On June 1, 2017, Deborah Dragoo Banks, 49, of Jasper, Alabama, was shot to death at her home on Pineywood Sipsey Road. Walker County Coroner’s Office investigators determined her death was a homicide; her husband, 58-year-old Steven Dewayne Banks, died by suicide at the scene after fatally shooting Deborah. Family members report the couple’s two sons, then 19 and 10, were in the house when the shootings occurred, and the older son witnessed his father’s suicide.

The children were subsequently placed in the care of their grandparents. Neighbors expressed shock and sorrow at the sudden loss, and a graveside service for both Deborah and Steven Banks was held on June 4, 2017, at Pleasant Hill Freewill Baptist Church Cemetery.

Does anyone who knew Deborah or the family have memories or information to share about her life in Jasper?