Steven D. Pettit, 49, was found dead in his Hillsboro, Missouri, home on August 17, 2017, the victim of a gunshot. Authorities described the killing as a deeply personal act and focused their investigation on someone close to him.

Police arrested his girlfriend, 58-year-old Laurel L. Leeker, charging her with Pettit’s murder. Investigators alleged Leeker shot Pettit while he was asleep in the bed they shared. The case did not reach trial: on the morning of October 8, 2017, corrections officers at the Jefferson County Jail found Leeker dead in her cell; her death was ruled an apparent suicide by hanging.

Key facts are the date, location, relationship between victim and accused, and the subsequent apparent suicide of the accused in custody. Does anyone have information about Pettit’s last days in Hillsboro or about the household that could shed light on what happened?