De Pere police release report in triple murder-suicide

DE PERE - A preliminary report gives more insight into what happened 10 days ago, the day of a triple-murder suicide.

De Pere police released the documents late Monday afternoon.   

Police say earlier this month, Denis Bay shot and killed his wife Michelle and their children: Andrea and Daniel. Then, they say Denis Bay killed himself.

De Pere police are starting to get a better understanding as to the timeline of the Feb. 3 triple murder-suicide.

According to the report, officers say it was Denis Bay who picked up his daughter Andrea from school that afternoon. The report states at approximately 1:45 p.m., Michelle Bay called De Pere High School, asking to get Andrea Bay a pass to leave school early. Officers say Bay told the attendance secretary Andrea's father would be picking her up around 2:15 p.m. because of an emergency in Door County.

Police say school surveillance video showed Andrea Bay getting into a vehicle.  However, the video did not show who was driving. Police believe Denis Bay was behind the wheel.

The report does not give details about what the son, Daniel, did that day. Investigators say they are still trying to gather those details.

According to the report, when officers arrived at the Bays' home they found all four family members in a back bedroom. The gun used in the shooting was found on Denis Bay's lap. The report also stated authorities handcuffed Denis Bay until medical personnel confirmed he was dead.

Bay's motive is still to be determined.

It is known, however, that the couple was going through a divorce, and upon arriving inside the home, officers found a large number of boxes.

"It appeared as though the family had just moved into the home due to the boxes all over that were unpacked," stated Officer Anthony Edwards in the De Pere Police Report.

Despite the new information, at this point, officials say there still seems to be more questions than answers.

"We are working on finding answers to those, we have some leads we're still following up on and we need to put pen to paper on those issues," said De Pere Police Chief Derek Beiderwieden. "We have two detectives working on stuff right now and a lot of follow-up to do, but it's going to take a little bit of time."

And there's no doubt this tragedy has rattled not only the surrounding community, but also those involved in the investigation. 

"For some of the officers, this was the first time they've been involved in a homicide, and it can be challenging on the mind," Beiderwieden explained.

Officials say the family is assisting in the investigation.

Autopsies show all four members of the Bay family died from gunshot wounds. Authorities are still waiting on toxicology reports.