CEDAR HILL, Mo. — Two people died in a murder-suicide Saturday morning in what police called the result of an ongoing property dispute.
Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak announced Saturday afternoon that though the investigation is still underway, it appears that a man killed his neighbor and then himself over an ongoing disagreement about their shared property line.
Police were first called around 7:05 a.m. to the scene of a two-vehicle accident at Route 30 and Highway NN where they found a blue pickup truck with significant damage to the driver's side door.
They believe their suspect rammed into the truck and then took off towards his own home on Krshul Road.
Less than a half-hour later -- while still investigating the crash -- someone called 911 to report gunfire.
When deputies pulled onto Krshul Road, they found a home fully engulfed in flames and the female homeowner dead outside. Her neighbor -- the same person involved in the initial vehicle collision -- had crashed his car into her home.
Investigators could not say if the woman was shot or died as a result of the fire.
On Wednesday, the people who died were identified as 49-year-old Kelly D. Eberhardt and 57-year-old Jeffrey J. Bauer.
While officers with the Jefferson County Police Department and the SWAT team searched for the suspect, police issued a code red and asked residents to take shelter in the area.
"It's like nothing I've ever seen before, except maybe on television," neighbor Carol Wilder said.
Wilder said she left her home Saturday morning to see why there were so many emergencies when a law enforcement officer asked her to head back inside.
"He put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'I want you to go in the house and not come out until we tell you it's OK.' So that's what I did," Wilder said.
Around 11:30 a.m., Marshak said the suspect was found dead.
The identity of both the gunman and the victim have not been released.
This is a developing story.
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