Naman Shrestha
In May 2005, the remains of Brenda Groene, Mark McKenzie, and Slade Groene were discovered in their house, a few miles outside the city of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The tragedy shocked the entire community to its core, and one of the people most affected was Brenda’s ex-husband and Slade’s father, Steve Groene. He became all the more concerned when he learned that his other children, Dylan and Shasta, were kidnapped by the killer. The entire case is covered intricately in the episode titled ‘Groene Family Massacre’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘People Magazine Investigates.’ The documentary also delves deep into the experiences of Steve and his reaction to the ordeal.
Steve Groene Was Also Considered a Suspect in the Groene Family Massacre
Born in February 1957, Steve Vincent Groene was passionate about motorcycles and music to the extent that he was a member of a motorcycle community and played blues and rock music in local bars. He got married to Brenda Kay Groene, with whom he shared five children — Jesse, Vance, Slade, Dylan, and Shasta Groene. After several years of togetherness, cracks began to appear in their marriage, resulting in a divorce by 2005. Following the divorce, Vance and Jesse moved in with him, while the other three children stayed with Brenda at the Wolf Lodge, a few miles outside of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Brenda’s new boyfriend, Mark McKenzie, also lived with her and her three children in the rural North Idaho residence. Meanwhile, Steve had been temporarily staying at the house of Brenda’s mother, Darlene, and helping her take care of her house. In May 2005, Steve’s life turned upside down when a masked gunman, later identified as Joseph Edward Duncan, broke into the Wolf Lodge and brutally killed Brenda, Mark, and Slade. Moreover, he kidnapped Dylan and Shasta and held them captive for several weeks in a secluded area in the Lolo National Forest in Montana. Having no idea where his two surviving children were, Steve also pleaded on television, requesting the kidnapper to release them safely. In the early stages of the investigation, he was also suspected of being involved in the crime.
He told the detectives that at the time of the murder, he was at his home using his computer all night. Although he failed a polygraph test, he was eliminated as a suspect when no physical evidence tied him to the murders and kidnappings. When Steve learned that his daughter, Shasta, was found alive at the Fourth Street Denny’s in the early hours of July 2, 2005, he drove all the way from Seattle to Coeur d’Alene to reunite with her. It was a bittersweet moment for him because he was heartbroken about the fact that Joseph Duncan had also killed his son, Dylan, during the kidnapping. The killer was captured and brought to justice for all the crimes he had committed.
Steve Groene Tragically Died of Cancer at the Age of 62
About a year after he reunited with Shasta, Steve Groene was diagnosed with throat cancer, jeopardizing his passion for singing. He bravely battled the disease and had the tumor and vocal cords removed. After that, he reportedly talked using a robotic device. Thanks to the donations the Groene family received in the following years, a legal charitable trust was established, through which a property in Coeur d’Alene was purchased for Shasta, allowing her to recover from the traumatic experiences. Steve lived with her in the house for several years, but in August 2018, he was ordered to leave the house as the trust decided to sell the house and provide financial support to Shasta.
Elaborating on the issue, Steve took to social media and wrote:”For those of you that don’t live in our area I was just evicted from the home that was built for Shasta and (I). It’s a long story but bottom line is Shasta tried to get her Trust to call if off but there’s been bad blood between myself and the Trustee’s/Trustors of Shasta’s Trust and unfortunately they were the victors. To help me out Shasta started a gofundme in my name as I will basically be homeless, couch surfing for the most part … If you can donate, great, if not I understand. Either way I would appreciate if you share the link. Thanks so much, big love to all. Steve G” In November 2019, Steve, who had been living in Coeur d’Alene, revealed on his Facebook account that he had been battling stage 4 lung cancer. The following month, on December 9, 2019, the 62-year-old reportedly passed away due to complications from the same.
Read More: Shasta Groene: Where is Joseph Duncan’s Asault Survivor Now?
