On December 15, 2023, Peggy Sue Altum, a 74-year-old woman in Newton, Kansas, was shot in her Terrace Drive home in the early morning hours. A 911 call came from the house at about 1:45 a.m.; the caller, later identified as Peggy’s 70-year-old husband Edward L. Altum, told dispatchers she had been shot but would not provide further details. Officers found Peggy in her bed with multiple gunshot wounds and a .22-caliber revolver on the kitchen counter. She was taken to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita with life-threatening injuries.

Peggy died of her injuries the next day, December 16, 2023. Edward Altum was taken into custody at the scene and initially arrested on an attempted murder charge; investigators later upgraded the charge after Peggy’s death. The case record states there were no prior reports of domestic violence at the couple’s home and that a motive had not been established.

Peggy is remembered as a loving mother and grandmother, a retired receptionist who enjoyed gardening and country-western dancing. Does anyone in the Newton area have information about the Altum family or the events of that night?