The mother of the 15-year-old girl who fatally shot two people at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison was found dead by apparent suicide.
The latest development was reported by the Janesville Police Department, which confirmed that the mother, Melissa Rupnow, died and that it appeared to have been a self-inflicted death. Her body was discovered after police officers responded to a call to investigate the 1100 block of Matheson Street in Janesville on Aug. 1, 2025.
Madison School Shooter's Mother Commits Suicide
The mother's daughter, Natalie, was a student at Abundant Life Christian School, who was responsible for the Dec. 16 shooting. Authorities said that the teenager was in possession of two handguns and used one of them to open fire within the institution.
The tragic incident resulted in the death of a student and a teacher and left six other people injured. After that, Natalie was found dead inside the school with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to WPR.
After the tragic incident, information surfaced regarding the shooter's involvement in online extremist communities. The teenager's father, 43-year-old Jeffrey Rupnow, is currently being prosecuted for his alleged role in letting his daughter gain access to the firearms that were used in the shooting.
Officials have charged him with two counts of intentionally giving a dangerous weapon to someone under 18 and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Court records also showed that the parents of the 15-year-old shooter filed for divorce in 2020.
After the couple separated, they agreed to joint legal custody of their daughter and that Natalie would primarily live with her mother after their first divorce. After the second one, they agreed that the daughter would instead primarily live with her father, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
A Difficult Family History
While they were together, the 15-year-old shooter's parents fought a lot with their daughter watching, and Melissa was found to have a history of substance abuse. The parents both cooperated with law enforcement after their daughter committed the school shooting.
Melissa told authorities that her daughter's therapist said she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the couple's divorce. On the other hand, Jeffrey said that he bought the guns for Natalie as a way to connect with her and help his daughter cope.
The parents said in an obituary that was published after May 23 that their daughter was "just opening up to life before she left us." They recalled the 15-year-old as an artistic and determined girl who chose to attend Abundant Life Christian School, as per the Lake Geneva News.
