Margaret and Jacob Kempainen: Cops search for 'evidence of paranormal activity' in 87-year-old's killing

HOUGHTON COUNTY, MICHIGAN: Unsettling new information has surfaced in the case of an 87-year-old man in Michigan, who was allegedly killed by his 50-year-old daughter-in-law and 20-year-old grandson.

The two are said to have made such outlandish claims that the authorities included the phrase “evidence of paranormal activity: in the search warrant.

Jacob Kempainen and his mother recognized as suspects in shooting

According to court documents, University of Minnesota student Jacob Kempainen and his mother Margaret Kempainen are each accused of one count of open murder and conspiracy to commit homicide in connection with Alvin Kempainen's fatal shooting.

Additionally, Jacob Kempainen faces a single count of felonious firearm possession. The mother and son, according to the authorities, are from Wisconsin.

They allegedly killed Alvin Kempainen in Michigan before being taken into custody in Iowa. Jacob Kempainen resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he attends college.

A call for a wellness check at a residence in the 53000 block of Salo Road, a short distance south of Lake Superior, was received by Houghton County Sheriff's Office deputies at approximately 10:30 am on Tuesday, December 19, according to a report from WLUC.

First responders reported discovering Alvin Kempainen suffering from what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head when they arrived at the address. He was declared dead at the scene.

Margaret and Jacob Kempainen were promptly recognized by investigators as possible suspects in the deadly shooting. They were allegedly found traveling south on Interstate 35 toward Iowa while still in Minnesota.

When the pair stopped at a nearby gas station, authorities were able to apprehend them after contacting the Clear Lake, Iowa, police department. 

Bring Me the News, based in Minneapolis, was able to obtain more information about the investigation.

The report states that in relation to the murder investigation, Minnesota authorities carried out a search warrant at Jacob Kempainen's Minneapolis apartment.

According to the warrant, Jacob Kempainen's father and Margaret's husband told authorities that his family had abandoned him in Wisconsin on December 7, 2023, and he hadn't heard from them since.

He did, however, report to the police that he thought his father was in trouble after witnessing a debit card transaction in Bruce Crossing, Michigan, and assumed his family was going to his house to "get money."

Around nine o'clock on December 18, Alvin Kempainen allegedly texted his son to let him know that the family, who he called "the crew," had just arrived at his house. At that point, he stopped answering his son's calls and messages.

Margaret and Jacob Kempainen made absurd claims

Margaret Kempainen allegedly told police that her son killed Alvin Kempainen, but both suspects allegedly made a number of absurd claims regarding the events leading up to the shooting.

For instance, Jacob Kempainen is reported to have informed authorities that upon reaching Alvin Kempainen's residence, they thought the 87-year-old had already died due to evil spirits and that the person inside was "not grandpa."

According to the search warrant, "(Jacob) advised that the spirits stated grandpa opened the well up behind the house and the spirits killed him."

Alvin Kempainen was also purportedly described by Margaret Kempainen as "not her father-in-law," asserting that he had been acting "like a 20-year-old."

Investigators even observed, according to the report, that the mother and son's accounts resembled the events in M Night Shyamalan's film 'The Visit' uncannily.

As per the search warrant, any “evidence of paranormal activity, spirits, possession of bodies including but not limited to the 2015 movie 'The Visit'” could be seized by Minnesota authorities.

Presently, neither of the Kempainens has a bond and are being held at the Houghton County Jail. Recently, a judge mandated that they go through competency tests to see if they are capable of standing trial.

In accordance to court records, Margaret Kempainen is currently scheduled to return to court on March 22 at 9:30 am, while her son is scheduled to appear in court on March 8 at 9:30 am.