ATHENS COUNTY, Ohio— Athens County Sheriff Rodney Smith reported a murder-suicide in the county over the weekend. According to the Sheriff, on Friday, 9-1-1 dispatchers received a call from an “open line” shortly after 5 a.m. The call, officials say, came from a house on McDougal Road in Millfield.
Upon arrival at the home, deputies attempted to make contact with the residents inside but received no answer at the front door.
Reports say deputies were able to make entry from an open door at the rear of the home. That is when they made a gruesome discovery.
Found inside was Jennifer Draper, 40, Millfield, and her live-in companion, Christopher Roach, 43, Leon, West Virginia. According to Sheriff Smith, there appeared to have been an altercation between the two. Draper, officials said, was killed by a single shotgun. Roach reportedly committed suicide soon after.
The couple’s bodies were taken to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office for a forensic autopsy.
The case according to the Sheriff’s Office remains under investigation.