6 in Family Found Slain in Apparent Murder, Suicide
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SULLIVAN, Mo. — A county commissioner believed to be struggling with depression apparently shot and killed his wife, two children and two grandchildren, then committed suicide, authorities said Saturday.
Neil Schatz, 55, and his relatives, including an infant grandson, died from the blasts of a 12-gauge shotgun after a family gathering at his rural farmhouse Friday. His mother and another family member found the bodies Saturday.
“He was a highly respected man; I guess something just snapped,” said Franklin County Sheriff Gary Toelke. “Right now, we’re treating it as a murder-suicide.”
Schatz was found shot in the head in the basement of the home outside Sullivan. The other five bodies were found in bedrooms.
Relatives told Toelke that Schatz had seemed depressed recently.
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