Rock County man charged with killing 8-year-old sister found unfit for trial

JANESVILLE, Wis. (WTVO) — A man accused of stabbing his 8-year-old adopted sister to death and hiding the body in Rock County has been found unfit to stand trial.

Dayveon Lathrop, 22, was arrested in March 2024 after police answered a missing child call in the 5500 block of W. Miles Road in the town of Fulton.

WKOW reported that Lathrop’s adopted father left the girl in his care, but when he returned to the home almost 2 hours later, the girl was missing, according to the court filing.

Lathrop reportedly told investigators that he had been drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana and didn’t know what happened to the girl.

Deputies responding to a 911 call met with the family and searched the house for the missing child, and then began a larger search of the neighborhood, employing a K9 and drone team, along with 20 or more deputies.

Police detained Lathrop while detectives secured a search warrant for the house. Authorities said they found two knives, including a tactical-style knife and a pocket knife, in a shower, the court records showed.

A forensic pathologist said the girl had suffered multiple stab wounds.

Lathrop was charged with murder and hiding a corpse.

At a competency hearing on Tuesday, the Rock County judge found Lathrop not competent to stand trial and committed him to the Department of Health Sciences for treatment.