James Jim Baxter, 58, was shot dead inside a home in the 200 block of West D Street in Trenton, Nebraska, on April 27, 2016. Deputies who responded in the early morning found Baxter deceased inside and 49-year-old Robert Bob Lawing dead outside the residence. Authorities later described the incident as a murder-suicide, reporting that Lawing fatally shot Baxter and then killed himself with the same handgun, which the sheriff’s office said had been stolen.

Officials did not disclose what precipitated the shootings. Both men were residents of Trenton, and funeral and memorial notices confirmed Baxter’s identity, age, date of death, and long ties to the Trenton/McCook area. Two days after the killings, a house associated with Lawing burned in a separate incident that the Nebraska State Fire Marshal determined was intentionally set; no arrests in connection with that fire were reported.

If anyone knew James Baxter or has information about the shootings or the subsequent fire, please share what you know.