Sunday, September 9, 2012

Marshfield, WI: Marshfield woman found dead, neck slashed, official says

MARSHFIELD — An 18-year-old Marshfield woman was found dead Friday night with her throat slashed and a stab wound in her back, and her fiance turned himself in to police early Saturday and is in the Wood County Jail.

Maisie E. McCullough’s death remained under investigation Saturday, and police did not reveal any motives or circumstances surrounding the incident. She died at about 10 p.m. Friday night from knife wounds, according to Wood County Deputy Coroner Charles Evans, who was present for an autopsy conducted Saturday in Portage.

The autopsy showed McCullough’s jugular and carotid artery were severed with a knife and she was stabbed once in the back, Evans said.

Gabriel Luis Campos, 20, who lived with McCullough and was the father of her 2-year-old son, contacted law enforcement officials at 4:22 a.m. Saturday from a Wisconsin Rapids motel and said he wanted to turn himself in.

Campos said his son, who had been considered missing, was with him and asleep.

Three Marshfield police officers and three Wisconsin Rapids officers arrested Campos and impounded his vehicle. Campos was booked into the Wood County Jail, where he remained Saturday night, according to jail staff members. According to the police report, Campos had no weapons, drugs or alcohol at the time he was arrested.

Marshfield Police Department officers learned of McCullough’s death when they responded to a call at 10:06 p.m. Friday from 1310 E. Blodgett St., a single-family home in a residential section of the city.

Mcullough was dead when officers arrived at the scene, said Police Sgt. Nick Poeschel.

Olson was McCullough’s fiance and Olson’s mother lived at the home with him, McCullough and the child, Evans said.

State circuit court records show Campos legally changed his name to Derek Michael Olson in 2010.

Across the street from the home Saturday, neighbors were saddened at the turn of events.

“It’s terrible. Nothing like this has ever happened around here,” said an elderly neighbor, who described McCullough as a young woman she occasionally saw playing outside with a young child.

“Everyone around here is surprised about this. This is very sad,” said Jennifer Terry, who lives directly across the street from the home. Terry’s daughter knew McCullough, she said, and described her as “a sweetheart, a nice girl.”

McCullough was a 2012 graduate of Marshfield High School.

Nothing unusual was noticed or seen at the house Friday where McCullough was found dead, Terry said.

Police officers in conjunction with the the Wisconsin Crime Laboratory and Wisconsin State Patrol were at the scene throughout Saturday. Yellow police tape circled the perimeter of the property but was later removed.

No further information was released Saturday.

A toxicology report on the body, which would show whether drugs were involved, will be completed in two to three weeks, Evans said.

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