The quiet Village of Holmen, nestled in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, found itself thrust into an unfamiliar and unsettling spotlight in the early morning hours of June 29, 2025, when a man was discovered unresponsive—and ultimately declared deceased—inside a residence on Granum Street. Now, with an arrest made in the case, law enforcement officials are piecing together the chain of events that transformed a residential neighborhood into the epicenter of a homicide investigation. Authorities have confirmed that 38-year-old Jacob Klaver, a resident of Winona, Minnesota, has been taken into custody in connection with the killing. He is currently awaiting extradition to Wisconsin, where he is expected to face a charge of first-degree intentional homicide—a felony that carries a possible sentence of life in prison.
According to a press release from the Holmen Police Department, officers were dispatched to 815 Granum Street at approximately 5:39 a.m. on June 29, following an emergency call reporting an unresponsive male at the address. When first responders arrived, they quickly determined that the man inside the home was deceased. Though initial findings offered little public detail, subsequent investigation by local authorities confirmed the worst: the man’s death was not accidental or natural—it was a homicide.
Despite this confirmation, authorities have remained deliberately cautious in revealing details. The victim’s identity has not yet been publicly released, pending further investigative developments and the notification of next of kin. Neither has the cause of death been disclosed, with police opting to withhold information about the circumstances surrounding how the man died, citing the integrity of the ongoing investigation.
In the days following the discovery, detectives began a quiet but aggressive manhunt, combing through evidence, interviewing potential witnesses, and coordinating across jurisdictions. It was during this critical phase that investigators identified Jacob Klaver as a suspect. Though police have not publicly stated how they connected Klaver to the crime, they moved swiftly. With coordination from law enforcement in Minnesota, including the Winona Police Department, Klaver was located and apprehended without incident at 8:58 p.m. on July 2—just three and a half days after the body was discovered.
Klaver’s arrest in Winona marks the first major public development in a case that had, until then, been cloaked in silence. He remains in custody in Minnesota as authorities prepare for his extradition to La Crosse County, Wisconsin, where formal charges will be filed. Police officials say he is suspected of committing first-degree intentional homicide, one of the gravest charges under Wisconsin criminal law. The offense denotes premeditated or purposeful killing, and a conviction carries the potential for a life sentence, reflecting the severity of the crime alleged.
Yet, even as the legal process begins to unfold, many questions remain unanswered. Chief among them: what was the motive? What, if any, was the relationship between Klaver and the victim? Was this a random act, or was it a deliberate targeting? At this time, police have declined to speculate or release any information regarding what may have led to the homicide, nor have they provided details about whether Klaver knew the victim or was connected to the residence in any way.
That the incident occurred in Holmen, a village with a population of just over 10,000, has added to the shock. Homicides are rare in the area, and many residents were startled by the early morning police activity and the visible presence of crime scene investigators on Granum Street. The location—a quiet residential neighborhood—was cordoned off for much of the day on June 29 as detectives processed the scene and sought out neighbors who might have seen or heard something unusual.
In a brief statement to the community, Holmen police emphasized that this was not a situation involving an at-large suspect threatening public safety. The swift identification and arrest of Klaver appear to confirm that the killing was not random, and that law enforcement believes the threat has been contained. Still, the village remains unsettled, and many residents have expressed concern over the lack of information, which has fed public speculation.
Local officials have sought to balance the need for investigative integrity with public transparency. Gratitude was expressed by Holmen Police for the cooperation of agencies involved in the suspect’s arrest, particularly the Winona Police Department, which helped execute the operation quickly and without incident. The interagency collaboration was cited as a key reason for the timely apprehension.
For now, the case remains under active investigation, with detectives working to finalize charges, secure evidence, and prepare for the legal proceedings that lie ahead. While Klaver’s arrest marks a significant step toward justice, it is far from the end of the road. Prosecutors must still lay out the case, beginning with the extradition hearing in Minnesota. Once returned to Wisconsin, Klaver will make an initial appearance in La Crosse County Circuit Court, where the formal charge will be read and bail considerations addressed.
In the coming days, more information is expected to emerge—not only about the nature of the crime, but also about the man whose life was taken. For now, that man remains unnamed, his identity withheld, though his death has already sent ripples through a tight-knit community unaccustomed to such violence. Loved ones are no doubt grappling with profound grief, their mourning made more painful by the vacuum of public detail.
Meanwhile, the community has been asked to remain vigilant and to assist in the investigation. Authorities encourage anyone with information about the case—even minor observations that may have occurred near the time of the homicide—to come forward. Tips can be submitted directly to the Holmen Police Department, which has assured the public that every lead will be taken seriously.
The developments in this case speak to the quiet professionalism of the agencies involved, as well as the complexity of modern homicide investigations. The fact that Klaver was located and arrested across state lines in just days is a testament to both digital coordination and on-the-ground police work. However, the road to resolution is long, and justice, if it comes, will arrive only after rigorous examination and due process.
As Holmen processes the shock of this event, there is also a sense of communal unease. For those living on or near Granum Street, the events of June 29 have permanently altered their sense of safety. Even as police assure the public that the suspect is in custody and no further threat exists, the underlying fear lingers—rooted not only in the violence itself, but in the unanswered questions that still surround it.
In time, those answers may come. For now, what remains are the broad strokes: a man is dead, another is accused, and a community waits, watching the story unfold from a place they never expected to be.