In a little over one week, three Ohio men have killed their wives, sons, and themselves.
Our men are programmed that they must provide for their families. When they are unable do so the end result can be...disastrous. What a mild word for something so horrible. Many mental health professionals are warning that stress and depression are sharply rising in this economic recession.
Please follow me below the fold. I want to warn you that some of the information is quite graphic. But it is important--too important to hide.
On February 18th, Belle Valley (Noble County) resident Theodore Bayly strangled his 40 year-old wife Janice and his son Colton, aged 11, with an electrical cord. He then called the Noble County Sheriff's Department to give the location of the bodies before turning a 16-gauge shotgun on himself.
Ted Bayley was reported to be a self-employed roofer who was experiencing some physical disability.
The Bayly home.
Photo courtesy of wtov9.com Steubenville, OH
Theodore Bayly, 39, called the dispatcher around 2 a.m., saying he had already killed his family and was going to take care of himself, Noble County Sheriff Landon Smith said.
Bayly told the dispatcher in a seven-minute call that he was having financial problems and "couldn't afford it anymore," Smith said. He told the dispatcher where to find the bodies and then hung up.
Authorities found Bayly's body on an embankment about 35 feet from the family's mobile home near Belle Valley, about 75 miles east of Columbus. He had a shotgun wound to the head, Smith said.
Bayly's wife, Janice Bayly, 40, was found inside the home, and their son, Colton, was in the back seat of a vehicle, Smith said.
http://www.google.com/...
On February 22, Georgetown (Brown County) resident Lenny Planck, 38, shot his wife Ruby, 35, and their son Austin, 11, before turning the gun on himself. Lenny's 14 year-old stepson Christian was not at home at the time. He returned to the home that night with his biological father to find something very wrong.
Lenny Planck was employed by a securities technology firm. His family has a history of suicide. There is speculation that the family was experiencing financial troubles, and Lenny's alleged erratic behavior was leading his wife to file for divorce. The police are not prepared to nail down a motive yet.
Planck home.
Photo courtesy newsdemocrat.com Brown County, OH
"I just don’t think we’re going to get much additional information," McKinley said. "Obviously there are a lot of unanswered questions, but through an autopsy we’re not going to gain any further answers. Which is always difficult."
He said it was unclear when each of the victims died and in which order.
"Those of us from the Sheriff’s office and myself puzzled there for a long time trying to put together this scenario and there’s only so much you can do by just looking at what you’re looking at right there."
A .38 caliber revolver was found near Lenny Planck’s hand which led him and the investigating deputies to conclude that the deaths were a murder/suicide.
http://newsdemocrat.com/...
The Amish are experiencing the same economic downturn that we are. Add depression to the mix, and we might have a recipe for catastrophe.
Authorities say an Ohio man shot and killed his wife and adult son, then killed himself.
Holmes County Sheriff Tim Zimmerly says a relative found the bodies of 57-year-old Edna Mullet and 29-year-old Wayne Mullet on Tuesday at their home near Millersburg, about 75 miles northeast of Columbus.
He says the investigation indicates they were shot by Dennis Mullet, who was found dead in the basement with a self-inflicted gun shot wound.
Zimmerly says family members say the 56-year-old Mullet had been depressed. No further details were released.
http://www.wtte28.com/...
I live in an area populated with Amish folk. Murder and suicide are rare. A double murder/suicide is nothing short of extraordinary.
I realize that it is a stretch to connect all three incidents to the state of the American economy, based solely on the preliminary investigations.
But it does make one wonder, doesn't it? And it does suggest that we need keep a close watch on such incidents.
I, for one, would definitely be interested in discussing the lack of adequate mental health care, especially among otherwise able-bodied unemployed males. Medicaid is not, IIRC, 'guy' friendly.