Body found after Wisconsin man claimed to have killed 3 people
JANESVILLE, Wis. - Police are trying to determine whether there is a connection between the discovery of a woman's body Monday and a man who claims to have killed three people, CBS affiliate WISC reported.
Janesville Police Chief David Moore said the woman's body was found behind a former furniture store at 5:45 a.m. on Monday. The body has not been identified and an autopsy was being conducted.
Moore said a man arrested in a stabbing incident Sunday night claimed to have recently killed three people.
Clayton Courtney, 28, was involved in a dispute with his roommates at their Janesville home, where he allegedly stabbed Michael Clark, also 28, several times, police said. Clark was taken to Mercy Hospital with what doctors described as near-fatal wounds.
Before the stabbing, Courtney said, "I've already killed three people tonight. We are all going to die," according to police.
Courtney tried to flee the home after the stabbing but was arrested after a brief foot chase, police said. He was taken to a hospital for treatment of an ankle injury.
Police said Courtney was covered in mud and blood and the mud was not consistent with the scene where he was arrested.
Investigators also said Courtney was believed to have been in the area of the Rock River before the stabbing and had told others he was going to drink and do drugs with a female friend under the bridge.
The body was discovered by officers as they were searching the area, WISC said.
Police said they do not believe the body is that of Mary Coulthard, 75, who was reported missing from her apartment on Saturday morning. Coulthard's water bottle was found on a Rock River bridge south of the area where the dead woman was found. Police said the body appears to be that of a younger woman.
Courtney is under arrest on suspicion of attempted first-degree reckless homicide, attempted arson, criminal damage and disorderly conduct in connection with Sunday's disturbance.Police said a 32-year-old pregnant woman and two children were in the home at the time of the incident. The children were sleeping during the incident and none of the three were injured.
Investigators said Courtney attempted to set the woman's car on fire before the fight started. The car was parked in an attached garage.
Police are asking anyone with knowledge of Courtney's whereabouts over the past few days to contact them.