Quiet. Went to work every day.” The 57-year-old man and his 59-year-old wife lived in the Villa Royale Apartments, a residential complex on Washington Road in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Another neighbor, Ophelia Ellis, described them as a “loving couple. A hardworking couple.” She added, “I presume they tried to help him all they could because they would strike you as that kind of
person.” A relative of Rodney’s told a local news station that the family was devastated by their loss.
The concern that something was wrong began when Rodney, a man who went to work every day, failed to show up for several days. An employee of his requested that police perform a welfare check. On the afternoon of Monday, October 19, 2026, just before 3 p.m., Kenosha police officers arrived at the couple’s apartment in the 5500 block of Washington Road. Inside, they made a tragic discovery: Rodney and Rena were both deceased. Investigators confirmed they had both sustained fatal gunshot wounds. Preliminary findings indicated that the couple had likely been dead for several days before their bodies were found.
The Kenosha Police Department’s investigation quickly identified a person of interest: Rena’s 33-year-old son, Michael O’Neal Fleming of Seattle, Washington. As detectives began searching for him, they issued a public safety alert, describing Fleming as "armed, dangerous and unstable." They noted he was about 5-foot-8, 250 pounds, and had a noticeable gait when he walked. He had last been seen in the northwest section of Kenosha, possibly dressed in all black and carrying a large sling-style backpack.
The investigation into the Kenosha double homicide was linked to another killing that had occurred nearly a week earlier and over 2,000 miles away. On October 13, 2026, Fleming’s former coworker, 36-year-old Graeme Dobbeck, was shot and killed at a 76 gas station near the Space Needle in Seattle. According to charging documents from that case, Fleming entered the gas station, purchased a drink, walked behind the counter, and shot Dobbeck multiple times before leaving. There was no apparent argument or robbery.
Court documents revealed that Fleming’s twin brother had been in contact with investigators, telling them that recent text messages from Michael seemed “erratic, delusional and in some sort of mental health crisis.” The brother also told police that Michael had asked for their parents' address, but he had refused to provide it. Family members indicated to authorities that they believed Fleming had traveled to Chicago.
Following an extensive, multi-state manhunt, Michael O’Neal Fleming was located and arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in Chicago on the evening of October 20, 2026. He was taken into custody without incident. Kenosha police detectives traveled to Chicago to interview Fleming, but he reportedly refused to answer their questions.
As of late October 2026, Fleming had been charged with first-degree murder in Seattle for the death of Graeme Dobbeck, with his bail set at $5 million. Kenosha authorities announced their intent to work with the Kenosha County District Attorney’s Office to pursue criminal charges in Wisconsin. Officials stated that Fleming would likely be extradited to Seattle first to face the murder charge there, a process that could take several weeks, before extradition to Wisconsin for the killings of his mother and stepfather, Rodney Brushwood. The investigation into the double homicide in Kenosha remains ongoing.
