A 24-year-old kidnapping suspect was killed in a crash just before 4:30 last Tuesday afternoon, as he attempted to elude officers on Cty. W near Center Rd. in the town of Pine River.
Earlier on Tuesday, a Wisconsin crime alert was put out for 24-year-old Justin Eichelt of the Village of Lublin in Taylor County, who had taken his three-week-old daughter. According to the Wisconsin State Patrol, there was a valid court order giving custody of the girl to Taylor County Human Services, as she was born drug dependant and is in need of medical care.
Agents from the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigations located the vehicle, and when they attempted to stop it, Eichelt attempted to elude officers. At approximately 4:23 p.m., the Lincoln County dispatch center received notification from the Marathon County Sheriff that there was a vehicle pursuit in progress traveling northbound on Cty. W, approaching Lincoln County. Lincoln County deputies were dispatched to the area to assist with the pursuit.
Shortly after the pursuit entered Lincoln County, Eichelt lost control of his vehicle and struck a car, then went off the road.
Eichelt, who was not wearing his safety belt, was ejected from the vehicle and was killed in the crash. An18-year-old female passenger and the three-week-old infant were not seriously injured. They were transported to Ministry Good Samaritan Health Center in Merrill.
The Wisconsin State Patrol is investigating the crash. The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office is doing a crash reconstruction.
Assisting agencies included the Marathon and Lincoln county sheriff’s offices, Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigations, Pine River first responders and Merrill EMS. Pine River Fire Department assisted with traffic control for the duration of the investigation.