Jason and Melissa Dunham murder suicide at Uniontown, Ohio residence. Family of five are found dead as investigators seek to discover what led to the gun violence.
They had everything to live for – but something went very wrong. An Ohio family of five were found dead at a Lake Township residence in what local police say was the result of a murder suicide stemming from a domestic dispute.
Jason Dunham, 46, Melissa Murphy Dunham, 42, and their three children, Renee, 15, Amber, 12, and Evan, 9 were found dead in their home on Carnation Avenue Northwest, Uniontown, on Thursday evening.
All died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to Harry Campbell, chief investigator of the Stark County Coroner’s Office,
Unclear who shot who
Uniontown Police Chief Michael Batchik said Jason Dunham’s handgun was used in the shooting, but it was not known as of Friday afternoon who fired the shots. He said Jason and Melissa Dunham both had permits to carry concealed weapons.
The husband was understood to be a local businessman with his wife a ‘top’ accountant.
The family died in what officers called a ‘domestic dispute turned deadly’.
Police in Stark County released a statement saying they found the deceased while performing a welfare check at the Dunham’s address. Campbell said they were pronounced dead at 9:52pm.
The deaths stunned neighbors, school officials and others who knew the Dunhams, who were involved in activities such as band, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, according to the Canton Repository.
Top female accountant
Neighbors said the couple had moved in before they started their family, almost 20 years ago.
Edmond Gazdacko said the three kids would often play together with his grandkids when they came to visit, USA Today reported.
Gazdacko said he and his wife Denise never had any issues with the Dunhams, and Melissa was a wonderful mother.
Melissa Dunham was a partner at accounting firm Bober Markey Fedorovich & Co in Fairlawn, according to her LinkedIn profile.
She held a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Westminster College, an MBA from Kent State University, and a Master of Taxation from The University of Akron.
Her accolades include the Woman of Professional Excellence award presented by the Women’s Network and the 30 For the Future Award from the Greater Akron Chamber.
The mom-of-three’s appointment to partner was announced in June: ‘With a career spanning nearly two decades at BMF, Melissa has demonstrated exceptional leadership and contributed significantly to the firm’s success.’
The firm’s website says she specialized in corporate tax returns, with an expertise in Employer Retention Credit program reimbursements.
Dunham was recognized with a Woman of Professional Excellence award presented by the Women’s Network and the 30 For the Future Award from the Greater Akron Chamber in 2019.
Dunham spoke fondly of the Greater Akron community in a video for the local Chamber.
‘It’s a wonderful community to raise our children,’ she said in a YouTube video. ‘I love being a part of community support services and the Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio. And the school districts are amazing. They challenge my children. And it’s a great place to live, thrive and there’s many opportunities in this small community.’
Female empowerment
She was involved with the Girl Scouts and said her daughters were learning to be risk-takers and leaders while in the organization. ‘I really enjoy working with young women and little girls to be the best that they can be,’ she said.
In the video, Dunham also mentioned that her family loved to go camping and that she was certified to teach archery. The mom of three also stated her daughters were learning to be risk-takers and leaders.
Jason Dunham worked in sales and business development at POS Highway in Hartville, Ohio, according to his LinkedIn.
Lake County local school district superintendent Kevin Tobin confirmed on Friday morning that three students were killed in the tragedy.
He said that the children were all students in the school district.
‘We alerted our parents and our staff,’ Tobin said.
‘We have counselors and others meeting (with students) as we speak. We are working through this as calm and compassionate as we can.’
He explained that Renee was heavily involved in the school band which was expected to attend an away football game on Friday night.
‘This is going to impact them. They are a family and it is almost two years to the day when we lost another band student after surgery,’ Tobin said.
‘It’s a very, very tragic incident and we will just rally as a school community and as Lake Local community.’
Incidence of family annihilation in the U.S
Uniontown Police Department said it is investigating along with the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Stark County Prosecutor’s Office.
No one else is believed to have been involved.
To date it remained unclear what led up to the gun violence and what issues the family were facing. Authorities continue to investigate.
Of note, there have been at least 227 cases of family annihilation across the United States since 2020, according to an analysis of media reports and data from the Gun Violence Archive.
That’s an average of one family annihilation every five days. The archive documents a death toll of over 700.
Welcome to the land of the brave, free and violent.
