A heartbreaking incident has shaken the University of Wisconsin-Platteville (UW-Platteville) community. Just days after the university’s commencement ceremony, two 22-year-old students were found dead from gunshot wounds inside a campus residence hall. University officials and police have confirmed it as a suspected murder-suicide.
The students involved have been identified as Kelsie Martin, from Beloit, Wisconsin, and Hallie Helms, from Baraboo, Wisconsin.
What Happened at Wilgus Hall?
On Monday, around 4 p.m., campus police received a 911 call about a critical incident at Wilgus Hall, one of the university’s residential buildings. Upon arrival, officers found the two women with gunshot wounds.
According to UW-Platteville Police Chief Joe Hallman, this was an isolated incident and posed no active or ongoing threat to students or the campus community.
Preliminary Autopsy Findings
As per the preliminary autopsy report:
- Kelsie Martin died after being transported to the hospital with a gunshot wound.
- Hallie Helms died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Officials have stated that no other persons are suspected to be involved in the case. However, further investigation is ongoing to understand the exact circumstances that led to this tragedy.
Who Were the Victims?
Both young women had just graduated with honors:
- Kelsie Martin earned her degree in psychology and graduated summa cum laude. She served as the assistant resident director at Wilgus Hall and was praised as a role model and leader on campus. The university had earlier described her as someone who loved books, owning over 400 of them.
- Hallie Helms, a resident at Wilgus Hall, graduated magna cum laude with a degree in elementary education. In a personal blog discovered by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, she wrote about her passion for teaching, saying, “I want to be the teacher who had helped, counseled, and inspired change.”
Broader Context: Suicide and Mental Health
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is among the leading causes of gun-related deaths in the U.S., with more than 20,000 lives lost each year. There were also over 600 reported murder-suicides in the country last year.
This incident adds to the growing concerns around mental health, emotional well-being, and the need for strong support systems for students, especially those transitioning from college to adulthood.