Massachusetts town treasurer, 68, fatally shot by son in apparent murder-suicide days before her retirement
WAYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS: A woman from Massachusetts who died on Monday, November 16, was allegedly killed by her son before he turned the gun on himself in an apparent murder-suicide case, reports state. Wayland police, on Monday night, received a 911 call from a resident of the same house reporting two deaths, according to a press release issued by Middlesex County District Attorney's Office.
Officers, after arrival at the house, found 68-year-old Cheryl Kane, treasurer/collector for the Maynard town, dead from an apparent gunshot wound. According to authorities, Kane was shot dead by her son in her home's garage as she was beginning to get out of her car after recovering from work. The son, identified as 41-year-old Richard Kane, Jr., was also found unresponsive in the garage. Neighbors also reported hearing loud bangs at about 4:45 pm.
Kane was reportedly scheduled to be honored at her work on Tuesday, November 17, during the Maynard Board of Selectmen's meeting, MetroWest Daily News reported. She was due to retire on Friday, November 19 according to police reports. Maynard Town Administrator Greg Johnson, released a statement on Kane's demise, saying: "We are deeply saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Maynard’s Treasurer/Collector Cheryl Kane. Cheryl was a wonderful, bright member of our team. She was a tremendous asset to our community, and we’re grateful for the contributions she made during her time with us. Her passing comes as a shock to us all. Our hearts go out to her family and friends during this very difficult time.”
Authorities have not yet determined the motive of the alleged killing and an investigation into the case is currently ongoing.
In yet another murder-suicide case in September, a mother-of-two was shot dead by her husband, who reportedly later turned the gun on himself. The woman, identified as 27-year-old Mikki Starr, was found dead at her home in Lima, Ohio by authorities. Police also found the body of her 29-year-old husband Zachary beside her. Law enforcement was alerted after family members noted that Zachary had posted some "alarming" messages on his Facebook account.
After a preliminary investigation into the case, detectives concluded that Zachary had killed his wife before killing himself. The lead detective in the investigation, Detective Sergeant Jason Garlock, said: "We had information from family members that there were some social media messages that gave us the indication that’s what we’re probably looking at right now." The couple appeared to be active on social media before their deaths. They reportedly posted on each other's pages frequently and wrote affectionate comments, expressing their love for the other. It is not yet clear whether the couple's children were present at the scene of the incident.
The mother-of-two, who graduated from Elida High School in 2012 and then from Rhodes State College in 2019, owned the house on Ford Avenue since March 2017. The 27-year-old worked as an endoscopy technician at Mercy Health-St. Rita’s Medical Center since August 2019. An obituary written for the young mother on Legacy.com stated: "Mikki was an avid runner, enjoyed bowling and loved animals. She was an amazing, devoted mother who loved and lived for her kids. Mikki was a caring soul who always wanted to help people; she will be deeply missed by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing her."