On the morning of Friday, April 10, 2026, police in Athens, Alabama, found Curtis Bates, 74, and Sabrina Bates, 57, dead inside their home near Blair Road and Watercress Drive. Both sustained gunshot wounds and the scene was treated as an active crime scene with the Limestone County Coroner’s Office involved. Authorities said the investigation was in its early stages and that family members were being notified.

Curtis Daniel Danny Bates was a lifelong Limestone County resident, a veteran of the Alabama National Guard, retired from the Tennessee Valley Authority, and had driven school buses; he enjoyed farming and raising cattle and horses. Sabrina Leigh Bates had a long record of local public service, having worked for the Sheriff’s Office, the Probate Judge’s office, the Council on Aging, and the County Commission. Both were members of the Tanner Church of Christ and are survived by two sons, Daniel and Lucas Bates. No suspects have been named and no arrests have been made.

Did anyone in the Athens area know the Bates family or have information that could help investigators?