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Authorities Piece Together New Clues In Rock County Triple Murder

Investigators Haven't Announced Causes Of Death

UPDATED: 8:10 am CST January 16, 2007

Rock County investigators said on Monday that they might have found more clues to the deaths of a Janesville woman and her two teenage children last week.

Investigators conducted a third search of the mobile home and a wider search of the Janesville Terrace mobile-home park and Highway 51 where the three bodies were discovered on Friday. Danyetta Lentz, 38, was found dead along with her 17-year-old daughter, Nikki, and her 15-year-old son, Scott, in their mobile home.

The crime scene is currently being guarded by deputies 24 hours a day, a scene that some witnesses say was horrifying, WISC-TV reported.

Rock County Sheriff Bob Spoden said that some items that could be evidence were found in the search, WISC-TV reported.

Investigators said that they haven't ruled out whether there was a single assailant or multiple attackers.

"What we're looking at is either a suspect, which may be isolated, or maybe multiple suspects, which may have been involved in this," Spoden said. "Once we get back DNA and some of the results from the Crime Lab, we hopefully will be able to determine if there were other subjects in the trailer."

Autopsies were performed on the family on Saturday. The coroner would only say that the three died from "complex homicidal violence."

The sheriff said on Monday that term refers to the very grisly murder scene.

"When you consider that it's complex, that there were numerous causes," Spoden said. "And what we're trying to determine and what we will determine when we get the final report is what was the ultimate cause of the death of these innocent people."

While the Rock County Sheriff's Department is leading the investigation, Janesville and Beloit police are assisting, WISC-TV reported.

The sheriff said that a tip hot line that was established has generated some good leads. Authorities are asking anyone with information on the case to call 877-262-3772. Spoden said that anyone with information, even with something that might seem inconsequential, should call the tip line. Callers can relay information anonymously, WISC-TV reported.

Spoden said that investigators still aren't sure exactly what killed the mother and her two children, saying there could have been numerous causes. He also declined to say if any weapons were recovered from the scene and if Lentz and her children were bound or restrained in any way.

Stay tuned to WISC-TV and Channel 3000 for continuing coverage.




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