A Wisconsin mother, Katie Rae Koch, 34, is facing multiple felony charges after her two children, ages 7 and 9, were discovered wandering the streets naked, covered in blood, bruises, and excrement. The criminal complaint, filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, revealed that the children had been locked in a squalid bedroom with boarded-up windows for years, with no enrollment in school. According to the complaint, neither child is toilet trained, able to read or write, and one of them struggles to form complete sentences.
Neighbors alerted the police when they witnessed the children outside without clothes. One neighbor described the older boy as walking “like a ‘caveman,'” while another neighbor stated that the children were only wearing diapers and were running from house to house. These neighbors claimed to be unaware that Koch had children. Upon investigation, authorities found the walls of the living space covered in excrement, which Koch initially tried to pass off as clay, paint, and chocolate.
Koch’s live-in boyfriend, Joel Manke, 38, also faces charges related to the appalling conditions in their three-bedroom, one-bathroom home, described by prosecutors as reminiscent of a horror movie. Koch’s ex-husband, Erik Strasser, expressed shock and stated that he needed to discuss the matter with his current wife before making any statements.
Koch’s father, Jeffrey Koch, declined to comment when reached by phone. Lawyers assigned to represent Koch and Manke, as well as Manke’s employer, a frozen pizza purveyor, did not respond to voicemail messages left for them.
The authorities became aware of the children’s situation on July 13 when a concerned resident called 911 after seeing “two naked juveniles… walking around the neighborhood with blood on them.” The caller reported that the children had bruises and red marks on their thighs.
Responding officers were directed to Koch’s residence by neighbors who claimed she had forcibly taken one of the children back inside. As an officer approached the house, they heard a muffled cry or whimper. Koch then emerged from the residence through a side door, appearing flustered and anxious. The officer noticed that she was on the phone, saying, “I’m standing outside in the driveway right now, are you almost home so you can help explain what’s going on, I love you, I love you.”
A neighbor named Christine Eder, who called the police, described the distressing sight of the children as they ran out of the house. She recounted that they were unclothed, had unkempt hair, and looked bewildered as if they had never been outside before.
Inside the home, officers discovered a severe hoarding situation, with the floor barely visible due to the accumulated debris. Koch explained the red marks on the 7-year-old’s body by claiming that he and his brother had broken a window before running away. However, the officer present did not observe any lacerations that would be consistent with broken glass. As more officers arrived, Koch provided clothes for the children, who were then removed from the residence. Authorities also took custody of a rabbit and three dogs.
Koch repeatedly apologized and expressed fear during the encounter with the police. The complaint describes the home as uninhabitable, with a pervasive stench of urine and feces. The children’s room had feces smeared on the walls, and the door could be locked from the outside.
Manke arrived at the scene a short time later and informed the police that he had been living in the home since 2007, while Koch and her children had moved in about three and a half years ago. He considered himself a stepfather to the children and stated that he had boarded up their bedroom windows to prevent interference from nosy neighbors. The latch on the children’s door was intended to prevent them from wandering due to what Manke referred to as “their autism.”
Manke acknowledged that the children’s living conditions were unacceptable but claimed he had learned to choose his battles with Koch. He stated that he had not contacted the police or schools about the situation because he did not believe in reporting family members.
A witness, identified as “MDS” in the complaint, reported that he arrived home from work around 1 p.m. on the day of the incident. Approximately two hours later, he saw one of Koch’s children standing on the air conditioning unit outside their bedroom window. The child unsuccessfully attempted to climb over the fence into the witness’s yard before running to the front of their own house and heading down the street. MDS stated that he had not seen the boys outside the home for at least three years and had previously voiced concerns to Koch about the sealed bedroom window. He also mentioned that he rarely saw groceries being brought into the house but frequently observed Manke bringing in food containers for himself and Koch.
During police questioning, Koch admitted that her children had never attended school. While she claimed to homeschool them, she confessed to only providing Hooked on Phonics workbooks and educational apps on tablets instead of proper curricula. According to the complaint, Koch stated that the younger boy could trace letters and read “small words,” while the older boy was learning to construct sentences.
Upon learning that their heads had been shaved at the hospital due to severe matting with feces, Koch responded, “Yeah, whatever they need to do,” and mentioned that they needed haircuts anyway. She admitted to the home being uninhabitable and wrote a three-page apology letter to her children.
During a court appearance, Assistant District Attorney Mallory Davis emphasized the extensive damage inflicted upon the children by their mother’s actions. Davis stated that the children were completely uneducated, not potty trained, and essentially unable to function in society. Koch remains in detention with a $30,000 cash bail, which she cannot post according to her public defender. Manke’s bail was set at $6,500. Both face two felony counts of chronic neglect of a child and false imprisonment, while Koch is also charged with two additional misdemeanor counts of neglecting a child. If convicted, Manke could face a maximum sentence of nearly 44 years in prison, while Koch faces a potential sentence of 44 years plus an additional 18 months on the misdemeanor charges. The next court date for both defendants is scheduled for July 26.
