This story has been updated to include new information.
DOVER TOWNSHIP ‒ Robert Houston, 64, fatally shot his wife, April, 53, before taking his own life in their home on June 1, in what officials believed to be a murder-suicide
The Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident which happened prior to a planned graduation party.
According to an announcement from Sheriff Orvis Campbell, his office received a 911 call at 1:36 p.m. about a shooting at 2011 Gordon Road NW, between Dover and Sugarcreek.
A woman told deputies she was at home getting ready for a graduation party for a resident of that home when shots were fired in the house. The student who was graduating was not home at the time because the party had not yet begun, Campbell said. The caller said a man at the residence shot his wife and then shot himself.
Deputies found Robert on the bed and April on the floor near the bed. Dover firefighters responded to the call as well and begun life-saving measures on the woman, who was eventually transported to Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital in Canton, where she was later pronounced dead.
Tuscarawas County Sheriff detectives and the sheriff’s office crime scene technician responded to the scene as well as the Tuscarawas County Coroner’s Office.
“While there is still evidence to process and information to gather, preliminary indications suggest that murder-suicide is the most likely cause due to evidence and witness statements at the scene,” Campbell said.
The Tuscarawas County Coroner’s Office will be responsible for determining the manner and cause of death for the man, and the coroner will work alongside the Stark County Coroner’s Office, which will be responsible to determine the manner and cause of death for the woman since she was pronounced dead in Stark County, the sheriff said.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Identity of victims in what is believed to be a murder-suicide released by sheriff
Reporting by Staff Reports / The Times-Reporter
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