Jeffrey Manke’s cousin wrote a letter to the court one day after he and his two daughters were found dead in his Winneconne, Wisconsin, home, speculating that his divorce from ex-wife Lindsay Lewandowski “drove him insane.”
“My cousin Jeff Manke was found dead + his (2) daughters (yesterday),” Jolene Manke wrote in the letter dated Tuesday, August 4, which was obtained by Us. “I can’t bear the pain. I assume his divorce drove him insane or police involvement.”
As Us previously reported, Jeffrey, 57, and his two daughters, Jaelyn Manke and Lenora Manke, were found dead at his home just hours after he finalized his divorce from their mother.
Lewandowski, 38, filed for divorce in 2024, and the former couple shared joint custody as they battled it out in court over a permanent custody arrangement.
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Us also viewed an affidavit from Jeffrey from March 26, 2025, in which he detailed troubles he had with Jaelyn, 16. He said that his eldest child was struggling with the divorce and that she started going to counseling.
Jeffrey went on to claim that Lewandowski continuously exposed their daughters to her new partner, whom he believed exhibited threatening behavior after incidents at the children’s taekwondo class and at his church. “He was asked by the instructor why they broke boards, and he made a comment about breaking heads and looked at me,” Jeffrey claimed.
Another issue Jeffrey discussed in the affidavit was that Jaelyn and Lewandowski’s significant other were “texting and or calling each other repeatedly,” which he felt was not “appropriate” and was “interfering with my relationship with my minor child.“
Jeffrey also claimed that he believed one of his children had been encouraged to spy on him after Lewandowski expressed her concerns about his alcohol consumption.
“I was drinking a 7-Up, and I put olives in it with no liquor. When I arrived at the dance to pick up my child, the police said I had an anonymous report that I was drunk driving and I was approached by three officers. I talked to the officers and offered to take a breathalyzer, but they said they were convinced I was not drinking,” he said. “I believe she was encouraged to report that to the police.”
After claiming that Lewandowski made threats including that “the harassment will stop once you give up your parental rights to my daughters,” he argued that their kids “should not be exposed to significant others.”
“I believe it is in the best interest for the minor children for the court to order that neither party can expose the minor children to a significant other during the period of pending divorce during their periods of placement and act their activities,” he said.
Jeffrey then claimed that Jaelyn “admitted she counted the amount of times [he] went into [his] bedroom” during therapy. “Again, I am suspicious, where this behavior is coming from. I need a no significant other order to bring normalcy to their situation,” he said.
Lewandowski responded to Jeffrey’s complaints in her own affidavit the following month, refuting his claims regarding her significant other: “The close bonds and connections have grown naturally overtime [sic] and are not some sudden occurrence as [Jeffrey] may suggest,” adding that she and her boyfriend are both involved in the community and attend the same church and tae kwon do classes.
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“At no point in time leading up to the divorce did [Jeffrey] claim that our children should have no contact with him”
Lewandowski said her significant other is “certainly not dangerous” and is actively involved in their church, teaching classes at Bible school and working with youth programs.
She claimed that his allegations are “indicative of his inability to be accountable for his own actions. Rather than try to meaningfully mend his relationship with his children, [he] lashes out and blames the third party for why his relationship with his children is on the rocks.”
Lewandowski also discussed his struggles with substance abuse and claimed he would drink alcohol under the influence of prescription pain pills. She went on to allege that Jeffrey would store liquor in their bedroom and would mix his drinks there during their marriage.
She said that his drinking affected the whole family and that his “intoxication provides their kids with a great deal of anxiety.”
While Lewandowski confirmed that Jeffrey was cleared by police when they were tipped off that he was allegedly driving under the influence, she said that bodycam footage indicated that her daughter told police that “she is uncomfortable with that idea (of going home with her father) because he is really mean to her.”
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“She reports that she would be more comfortable having mom drive her home,” Lewandowski said of her daughter. “An officer asks Jaylen if her relationship with dad is not good right now, and our daughter responds that it never has been.”
While Jaelyn, Lenora, 11, and Jeffrey’s causes of death have not yet been confirmed, Lewandowski took to Facebook to claim that her kids felt “unsafe” with him before they died.
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