Madison school shooting; Natalie Rupnow, what we know about her

MADISON, Wis. – Who is 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow and how did she end up at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison?

On Tuesday, December 17, FOX6 Investigator Bryan Polcyn was in the neighborhood where law enforcement blew down the front door of a home Monday – while executing a search warrant. A family friend was seen working to secure this front door.

Neighbors tell FOX6 News Rupnow lived in this house with his father for years. The 15-year-old was the only child of divorced parents, Jeffrey and Melissa Rupnow. Court records show her parents have married and divorced twice since 2014. They have retained joint legal custody of Natalie. But in 2022, his father got a primary placement.

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Records show that Natalie was seeing a therapist, although the reason was not specified.

A longtime neighbor across the street said he had known Natalie since she was little.

“What can you tell me about his personality?” asked Polcyn.

“Well, I didn’t see her much up close last year, but she was always nice. She was always talkative and I always thought she was a great little girl,” Art Zogbaum said , a neighbor.

“Did she ever seem like the kind of person who would do something like that?” » asked Polcyn.

“No. It completely shocked me,” Zogbaum replied.

According to court records, Natalie Rupnow previously attended public school in the Madison Metropolitan School District, Gompers Elementary School and Black Hawk Middle School. It is unclear when she moved to a private school. But the neighbor FOX6 News spoke with said her father took her there because he thought it would be a better place for her.

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