Manhunt Continues After Indiana Judge Steven Meyer and Wife Shot at Lafayette Home
A manhunt is underway after an armed assailant reportedly knocked on the front door of Judge Steven Meyer and his wife Kimberly’s Lafayette home, uttered “We have your dog,” and fired through the door, wounding Meyer in the arm and his wife in the hip; both are hospitalized in stable condition and shell casings were recovered. Lafayette Police, Indiana State Police, the Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office, West Lafayette PD, the county prosecutor’s office and the FBI are involved in the investigation, no arrests or suspect description have been released, and the attack — which has raised broader judicial safety concerns given Meyer’s notoriety from the Natalia Grace case — remains under active investigation.
📌 Key Facts
- The attack occurred at the Meyers’ home on Mill Pond Lane in Lafayette in broad daylight; the assailant came to the front door, knocked, spoke to the couple, then fired through the front door—dispatch audio quotes the gunman saying “We have your dog” before the shot—and shell casings were recovered at the scene around 2:15 p.m.
- Both Tippecanoe Superior Court Judge Steven Meyer (arm injury) and his wife Kimberly Meyer (hip injury) were wounded, hospitalized and are reported in stable condition.
- No arrests have been made, no suspect description or motive has been released, and law enforcement says the gunman remains at large as an active manhunt continues.
- The investigation is multi-agency: Lafayette Police Department, Indiana State Police, Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office, West Lafayette Police Department, Tippecanoe County Prosecutor’s Office and the FBI (with state and federal authorities involved).
- Local and state leaders have condemned the attack—Lafayette’s mayor called it a “senseless unacceptable act of violence”—and Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta H. Rush has urged judges statewide to be vigilant about their security.
- Kimberly Meyer issued a public statement through police thanking investigators, first responders and medical personnel and expressing confidence in the Lafayette Police Department’s investigation.
- Judge Meyer previously presided over the nationally publicized Natalia Grace adoption/neglect case, which brought him national attention amid claims about the adoptee’s age and legal changes to her birth year.
- Police have asked anyone with information to contact Lafayette Police Department at 765-807-1200.
📰 Source Timeline (7)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 21, 2026
12:08 AM
Indiana police still searching for suspect, motive after county judge shot, injured
New information:
- CBS reiterates that both Judge Steven Meyer and his wife Kimberly remain hospitalized in stable condition following the weekend shooting inside their Lafayette home.
- Indiana police say they are still searching for a suspect and have not publicly identified a motive, keeping multiple theories open.
- The CBS segment underscores that state and federal authorities are involved in the manhunt and that the attack occurred after someone came to the Meyers’ front door.
January 20, 2026
10:46 PM
Manhunt underway after Indiana judge and wife shot in their home
New information:
- Confirms that police and other agencies are still searching for the suspect days after the shooting.
- Frames the situation explicitly as an active manhunt for an armed attacker who shot the judge and his wife inside their Lafayette home.
- Reinforces that both victims were wounded but survived, consistent with earlier reports.
10:30 PM
Indiana judge in bizarre Natalia Grace case shot in home attack as police hunt suspect
New information:
- Confirms that Tippecanoe Superior Court Judge Steven Meyer previously presided over the highly publicized Natalia Grace adoption/neglect case involving Michael and Kristine Barnett.
- Links Meyer’s national notoriety to the current shooting, detailing the Barnetts’ allegations that Natalia Grace was an adult posing as a child and the 2022 jury acquittal/dismissal of charges.
- Provides additional context on Grace’s background, medical condition (spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita), and the Barnetts’ successful petition to change her legal birth year from 2003 to 1989.
6:02 PM
Police search for suspect in the shooting that injured an Indiana judge and his wife
New information:
- PBS confirms both Judge Steven Meyer and his wife Kimberly are in stable condition, with injuries to his arm and her hip.
- Lafayette Police say the investigation remains active and now involves local, state and federal agencies, but they have not released any suspect description or motive.
- Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta H. Rush sent a statewide letter urging judges to remain vigilant about their security, explicitly tying the shooting to broader concerns about judicial safety.
- Kimberly Meyer released a public statement expressing 'great confidence' in investigators and gratitude to responding officers and medical staff.
5:31 PM
Suspected gunman uttered 4 words before shooting Indiana judge and wife: dispatch audio
New information:
- Dispatch audio obtained by Fox News Digital quotes the gunman saying, 'We have your dog,' before firing a shot through the front door.
- Audio indicates the assailant first knocked on the door and spoke to the Meyers before opening fire.
- The piece reiterates that no suspect description has yet been released and no arrests have been made, confirming the gunman remains at large.
2:45 AM
Judge and wife shot in broad daylight in Indiana, sparking massive multi-agency investigation
New information:
- Lafayette Police specify that shell casings were recovered at the scene of the shooting on Mill Pond Lane around 2:15 p.m.
- Kimberly Meyer issued a public statement through police thanking investigators, first responders and medical personnel and expressing confidence in the Lafayette Police Department’s investigation.
- Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski called the attack a "senseless unacceptable act of violence" and pledged that "every available resource" is being used to find those responsible.
- Fox article lists all agencies formally involved: Lafayette Police Department, Indiana State Police, Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office, West Lafayette Police Department, Tippecanoe County Prosecutor’s Office and the FBI.
- Police reiterate that no arrests have been made and urge anyone with information to contact Lafayette PD at 765-807-1200.
January 19, 2026