Ohio mother of 2 fatally shot in apparent murder-suicide by husband after he sent ‘alarming’ Facebook messages
LIMA, OHIO: A mother-of-two was shot dead in an apparent murder-suicide 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, on Wednesday afternoon last week 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." Both Mikki and Zachary's bodies were sent to the Lucas County Coroner’s Office for autopsies. The autopsy results are reportedly pending.
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. No motive for the murder-suicide incident has yet been established.
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."
Mikki met Zachary in May 2012 and the pair got married years later on June 24, 2017. The couple had two children, a son, Ryker Starr, born in July 2013 and a daughter Ryah Starr, born in March 2019. Reports state that the couple also had a stillborn child in July 2016 named Greyson Starr.
Ever since the mother's tragic demise, her family and friends have been writing tributes on the Facebook page of her cousin Tracey Anne Davis. The cousin also wrote a note for Mikki: "This is heartbreaking I cannot believe this. My heart is breaking. This is my cousin Mikki Starr and I am asking for everyone to keep my family in your prayers TIA my poor auntie." Another relative Jessica Lynn Davis wrote: "So sorry my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this difficult time." While Jennifer Neal said "Such a tragedy. Praying for you and your family." Mikki's funeral is reportedly scheduled for Wednesday, September 23, at 1 pm local time at Chiles-Laman Funeral and Cremation Services, Shawnee Chapel.
The mother's death is reportedly the seventh homicide from a shooting or a stabbing investigated this year in Lima, Ohio. Last year, the city reported ten murders, marking a ten year high in the region.