People in the tiny town of Hawkins, Wisconsin, are still trying to wrap their heads around a sudden tragedy. On a quiet Thursday afternoon, July 9, 2026, a local home became the scene of an absolute nightmare. Rocky Griffith, a 76-year-old grandfather figure, and his 80-year-old partner, Lona Kelley, were found dead inside their own house on Poplar Road. The two seniors were well-known and loved in the area. They spent their golden years trying to live a quiet life, but it ended in the most shocking way possible.
It all started when some folks in the community realized they hadn’t heard from Rocky or Lona in a bit. Growing worried, someone called the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office to ask for a welfare check. Deputies rolled up to the rural residence at N5766 Poplar Road around 5:15 p.m. Hoping for the best, they knocked on the door, but nobody answered. When the officers finally made their way inside, they were met with a heartbreaking sight that shook them to the core.
Inside the house, deputies discovered the bodies of Rocky and Lona. Both had died from gunshot wounds. The quiet country home, which was supposed to be a safe haven for the elderly couple, had turned into a tragic crime scene. The news of their deaths traveled fast through the small community of Ladysmith and the surrounding Township of Hawkins. Neighbors who knew the couple described them as gentle, kind folks who kept to themselves and didn’t deserve such a violent end.
But the tragedy did not stop there. As deputies searched the rest of the home, they found a third body. It was their 45-year-old son, Chad Griffith. He was also dead from a gunshot wound. Investigators quickly realized that Chad’s injury was self-inflicted. He had lived in the same house with his aging parents, and the quiet family life they shared had somehow fractured behind closed doors.
Sheriff Phil Grassmann and his team of investigators began piecing together the timeline of what happened. They believe Chad was the one who pulled the trigger on his parents before turning the gun on himself. It is a classic double homicide-suicide, the kind of tragedy that locals only expect to see on the national news, not in their own backyard. Neighbors are left wondering what could have possibly driven a son to do something so unthinkable to the people who gave him life.
Right now, the whole county is draped in heavy grief. Rocky and Lona were staples of the local community. They had deep roots in Ladysmith and Hawkins, where they spent decades making friends and raising their family. Loved ones are now left with a massive, painful void that can never be filled. People are stopping by the area to leave flowers, and local churches are holding vigils to help the family’s friends cope with the shock.
Even though the circumstances of their deaths are incredibly dark, those who loved Rocky and Lona want them to be remembered for how they lived. They want the focus to remain on the decades of love, hard work, and kindness the couple gave to the world. As the sheriff’s department wraps up its final review of the case, the community is wrapping its arms around the surviving relatives. For now, Hawkins is a town united in sorrow, holding onto memories of a couple gone far too soon.
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