The Calhoun County sheriff's office said it is investigating a murder-suicide in the small community of Thornton just outside Fordyce.
Calhoun County Sheriff Bob Dunn said Monday that his office was conducting a welfare check about 1 p.m. Saturday at a home on 117 S. Cane St. in Thornton when deputies found the bodies of 53-year-old Christoper Hughes and his wife, Tina Hughes, 55.
A family member had not heard from the couple in several days and called the sheriff's office out of concern, Hughes said.
Dunn said Tina Hughes had been shot once in the back with a 9mm handgun. Christopher Hughes died of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head, the sheriff said, adding that the couple likely died three or four days before the bodies were found.
"I had been to that residence about six months ago on a call, because [Christopher Hughes] had an ongoing dispute with the mayor in Thornton over some water bill issues," Dunn said. "Other than that, our department had never dealt with the couple before. There was no documented history of domestic violence."
State Desk on 02/10/2015