Mystery Grows Over Wisconsin School Shooter Natalie Rupnow's Mom Melissa — Who Disappeared From Her Life After Caring For Her As a Child
Investigators have opened a probe into school shooter Natalie 'Samantha' Rupnow's weapon collection.
Dec. 19 2024, Published 7:00 p.m. ET
Natalie Rupnow, the 15-year-old police say opened fire inside her Madison, Wisconsin private school, had a childhood which was constantly in-flux.
Growing up, she was shuttled back and forth between her married-then-divorced-then-married parents.
While her parents are working with investigators trying to determine their daughter's motive, RadarOnline.com can reveal some startling facts about her mother, Melissa Rupnow, who has kept a low profile since the tragic event.
Natalie Rupnow had a turbulent home life before the school shooting.
Jeff Rupnow was not Melissa's first love lost. In a checkered private life, she had been married and divorced before, and also had another daughter with a different man, whom she never married.
Natalie's parents first married in 2011, about two years after she was born. They divorced for the first time in 2014, agreeing to joint legal custody of their young girl, and establishing that her mother would be her primary caretaker.
Jeff and Melissa remarried in 2017 only to divorce for a second time in 2020. Once again, they settled on joint custody of Natalie – this time to be divided a bit more equally between them.
Natalie is seen here as a baby with her two parents, Jeff and Melissa.
The agreement led to Natalie living a nomad lifestyle between the two, spending two days with her father, two with her mother, then three more with her father, before reversing the schedule the following week.
Before long, the parents married a third time, but by 2021, were again splitting up. This time a judge ruled: "parties are admonished concerning remarriage".
After seeking mediation to determine custody of Natalie, they agreed in July 2022 that they would share legal custody. However, this time the girl would live mostly with her father.
The choice of who to live with became overwhelming, and Natalie sought therapy to help her decide which parent she would spend weekends with.
Natalie's father posted this photo of his 'kiddo' with a gun before the shooting.
Police in Madison do not believe Melissa nor Jeff have committed a crime, and both are cooperating with the investigation into the shooting.
As RadarOnine.com reported, on December 16, 2024, Natalie opened fire at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, before turning the gun on herself.
Since the tragic incident, three people, including Natalie, have been confirmed dead. Six people were injured.
On Tuesday, police stated that the motive behind the shooting seems to be a "combination of factors".
First responders scoured the scene in Wisconsin following the shocking incident inside the private school.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Natalie allegedly laid out her plans in a six-page manifesto posted online, which is currently in the process of being verified by cops.
She allegedly explained how she always planned to kill herself but believed it was "better for evolution" to take down others too, rather than "one stupid, boring suicide".
In the alleged manifesto, titled War Against Humanity, Natalie called her relatives "scum" and claimed she felt like "the wrong child" of her family.
She claimed her parents suffered from drug and alcohol problems.
Natalie also wrote about the alleged bullying she suffered at school.
Regarding how she secured the weapon before the deadly shooting, Natalie claimed they were snared by "lies, manipulation, and my father's stupidity".
