MONROE — Police in Lafayette County have launched a death investigation, after an elderly man was found dead at a house in the 5000 block Carr Factory Road in the Village of Benton.

Officials said they were called to the home just after 4 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 27, after the man was found unresponsive by a 911 caller. Emergency crews from Benton and Cuba City responded, but the man was subsequently pronounced dead after being transported to a Dubuque hospital.

“On Tuesday, February 28, 2023, the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by family members of the deceased individual and a Sheriff’s Deputy was dispatched back to the residence,” Lafayette County Sheriff Rich Gill said a statement. “The Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with the Benton, WI Police Department, have opened an investigation into this matter, as information received has led the investigators to believe the death may be suspicious in nature. “

Police declined to detail the nature of the man’s injuries, if any, but stopped short of calling the probe a full-blown homicide investigation.

“We are just investigating some suspicious circumstances and doing our due diligence,” Benton Police Chief Brian Hammill told The Times and Republican Journal on Monday.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation, Wisconsin State Patrol and Jo Daviess County Sheriff’s Office also are assisting in their investigation, officials said.

“This incident is believed to be isolated in nature and presents no danger to the public,” Gill’s statement said. 

However, the sheriff’s office and Benton police are seeking the public’s assistance with their investigation. Anyone who may have witnessed any suspicious or “odd activity” in the 5000 block of Carr Factory Road on Monday, Feb. 27, or Tuesday, Feb. 28, is asked to contact the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office, according to authorities.