SEYMOUR, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A Seymour mother is blaming police for the deaths of her two little girls earlier this year.
Her four-year-old and three-month-old daughters were found stabbed to death on April 19.
The woman says she went to police the night before their deaths, after being abused by the younger girl’s father.
In the hours that followed, police say Andrew Poppe, 35, killed the girls, then himself.
A 228-page report from the Department of Justice shows police had completed a jail booking sheet for Poppe.
Charges listed on the form included domestic disorderly conduct, false imprisonment, strangulation and victim intimidation. At least one more charge is listed in the report, but it was redacted for confidentiality reasons.
Roughly eight hours after those forms were completed, officers forced entry into the home.
The girls’ mother is now saying Seymour police should’ve acted sooner.
On the survivor’s behalf, Legal Action of Wisconsin sent a statement to FOX 11 saying,
Police mishandling of her case has resulted in revictimization, ‘…over and over and over again.’
Seymour police responded to a domestic violence call at a home on April 18.
The children’s mother told officers Poppe was being abusive and threatening to kill her and her children.
Police tried and failed to make contact with Poppe outside the home.
Poppe and the two girls were found dead inside the next morning.
Legal Action of Wisconsin says in a statement,
Earlier this year, our client was violently attacked, raped, and strangled by her partner while he made verbal death threats to kill her if she reported him to the police.
After being violently attacked, she managed to escape and told police about the attacks and death threats.
The statement goes on to say,
…our client escaped and contacted police in the late evening to report the attack and the death threats.
She begged police to do something to protect her children, who were still in the home with Poppe.
The girls were found dead less than 12 hours later.
Legal Action says the survivor is silent no more, and is now speaking out. Their client believes,
critical errors were made by police, leading to the murder of her two children.
According to the law firm, police waited hours before a questionnaire to assess a domestic violence victim’s risk of being killed by their attacker was used.
The children’s mother’s answers determined she was at a high-risk.
Even so, the statement says,
Despite her answers resulting in a high-risk assessment, police did not try to enter the home until it was too late.
The victim is now demanding that the Seymour Police Department makes changes to its practices, and receives more training in victims’ rights, domestic violence and empathy.
She blames police for her two girls no longer being alive and says,
Had they handled the situation better, this outcome could have been prevented.
In the state’s report, Seymour police say they didn’t force entry sooner, because they were afraid Poppe would act on his threats to kill the girls.
We asked the Seymour Police Department to respond to the woman’s statement. They have referred our questions to the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
Here is Legal Action of Wisconsin’s full statement:
SURVIVOR OF SEYMOUR VIOLENT CRIMES SPEAKS OUT
Police mishandling of her case has resulted in revictimization, “over and over and over again”
Legal Action of Wisconsin is releasing this statement on behalf of an anonymous client of our Crime Victims’ Rights Project. This project provides free legal representation to victims of crime who want help protecting their privacy and enforcing their rights in criminal cases. Crime victims should not have to choose between their privacy and their voice. Therefore, we are releasing our client’s views regarding her victimization on her behalf.
Earlier this year, our client was violently attacked, raped, and strangled by her partner while he made verbal death threats to kill her if she reported him to the police. Less than 12 hours later, he killed two of her children (one 4 years, the other 3 months) and himself. Our client demands changes to Seymour Police Department policies and practices, so others do not have to go through what she has.
After being violently assaulted, our client escaped and contacted police in the late evening to report the attack and the death threats. She begged them to take action to protect her children, who were still in the home. Police tried to contact the perpetrator, by phone and in person, but made no effort to enter the home. It was not until 8am the following day that law enforcement finally entered the home where the two children and perpetrator were found dead. The medical examiner estimates time of death for all three was between 3-4am.
Our client believes that critical errors were made by police, leading to the murder of her two children. The Lethality Assessment Protocol (LAP) is a questionnaire that can be used by law enforcement immediately following a domestic violence incident to assess a victim’s imminent risk of being killed by the perpetrator. Seymour Police Department is trained in the LAP. Unfortunately, our client’s LAP was conducted hours after she was attacked, and only after an officer was prompted by the nurse working with our client. Despite her answers resulting in a high-risk assessment, police did not try to enter the home until it was too late. While trying to cope with this immense tragedy, our client discovered that police failed to seal certain reports resulting in the publication of private information, including the location of her residence, her name, and details of the crimes. Such breaches of privacy negatively impact crime victims, making the general public privy to the most painful moments of their lives. Breaches of privacy can also compromise the safety of survivors and center attention on rumors and speculation, rather than the survivor’s experience.
Our client believes her initial report was mishandled by Seymour Police Department. She believes that best practices were either ignored or were inadequate. She demands that the department review their practices and receive training in the areas of victim’s rights, domestic violence, and empathy. “Had they handled the situation better, this outcome could have been prevented”, our client declares.
Out of respect for the victim’s privacy rights and concern for her surviving children, Legal Action asks that the press not release or rerelease personally identifying information about the victim, her family, or details of the crimes. By protecting privacy, the media can play a critical role in defending victim’s rights and preventing the trauma of re-victimization.
