Police Looking for Laptop Owned by Dad Accused of Killing Sisters

Police investigating the man accused of killing his three daughters in River Falls, Wis. are now trying to find his computer.

On Friday, the River Falls Police Department asked people to check alongside roads and in ditches for a laptop they believe 34-year-old Aaron Schaffhausen had with him Tuesday. 

That's the day Schaffhausen made a surprise visit to his three daughters, 11-year-old Amara, 8-year-old Sophie, and 5-year-old Cecelia.  Schaffhausen shared custody with the girls' mother.  Their mother granted Schaffhausen permission to visit the girls, who were with a babysitter at the time.

According to a criminal complaint filed Thursday, the babysitter left the home.  Two hours later, Schaffhausen called their mother and told her he'd killed the girls.  He then drove to the River Falls Police Department and turned himself in.  He is charged with three counts of First Degree Intentional Homicide.

In a news release issued Friday, police said they believed Schaffhausen had a laptop and computer bag with him Tuesday, and that he got rid of it before turning himself in.  They're looking for a Sony VAIO laptop in a Targus laptop bag.

"These items may be located along the side of the road or in a ditch," said a spokesperson.  "Mr. Schaffhausen may have traveled using roads leading east or north of the 2790 Morningside Avenue address to include as far away as Baldwin, Wisconsin."

To help in the search, police released a photo of the car Schaffhausen was driving Tuesday.  It is a metallic blue 2012 Chevrolet Cruz with a California license plate.

"Should any citizen discover these items, they can contact the River Falls Police Department immediately at 715-425-0909," said the spokesperson.  "We are also asking any citizen who may have
seen a vehicle matching this description between 1:30pm and 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, July 10, 2012 to contact the River Falls Police Department at the same phone number."

(Click here to read more about this case and about how the community is coping)

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