SJL President, Steve Lyons, is Helping Local Family After Killer Enters Their Home and Aftermath is Devastating
Scars of a home invasion: Dane County family attempts to rebuild after home invasion
Dec 19, 2024
TOWN OF ALBION (WKOW) — A Dane County family is struggling to rebuild their lives after an armed fugitive invaded their home in April.
The incident began on April 10, when Tana Poppe, 32, was found shot dead on a Dubuque County farm. Her two children were missing at the time.
Police later found the suspect, Alexander Grunke, 37, in Dane County with Poppe's 13-year-old daughter. The infant, just 5 months old, had been dropped off at an acquaintance's home.
After police confronted Grunke and the 13-year-old, she fled into the woods and was later found dead from unknown causes. Grunke also escaped, firing several rounds into a residence on Ramsey Road in the Town of Albion, near Stoughton.
He entered the home where the Iverson family — a woman and her two children — were inside.
What began as an ordinary evening quickly spiraled into a nightmare for the Iversons.
"Natalie was in her room and in the walk-out," said Natasha Iverson. "That's where it all started."
Natasha and her children were unaware of the gunman on the loose until her partner called, urging her to lock the doors.
"My heart started pounding," said Iverson. "I told Natalie to take Ryker, the little one, up to the bedroom, turn on the TV, and lock themselves in. I was going to lock the doors."
As Natasha rushed downstairs to secure the back patio doors, she sensed something was wrong.
"I started to lock the door and saw his legs and the gun," she said. "I tried to lock it, but he already heard me. I said, 'Oh no,' shut the curtain, turned, and then bang."
Grunke barged in through the back door and barricaded himself in a bathroom.
Upstairs, Natasha, her 16-year-old daughter, and 2-year-old son, frantically searched for ways to protect themselves and reinforce the bedroom door.
"I managed to get the rails off and use the two nightstands, and we flipped the mattress," Natasha said. "It barely covered it because it was so heavy."
For nearly 40 minutes, the family was trapped upstairs with the intruder just below.
"If they hadn't let me jump, I would have jumped on my own," said Natalie Iverson. "I wasn't really thinking honestly."
Eventually, they escaped through a second-story window and were rescued, but the ordeal didn't end there.
"Think of all the damage caused by the tear gas seeping into clothing, couches, and walls," said Steve Lyons, a family friend and spokesperson. "When you go into this house, some of that still needs to be addressed."
Lyons has known the family for nearly two decades and says the community rallied to support them, raising about $15,000 shortly after the incident on April 10.
However, months later, bullet holes remain, and the family continues to face challenges in rebuilding.
"Their clothing is in pods on the premises, and the basement is stripped down to studs, so there's a lot of remodeling to be done," Lyons said. "The insurance process has been very challenging. They've struggled considerably, thinking that when they needed help most, they would receive it, but that hasn't been the case."
Lyons is collaborating with local churches, businesses, and nonprofits to raise funds to help the family regain a sense of normalcy and security, especially for the children.
"I've struggled with some things, but I'm working to not let them get to me as much," said Natalie Iverson. "It definitely affects my daily life and how I think now. I'll probably never think the same way again, but I'm okay now, so I'm still going."
The entire ordeal lasted nearly 10 hours. Grunke was later found dead from an apparent suicide.
The family hopes to raise $100,000 for their rebuilding project.
For more information on how to help, including a link to their GoFundMe page, click here.
