Husband and wife owners of cheese factory are found dead in Wisconsin home, cops say

A couple married for nearly 50 years were discovered dead in their Wisconsin home, and police are considering their deaths suspicious.

David Metzig, 72, and Jan Metzig, 71, were found dead at 5:15 a.m. on Saturday, March 18, in the Wolf River home, according to the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities did not release details of how the couple died.

The Metzigs were the owners and operators of Union Star Cheese Factory, which they ran since 1980. The cheese factory has been operated by the family since 1911.

“David was interested in using his accounting degree to run his own business. And of course, the business was cheese,” Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin says on its website. “The family tradition of independent cheese-making has carried through to this day.”

About two hours after the couple was found dead, a person of interest was detained at a YMCA in Kimberly, about 35 miles east of Wolf River, the Fox Valley Metro Police Department said.

Union Star Cheese Factory is in Fremont, very close to the couple’s home, according to WRFV.

The Metzigs got married in 1973 and raised their five children in a home above the factory, an online obituary states.

“In addition to cheesemaking, David enjoyed hunting, gardening and projects at the farm,” the obituary states. “Jan loved cooking, beekeeping, hosting and taking care of her boys.”

They were considered “widely known and deeply respected members of Wisconsin’s dairy community,” the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association said in a statement to WBAY.

Wolf River is about 60 miles southwest of Green Bay.

This story was originally published March 21, 2023 at 9:18 AM with the headline "Husband and wife owners of cheese factory are found dead in Wisconsin home, cops say."