Wisconsin State Patrol bureau director and wife die in town of Middleton double homicide

A Wisconsin State Patrol director and his wife were killed by their son at their Middleton home, and the suspect later died by suicide during a standoff with police, according to the Dane County Sheriff’s Office. 

David Pabst, 64, who led the Wisconsin State Patrol Bureau of Transportation Safety, and his wife Teresa Pabst, 64, a special education teacher, were found dead Tuesday afternoon at their home in the town of Middleton. Law enforcement had been called to the house for a wellness check.

The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the couple Thursday. Autopsies were completed and the cause and manner of death for the couple is pending, according to the medical examiner.

The suspect was confirmed in a Facebook post from the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office to be James Pabst, the couple’s son. 

The Wisconsin State Journal reported that a woman who identified herself as James Pabst’s girlfriend told the paper that James had become agitated early Monday when they were together, telling her “You realize everyone needs to die, right?” The paper reported that the woman said James contacted her about an hour later and told her he had killed his parents. She contacted police.

According to the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, James Pabst was seen leaving Middleton on Tuesday. Later that day he was spotted by Wisconsin State Patrol on U.S. Highway 14 in Vernon County.

Vernon County is about 85 miles from Middleton. 

State Patrol and the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office made a traffic stop, but James Pabst refused to comply with verbal demands, according to Dane County officials.

“A standoff followed, ultimately ending when the suspect took his own life,” the Dane County Sheriff’s Office said. “The Vernon County Sheriff’s Office is investigating this portion of the call.”

In a statement, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and Wisconsin State Patrol said they are heartbroken over the loss of their longtime colleague, David Pabst, and his wife. 

David Pabst spent 38 years working in public service and transportation. For 25 years, he was a law enforcement officer rising through the ranks from trooper and inspector in the State Patrol Northwest Region to sergeant, lieutenant, and captain at State Patrol headquarters in Madison, according to the statement. 

In 2013, he was appointed director of the Bureau of Transportation Safety and Technical Services. 

“David always served with integrity and compassion, driven by a deep commitment to protect others,” the statement says. “He always had a smile and a kind word to share as he dedicated a nearly 40-year career to keeping Wisconsinites safe. His contributions spanned the agency and communities across the state.”