Clark County sheriff’s deputies are investigating the apparent murder-suicide of a married couple who lived at a home near Fargher Lake.
The bodies of Fay Marie Allen, 70, and Milton “Wayne” Allen, 71, were found inside their rural La Center mobile home Monday.
A man contacted the sheriff’s office Monday to say he had been trying to reach his mother, Fay Allen, for several days but had been unable to do so, according to the sheriff’s office. The man went to the Allens’ home, saw that all the cars were there, and knocked on the door but no one answered.
Deputies responded and entered the house through an unlocked rear door and found both bodies in a bedroom. The two died of gunshot wounds, with evidence at the scene indicating that Wayne Allen shot and killed Fay Allen before taking his own life, according to the sheriff’s office.
The incident, however, apparently occurred several days ago.
Records indicate that 911 had received a hang-up call from the Allens’ home on March 28.
A deputy was dispatched to check on the welfare of the occupants at the address, but the call was canceled prior to arriving at the location. An internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the cancellation of the call is underway, and the deputy involved has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of that investigation.
“This is an active and ongoing internal affairs investigation, and we will not be releasing the name of the deputy involved,” said Cmdr. Rusty Warren
There is not any other previous call history for this particular address, which was not released because the property is vacant.
Sgt. Duncan Hoss said that 911 calls are first vetted by dispatchers before a deputy is asked to respond to a call. For example, he said, if a dispatcher learns that a young child in the house called 911 but everything is OK, then a deputy won’t be dispatched.
“In this case, the dispatcher determined there was more to it and we needed to go out to the residence,” he said. “They dispatched a deputy, and that deputy never got to that call.”
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office said it delayed releasing information about the incident until Wayne Allen’s son could be notified of the deaths. That notification occurred Wednesday.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing. The sheriff’s office hasn’t released a motive.
Tim Wray, who lives near the couple, said that the small rural neighborhood was surprised by the news.
“I just was shocked,” he said. “It’s terrible to hear.”
Though he didn’t know the couple well, he occasionally talked to Fay Allen when he saw her walking or driving around.
“I knew she was a very nice woman,” he said. “She always seemed pretty happy and had a good attitude about everything.”
Columbian staff writers Craig Brown and Patty Hastings contributed to this story.
