Wisconsin police say a man told them he murdered his wife because she talked too much

Content warning: This article mentions intimate partner violence. Please take care while reading.

A New Richmond, WI man has reportedly told the police “things got out of hand” after his wife “rambled” at him for seven straight hours. The man’s wife was found dead the next day in rural Polk County near where the couple lives. Her provisional cause of death has been declared a homicide by strangulation and suffocation with domestic abuse.

According to the New Richmond Police Department, officers performed a domestic disturbance/welfare check on March 2 this year at the home of 70-year-old Gordon Laakso in New Richmond, after someone called 911 and said Laakso made comments that suggested Mary Laakso, his wife, had been harmed at some point that day. When officers arrived, Mary was nowhere to be found and didn’t answer her phone.

But according to the criminal complaint viewed by Wisconsin’s WEAU, Gordon was there when police showed up at his house and told police Mary, 68, had rambled at him for seven hours before she became belligerent and started hitting him. Gordon said things got out of hand, and then started packing a bag, telling police he was going with them.

“Oh, you didn’t find her?”

While officers couldn't locate Mary Laasko at home, they eventually found her dead in a rural area. https://t.co/QC3Y8yCagB

— WQOW 18 News (@WQOW) March 3, 2025

At that point, though, cops weren’t even sure a crime had been committed. Reportedly, they asked Gordon if Mary was in the home or if she left, and he responded, “Oh, you didn’t find her?” and then added bluntly, “She’s dead.”

Gordon went on to explain he killed her that day, and took her body to an undisclosed location, which he said was at the edge of a cornfield, although he reportedly didn’t specify where that was. Gordon later insisted Mary was beyond help, and that he should have taken her to the hospital, but he panicked and dumped her body instead.

According to the criminal complaint, firearms and gloves that authorities suspect had gloves on them were also found inside the home, and police took Gordon into custody.

Mary’s body was found later that same day

It’s not immediately clear what led authorities to search Polk County, about six miles from the Ramsey County border in Wisconsin where Laasko lives. But Mary’s body was recovered in Polk County near a cornfield as Gordon described later that same day. In addition to murder and domestic abuse charges, Gordon has now been charged with hiding a corpse.

According to Minneapolis’ news KMSP, Laasko is currently held on $1 million bond at St. Croix County Jail. He’s expected to appear in court on March 17, and has been ordered to give up his passport and report for monitoring if he is released. The New Richmond Police Department said the investigation into Mary’s death is ongoing.

If you are experiencing domestic abuse, or if you believe someone you know is being abused, contact The National Domestic Violence Hotline. The hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-SAFE or spoken with online via the hotline’s website. Mobile phone owners can also text “START” to the number 88788