Who is Natalie Rupnow? What social media could reveal about suspected Madison, Wisconsin school shooter

MADISON, Wis. — Investigators are continuing to piece together the history of a 15-year-old student who opened fire Monday at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin.

Yellow crime scene tape that seems to stretch across American is still in place at the school, following the deadly school shooting that killed a fellow student and teacher, and injured six others.

The suspect, Natalie Rupnow, who went by Samantha, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

Rupnow had attended the school along with some 390 students in grades Kindergarten through 12, police said.

“I don’t know whether [the shooter] was transgender or not,” Barnes said at a news conference on Monday night, when asked about Rupnow’s gender identity.

“I don’t think that whatever happened today has anything to do with how she or he or they may have wanted to identify,” he said. “And I wish people would kind of leave their own personal biases out of this.”

The motive appears to be a combination of factors, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said at a news conference Tuesday.

Police are talking to students to determine if bullying was one of the factors, he said.

“Everyone was targeted in this incident and everyone was put in equal danger,” Barnes said.

On the Facebook page of the shooter’s father, a banner photo shows a young girl skeet shooting with a long gun. And according to comments on the page, it is believed that person is Abundant Life school shooter.

While she is seen with a long gun at a shooting club near Madison in the August Facebook photo, it was a 9mm pistol that police say she used in the rampage on her new school.

That photo and other numerous social media posts and pictures are among the possible red flags under investigation by police and federal law enforcement.

“There are always signs of a school shooting before it occurred,” Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said at a Tuesday news conference. “Some of you have reached out about Rupnow’s social media activity prior to yesterday shooting. We’re looking into her online activity.”

Apparent interest in neo-Nazism, mass shootings on social media, authorities said

In the aftermath of the shooting, police are beginning to piece together what may have led the 15-year-old to carry out the brazen attack.

Several online accounts associated with Rupnow, including Tumblr and X accounts, are being examined by police, ABC News has learned. Several mentions of shooters and violence can be seen on these accounts.

The portrait that is beginning to emerge from these social media accounts of a young person showing interest in neo-Nazi ideology and neo-Nazi violence, as well as demonstrating interest and engagement in online forums venerating mass shooters, according to information provided to law enforcement. Authorities will now review Rupnow’s online footprint in an effort to glean what ideology or blend of ideologies may have motivated her to open fire, officials said.

On Tumblr, several posts show various images of guns and pictures relating to shootings — including the account’s profile picture, which is a screenshot of a security camera from a shooting, authorities said.

A picture of the Parkland high school shooter, Nikolas Cruz, can also be seen among the pictures alleged to have been posted by Rupnow.

Other posts relating to school shootings include mentions of the Columbine High School shooting and the 2007 school shooting in Jokela, Finland.

In November 2023, a GIF of a gun was posted on the Tumblr account, with text reading, “Happy birthday to me!!!”

In a post on X, the account believed to be used by Rupnow shared a video from the 2015 school stabbing in Trollhattan, Sweden, where the suspect killed a teacher, seemingly targeting people with immigrant backgrounds, according to The New York Times’ reporting at the time.

Another post, dated from Dec. 13, is a video of a person taking their own life at a shooting range.

The most recent two posts to the X account were both shared on the day of the shooting at 11:45 a.m. ET and 11:50 a.m. ET, respectively. The first one was a picture of a person holding up three fingers, resembling the “OK sign” which is also known to be used as a “white power” sign. The intention of the image was not clear.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, the “OK” hand symbol is a gesture displayed by shooters in the past.

Another post from that same account prior to the shooting included a link to a Google Drive account. Police are still investigating whether that drive contained a six-page declaration that has circulated on the internet with the shooter’s name on it.

ABC News has not been able to verify the contents of the link, but it was shared as a reply on the first post five minutes after the picture was posted.

If this Google drive linking to the pronouncement does turn out to be her suicide note, the declaration lays out numerous possible personal motives and attempted explanations for the authorities to investigate.

“A document about this shooting is circulating at this time on social media, but we have not verified its authenticity,” Barnes said.

Barnes also said police were “looking into her online activity” and asked “anyone who knew [Rupnow] or who may have insights into her feelings” leading up to the shooting to contact the Madison Area Crime Stoppers.

The family is cooperating, according to police

Investigators are also focusing on clues from the home where the 15-year-old shooter lived with her father. The front door to the home was ripped off by police evidence teams serving a search warrant Monday night.

Investigators say they also want an inventory of all guns the shooter had access to.

The teen shooter used a handgun, police said. Authorities are investigating the origin of the firearm, according to Barnes.

They are also speaking with her father and “trying to determine what he knew or may have not known about what happened today,” Barnes said.

“But again, he lost someone as well,” Barnes added.

The family is cooperating, Barnes said, adding that police are not currently looking to extend charges in connection with the deadly shooting.

“The parents are fully cooperating, we have no reason to believe that they have committed a crime at this time,” Barnes said.

Second-grade teacher called 911

The incident took place shortly before 11 a.m. local time on Monday.

“The shooting happened inside a classroom in a study hall of students from mixed grades,” Barnes said.

A second-grade teacher called 911 to report the shooting Monday morning, according to Barnes. The chief had previously stated that a second-grade student called 911, and clarified during a press briefing on Tuesday that the caller was actually a teacher.

Police believe that the suspect was in school when the attack began, and that there wasn’t any breach.

However, detectives are investigating whether there were any potential warning signs, Barnes said.

The school does not have metal detectors or a school resource officer, but has other security protocols in place, according to a representative from the school.

There are cameras inside the building, police confirmed.

The school representative also confirmed that the faculty and students had been trained in lockdown procedures, which were implemented during the active shooter incident on Monday.

Local police have now turned over the teen’s electronic equipment to FBI evidence technicians, looking for a motive and whether friends or family members had knowledge that there was an attack plot or had been warned that violence was to happen yesterday.

“If they missed a red flag and chose not to address it, if she made overt actions and overt statements that she wants to kill and they didn’t do it, that should be considered too,” said Daniel Brunner, a retired FBI supervisory special agent.

The Facebook picture of the shooter at a Wisconsin gun range shows her wearing a black t-shirt that has the logo of a German band which was a favorite of one of the Columbine High School killers, who murdered 13 people.

Whether she was motivated by the Columbine killers or just had an affinity for them, police are hoping to determine.

As of Monday evening, two of the six injured were released from SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital.

Two others are reported in stable condition, while two are in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, officials said.

The identities of the victims have not yet been made public.

ABC News contributed to this report.