The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that Ashley Darby and Jeriah Hildwine were found dead on Wednesday afternoon.
Found in a wooded area on the north side of the San Francisco Peaks. Investigators have concluded that both appear to have died from gun shot wounds and have been deceased for many days.
Investigators discovered Darby’s empty car last Saturday, with a note that suggested the two were planning suicide.
Trish Cox, Darby’s mother, explains that she feels for Hildwine’s family and is deeply saddened by the death of her daughter, who was an artist, writer and musician.
With county sheriff’s still trying to unravel the circumstances surrounding the deaths, the complexity of the case is becoming evident.
Commander Rex Gilliland from Coconino County Sheriff’s Department says that the current situation presents huge challenges. After conducting a preliminary search in the parking lot Saturday after the car was found, the department investigated with a ten-person grounds team and two trained dogs. However, due to the limited information and clues left by the couple as to their whereabouts, the search area was like looking for a “needle in a haystack”.
Hildwine was found with the gun in his hand, therefore it is assumed that he fired the last shot.
More information will be discovered once a medical examiner has conducted an autopsy. However, Gilliland says, it may never be determined whether this incident was a double suicide or a murder-suicide.
Post time: Jan-23-2017