Alleged Wisconsin school shooter Natalie ‘Samantha’ Rupnow was reportedly in therapy over her troubled life with parents at home, who repeatedly divorced and remarried, according to court records. The 15-year-old was often yanked between her parents’ homes every two or three days when the two were separated, the Washington Post reported.
Inside Natalie ‘Samantha’ Rupnow’s troubled family life
Rupnow’s mother and father, Mellissa and Jeff Rupnow, first tied the knot in 2011, two years after Rupnow was born. She had only recently started using the first name Samantha.
Mellissa and Jeff divorced in 2014 and shared custody of Rupnow, and they agreed that the child would live primarily with her mother. The couple remarried in 2017, and again divorced in 2020. This time, Rupnow would spend two days with her father, two days with her mother, followed by three days with her father again. The schedule would alternate weekly.
The couple remarried shortly after, and then were again splitting up by April 2021. A month later, a judge granted the divorce but noted that “parties [were] admonished concerning remarriage,” court documents stated. A mediator ruled in July 2022 that the couple would again share custody of their daughter. However, she would live primarily with her father.
Rupnow was only 12 years old at the time when she started going to therapy sessions. They were meant to help determine which parent she would be spending her weeks with.
{{/usCountry}}Rupnow was only 12 years old at the time when she started going to therapy sessions. They were meant to help determine which parent she would be spending her weeks with.
{{/usCountry}}Rupnow’s mother had been married to and divorced from a different man before she was born. She also had a daughter with a man she did not marry, Rupnow’s stepsister, who is now 20, was raised by other legal guardians.
Rupnow, who was one of just nine female students who have committed a school shooting since 1999, turned the gun on herself after killing a teen student and a teacher at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin. Six other people were wounded in the shooting.
Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).