RACINE, Wis. (WRJN) — A Racine woman previously charged with negligently causing her disabled son’s death has been identified as the victim in a homicide case that began as a house fire investigation, authorities revealed Friday. Her death is connected to the police shooting at Cliffside Park in Caledonia this week.
Cheryl Christensen, 64, was found dead Monday after firefighters extinguished a blaze at her home in the 2600 block of W. Crescent St. Initially thought to be a fire-related death, an autopsy conducted Wednesday revealed Christensen had been shot multiple times before the fire started.
Christensen had been previously been at the Mendota Mental Health Institute after being found incompetent to stand trial for the second time in January. She in court May 10th and scheduled to face trial in August for allegedly allowing her 46-year-old disabled son to die on a bathroom floor after a fall in October 2020.
The case took a turn Wednesday morning when police responded to a call about a man down at Cliffside Park in nearby Caledonia. The situation escalated into a tactical response, resulting in the death of a 37-year-old male with connections to Christensen’s address.
Racine Police Chief Alex Ramirez confirmed the two incidents are connected, describing them as isolated events with no ongoing threat to public safety.
The Racine Police Department is continuing its investigation into both the homicide and the Caledonia incident. Authorities have not released further details, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.
State investigators are looking into the shooting in Caledonia.
