ST. GEORGE — St. George Police have said they suspect a murder-suicide after finding elderly siblings dead in their apartment earlier this month.
According to a search warrant affidavit filed in 5th District Court, a property manager at Fountain Heights complex – located at 3424 S. River Road – found Shandra Lee Brownstein, 67, and Stanley Thomas McCausland, 68, dead in their unit on May 9, as well as Brownstein’s dog.
“We believe they were dead for about a week,” St. George Police officer Tiffany Atkin told St. George News.
Brownstein was found in one room with her dog, and McCausland was found in another room with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Atkin said, adding that no one heard the gunshots.
According to the search warrant, initial witness statements indicated that neither Brownstein nor McCausland had been seen in a couple of days, which was unusual.
The search warrant also states that the property manager entered the unit because the siblings had not paid rent for two months, and an eviction notice had been placed on their door.
Atkin said at this point detectives still don’t know the specific circumstances leading up to the incident.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews | @markeekaenews
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.