The Clear Lake Police Department was contacted shortly after 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 19, by the Houghton County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) in Michigan and asked to assist with a murder investigation.
HCSO said they believed Margaret Anne Rose Kempainen, 50, and Jacob Alan Charles Kempainen, 20, were currently in the Clear Lake area. The Kempainens, both from Hartland, Wisc. were described as armed and dangerous.
According to information broadcast by Michigan public radio WNMU, the Houghton County Sheriff’s Office said that deputies conducting a wellbeing check to the home of Alvin Kempainen, 87, found him dead with a gunshot wound to his head.
Their investigation led them to believe that family members may be persons of interest. Those family members included Margaret Kempainen, Jacob Kempainen and a 16-year-old who will not be identified.
The three were seen driving south on I-35 in Minnesota. Clear Lake police officers found the Kempainens when they stopped at a Clear Lake gas station at 6:24 p.m. last Tuesday. Margaret and Jacob were taken into custody and booked into the Cerro Gordo County Jail where they are awaiting extradition back to Michigan.
The Clear Lake Police Department was assisted at the scene by Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office, Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, and the Garner Police Department.
For further information contact the Houghton County Sheriff’s Office, 403 E Houghton Ave, Houghton, MI 49931.
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