Wright-Patterson Air Force Base confirmed three deaths of Air Force personnel over the weekend in a “double murder-suicide.”
In a statement sent by the base to the Washington Examiner, the deceased were listed as 1st Lt. Jaime Gustitus, 25, Jaymee Prichard, 33, and Jacob Prichard, 34. Gustitus and Jacob Prichard were both with the Air Force Research Laboratory, where they met, while Jaymee Prichard worked within the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. The two Prichards were husband and wife.
“We are deeply saddened by this tragic event, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones affected,” Lt. Gen. Linda Hurry, deputy commander, Air Force Materiel Command, said in a statement. “We stand with them as they navigate this unimaginable pain, and we offer our sincerest condolences to all impacted by this heartbreaking loss. We are committed to fully investigating this incident and ensuring the families and co-workers of the victims receive the support they need during this difficult time.”
The deaths occurred between the evening of Oct. 24 and the morning of Oct. 25, and “impacted several locations around Dayton,” the WPAFB statement said. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations are investigating the incident.
Dominic Binkley, deputy press secretary for the Office of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, told the Washington Examiner that the Sugarcreek Township and West Milton police departments requested the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s assistance on Saturday with processing crime scenes. He declined to give any further details, citing the investigation.
So far, the investigation has revealed that sometime during the previously mentioned time period, Jacob Prichard murdered his wife at an unknown location and loaded her corpse into the trunk of their car, according to News Center 7. After driving to the West Milton Municipal parking lot, he exited the vehicle, opened his trunk, and then shot himself at about 4:30 a.m.
Police established that before his suicide, he broke into Gustitus’s apartment at around 2 a.m. on Saturday and murdered her. Gustitus was a class of 2022 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and had served as an Operations Research Analyst for the past two years, according to her LinkedIn.
Jacob and Jaymee Prichard leave behind multiple children, according to a neighbor who spoke with News Center 7.
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The Prichards ran a successful photo booth rental company that was covered by several student and local outlets in October 2018.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the West Milton Police Department for further comment.
