Family of accused former deputy ‘devastated’

Statement released by Steele family

MADISON, Wis. — The family of Andrew Steele, a former Dane County Sheriff’s Deputy accused in a Fitchburg double homicide, says they are devastated following the shooting of their daughter-in-law and her sister.

William and Phyllis Steele, the parents of Andy Steele, released a statement to the media through Steele’s attorney Wednesday.

“Our family is devastated in the wake of this tragedy,” the Steele family said in the statement. “We feel the profound loss of all the loved ones involved. We ask that the media respect the privacy of the individuals close to these events in this time of grief.”

Steele is accused of killing his wife, Ashlee Steele, and her sister, Kacee Tollefsbol, in a domestic incident in their Fitchburg home on Friday.

Ashlee Steele and Tollefsbol’s uncle, Dane Dupuis, said Tollefsbol went to visit her sister to lend moral support.

“Their devotion to their family and their children means everything to them,” Dupuis said. “They always made you smile, and brought love and joy to the room.”

Dupuis said the family’s main priority is taking care of the six children who lost a mom in the incident.

Steele is being held at the Rock County Jail awaiting a court appearance, which the Dane County District Attorney’s office says will happen Friday at 12:30 p.m.