Alleged Grave Robbers Caught In Act

Young Woman's Grave Was Only Days Old

Updated: 10:26 am CDT September 4, 2006

Three Grant County men are in jail after allegedly attempting to dig up the grave of a Cassville woman buried just last week.

Laura Tennessen, 20, was killed one week ago in a motorcycle accident. She was the passenger on a motorcycle when the driver lost control and crashed. She was buried in the St. Charles Catholic Cemetery in Cassville.

Police were called to the cemetery on Saturday night by a neighbor who said that he saw a suspicious man loitering near the graveyard. When they arrived, police took into custody Alex Grunke, 20, of Ridgeway, WISC-TV reported.

During questioning, police said that Grunke told officers that his twin brother, Nicholas Grunke, and a friend, Dustin Radke, 20, of Dodgeville were digging up a grave in the St. Charles cemetery.

When police arrived on the scene, the grave had been dug up but the coffin had not been removed from the ground.

Alex Grunke was arrested Saturday night. Police also took possession of his car. Nicholas Grunke and Radke were arrested Sunday morning walking back to Ridgeway.

The Grant County Sheriff Keith Grovier told WISC-TV that he doesn't believe the three suspects knew Tennessen.

There was no evidence of phone or E-mail contact.

Grovier would not give any information about the possible motive in the case. He called that information "confidential."

"Before we do release something like that, we would discuss it with the family to prepare them," said Grovier. "I know this is a very tragic incident for the family to go through. They just put their daughter to rest and now something like this happens, just a few days afterwards."

The three suspects are expected to be charged by the Grant County District Attorney on Tuesday. They remain in jail until that time.

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