Neighbors say a terrible smell made them call police to the scene of a possible murder suicide. Police found a man and a woman dead inside a duplex bedroom in the 1400 block of west Mt. Vernon.
“The stench just came up through the basement and went through the vents,” neighbor Cody Meyer said. During Tuesday’s heat wave, something grabbed several neighbors' noses. “Bryce started puking and I was like ‘what's wrong’ and he said ‘the smell,’” neighbor Tanya Meyer said.
Their sense of smell caused investigators to check the duplex. When officers arrived, they could smell the same foul stench. “They kicked in the rear door and made entry,” Springfield Police Cpl. Matt Brown said. Police had been to the duplex before. Concerned neighbors called them on Monday. “They didn't find anything suspicious they knocked on the door no one came to the door so they left,” Brown said. Police are not confirming the man and woman found dead inside the home are the same couple that lives there.
Family members say the husband that lived in the duplex threatened his wife around 7:50 Friday night. “A phone call from him stating that he was thirsty and if ‘someone didn't bring him a glass of water to his bedroom window he was going to kill his mom,’” neighbor Angela Faiers said about a phone message the woman's son heard. Family members tell KSPR News the message was sent to the woman's daughter-in-law.
The woman who lived in the duplex was known as the neighborhood mom. “She was real caring she helped everyone out when we needed sugar she brought us sugar when we needed trash bags she brought us trash bags,” Faiers said.
Neighbors have worried since last week. They say the woman’s schedule was routine. “Nobody has been coming out,” Meyer said. “Normally she leaves for work every morning.” Neighbors say the crime scene tape confirmed their fears. “We really enjoyed her company she was the nicest woman on this block,” Meyer said.
The man who lives in the home has a criminal history that dates back to 1995. A warrant was issued for his arrest Monday for a felony DWI charge. His bond conditions included no offensive contact with his wife.
According to online court documents last month, the man was living in the Sigma House. The Sigma House offers substance abuse or addiction rehabilitation services. He had a probation violation hearing set for next month for a previous domestic violence charge.
Brown says preliminary investigation indicates a homicide/suicide of domestic partners but further investigation and forensic testing is required. The Medical Examiner’s office will conduct an autopsy on the victims possibly by Wednesday. Brown says there is a prior history of domestic violence between the two individuals found deceased. Police are not looking for a suspect.
