The deaths of two Lakeview residents are being investigated as a murder-suicide. According to Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery and Lakeview Police Chief David Hotchkiss, the bodies of 65-year-olds Brian and Joanna Hammer were located Saturday morning at their residence.
Chief Hotchkiss received a call from a male stating he was sent a text message by his neighbor telling him to call the police. Chief Hotchkiss and a Baxter County deputy responded to the residence on Jim’s Street and located a man and a woman deceased in bed.
Investigators with the sheriff’s office, Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division and Baxter County Coroner’s Office assisted in the investigation. No signs of a struggle or other violence were discovered.
Investigators currently believe Brian Hammer shot his wife Joanna while she was asleep and then turned the gun on himself. A note was located in the residence, and a Walther .9mm semi-automatic pistol believed to be the murder weapon was also recovered.
Both bodies will be sent to the Arkansas State Medical Examiner’s Office in Little Rock to confirm the cause and manner of death. The investigation is continuing.
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