In the quiet town of Edgewater, Wisconsin, a tragedy unfolded on Saturday, May 30, 2015, shattering the peace of the rural community. Richard Werachowski, a 62-year-old male, lost his life in a violent sequence of events that also claimed the lives of his wife and their son. The incident, which took place at their home on Knutson Lake Road, was a grim murder-suicide initiated by their 41-year-old son, Eric Werachowski.
The harrowing ordeal began around 11 a.m.
when Richard's wife, 60-year-old Marilyn Werachowski, made a frantic call to 911. She reported that her son had just shot her husband and was in the process of setting their house on fire. Communication with Marilyn was abruptly lost during the call, prompting an urgent response from the Sawyer County Sheriff's Office. Upon their arrival, deputies were met with a horrific scene: the Werachowski residence was fully engulfed in flames, and a man's body was discovered outside. This man was later identified as Eric Werachowski, who had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Once firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze, a further search of the charred remains of the home led to the discovery of two more bodies inside. Investigators believe these to be Richard and Marilyn Werachowski. An autopsy would later determine that Richard Werachowski had been shot in the abdomen by his son. It is believed he either succumbed to the gunshot wound or perished in the subsequent fire. His wife, Marilyn, was found to have died in the fire. The investigation concluded that Eric Werachowski was the sole person responsible for the deaths of his parents before taking his own life.
