(Published Tuesday, January 16, 2007 11:22:14 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
By Mike DuPre' and Frank Schultz/Gazette Staff
Sheriff Bob Spoden was to call the state attorney general today to reiterate the urgency of Rock County's investigation into a triple homicide discovered Friday morning.
The backlog of cases at the State Crime Laboratory is well documented. Spoden said he would talk to new Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen "to make sure he is briefed on where we're at with our investigation, and I want to reiterate to him that this is a priority for Rock County, and my hope and expectation is that it's a priority for the state."
The bodies of Danyetta Lentz, 38, and her teenage children, Nicole and Scott Lentz, were discovered Friday in their home at Janesville Terrace, a mobile home park on Highway 51 on Janesville's south side.
Danyetta Lentz
Nichole Lentz
Scott Lentz
The investigation is taking direction and has not run into a wall, Spoden said this morning.
Investigators have searched the Lentzes' mobile home three times, and if the State Crime Lab signs off on gathering evidence, the searches are done, Spoden said. Deputies will keep the scene secure.
Citing the necessity to keep details of the crime confidential-"I don't want to give any aid and comfort to the enemy"-Spoden kept virtually all details of the crime confidential.
Investigators are exploring the possibilities that either a single killer or multiple killers committed the crime, arguably the most horrific in Rock County history, Spoden said.
Spoden characterized the murders as "evil" and the person or persons who committed them as "an enemy of any decent civilization."
Asked if it appeared that someone had targeted the Lentz family or if the murders appeared to be a random act, Spoden said:
"In our opinion, they led very ordinary lives. She was hardworking; she had worked the same job (at a local day-care center) for 10 years. The kids went to school; they were good students."
Spoden said he understands the concern in the community in the wake of the murders of three family members.
"When something happens like this-so horrific and really evil-it tends to shake us, and it makes us concerned," Spoden said.
Investigators don't yet have "persons of interest" in the case, Spoden said, but "we're getting a sense of their (victims') lifestyle. We're looking at their routines. We're learning the relationships they had at work, school and within the trailer park."
Danyetta's ex-husband, Thomas, appears to have been in Texas and has an alibi for the time of the crime, Spoden said.
Spoden said he has sworn in detectives and other officers from Beloit and Janesville police departments so they can work on the case anywhere in the county. He tried to reassure the public that everything that can be done to solve the crime and protect the people is being done.
"We are working around the clock to find out who did this terrible, terrible thing," Spoden said.
"This is a collective effort. This isn't any one agency saying, 'Oh, this is our jurisdiction; we'll handle it," Spoden said. "We have a vested interest in this. We want to find the person or persons who did this and bring them to justice."
Tipline
The Rock County Sheriff's Department is staffing a tip line for information regarding its investigation of the Lentz murders. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call (608) 758-8477 or toll free (877) 262-3772.
