1/23/2026:
On Monday, November 24, 2025, Vicki Hirtreiter, a 61-year-old woman, was found deceased and partially burned in her front yard of the 1200 block of Saunders Avenue.
According to Park Falls Police Chief Marvin Nevelier, "Based on circumstances observed at the scene, the Park Falls Police Department requested assistance from the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) to assist with the investigation. A search warrant was later obtained for the residence as part of the investigation. The investigation continued for several weeks as items of evidence were examined and potential witnesses were interviewed. An autopsy was later conducted on the victim at the Marathon County Medical Examiner's Office in Wausau.
"At the conclusion of a thorough investigation, the cause of death was due to severe burn injuries that were determined to be accidental.
"The Park Falls Police Department would like to thank the DCI, the Marathon County Medical Examiner's Office, and the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory for their assistance."
My Price County has asked the police chief for additional information, and if we receive the answers to those questions, they will be added to this article, and the article will be marked as "updated."
UPDATED 2/11/2026:
My Price County asked the police chief the following questions on January 23, 2026:
"One big question we would like to report the answer to is how did she receive these accidental burns that killed her? Was there a fire in her home that either she put out or the fire department put out? Or was she outside her home burning something? Was there a fire somewhere when help arrived? Can you give us more details?
"Who called in to report she was lying in her front yard? For how long was she lying in her front yard?
"Did she die from the burns to her body, or was there also smoke inhalation, or exposure to the outdoor elements?"
On January 30, 2026, Park Falls Chief of Police Marvin Nevelier responded, "Our department is still following up on some additional information so no other information will be released." When we asked if anything additional would be released at a later time, the chief stated, "I will not be releasing any further information regarding this incident."