Aug. 17, 2026
WESTBY, Wis. — Authorities have identified a Westby woman who was hospitalized with multiple stab wounds last week and a Minn. man accused in the attack, according to a press release from the Westby Police Department.
A 45-year-old female from Westby was admitted to Emplify Health with serious but non-life-threatening injuries after arriving at the emergency room Aug. 12, Westby Police Chief Scott C. Stuber said in the release. According to the Westby Police Department, Vernon County dispatchers received a report Aug. 12 after the woman arrived at the hospital with stab wounds to her body and feet. Because it was initially unclear where the injuries occurred, the hospital contacted the La Crosse Police Department.
Investigators later determined that an altercation had occurred at the victim’s residence in the city of Westby, police said.
Police identified the suspect as Brandon Pifher, 30, of Bigfork, Minn. According to the department, Pifher, who was in a relationship with the victim, drove her to the hospital before leaving the area.
Pifher was later arrested and charged through the Vernon County District Attorney’s Office with first-degree reckless injury, aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, strangulation and suffocation, along with several misdemeanor offenses, according to the police release.
Court records listed Pifher as being held on a $500,000 cash bond.
The Vernon County Sheriff’s Office and La Crosse Police Department assisted in the investigation, police said.
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