Who was Beth Ellen Frost? Dallas medical examiner shot dead by estranged husband who later killed himself
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DALLAS, TEXAS: A former University of Missouri basketball player fatally shot his estranged wife, a medical examiner, before turning the gun on himself in a murder-suicide. James Edward Frost II, 51, who played for his college in the 1990s, shot his wife Beth Ellen Frost, 46, and another employee at the Dallas Medical Examiner’s Office, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said.
According to Dallas Morning News, James and Beth were found dead at the office at around 4.45 pm on Tuesday, November 8. The second victim was injured but his present condition and identity were not disclosed by the authorities. The duo was married since July 2001 and had two children, a girl, 9 and a boy, 5. As per the court records, Beth filed for separation on May 2, citing that the marriage had become “insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities between Beth and Jed that destroys the legitimate ends of the marriage relationship and prevents any reasonable expectation of reconciliation.”
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Beth, who received her osteopathic medical degree from Kansas City University in 2012, ordered for child custody evaluation in early October this year, although she initially did not request a protective order or custody of the children. She reportedly believed James would enter into agreements to give both access to their children and their estate.
Since June 2020, Beth had been with the Dallas office as a medical examiner, according to her LinkedIn profile. She was the office’s forensic pathology fellow from 2016 to 2017. James later went on to become a teacher and basketball coach at Odessa and Park Hill South high schools near Kansas City. He also coached at Iowa State University and the University of Hawaii.
James who went by “Jed,” reportedly launched a luxury leather bag business called FROST, after stints as an insurance and financial representative. His items ranged from $5,000 to $75,000 in price. The couple were supposedly reeling with financial problems as James' father, James Frost Sr, filed a lawsuit claiming they owed him $228,916 for multiple loans he gave them to cover living expenses and purchase property, including one house in 2006 and another in 2010.
Even though the couple paid back approximately $75,000 of the loan and were “fully aware” that they needed to pay the remainder, they refused to pay the remaining amount when he demanded it. Frost Sr’s accusations were denied by Beth in a recent court filing and requested that the suit be consolidated into their divorce case. Jed paid Bank of America about $12,000 earlier this year, while State Farm Federal Credit Union sued him for a loan of around $50,000. Jed reportedly denied owing the money.
County Commissioner John Wiley Price said investigators are still investigating how James entered the building through an employee entrance. “You can have the best security in the world, and you can’t stop people who are determined whatever evil they are going to carry out,” Price told Fox 4 News. “He could’ve sat in the parking lot and done the same thing. He knew where she worked."