On October 25, 2019 Michigan Correctional Officer Angelina Winn was murdered by her girlfriend, Correctional Officer Tara Kelley. After murdering Winn, Kelley committed suicide.
Two people found dead inside Kingsley home
Up North Live
October 25, 2019
GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) -- The Grand Traverse Sheriff's Office is looking for answers after two people were found dead inside a home near Kingsley.
The Sheriff's office tells 7&4 they were called to a home on Walton Road at around 9:30 Friday morning.
The Michigan State Police brought their Forensic Labaratory to the home to process the scene.
Neighbors didn't want to go on camera but one neighbor who lives across the street from the home said she was shocked to hear about what happened.
The Grand Traverse Sheriff's Office says this is an ongoing investigation.
At this time, details are extremely limited but investigators said there is no reason to believe there is a threat to the public.
The bodies will be sent to Kalamazoo Saturday morning for autopsies.
Investigators are in the process of identifying the individuals and notifying next of kin.
The sheriff's office announced on Saturday that the individuals are believed to be Tara Kelley and Angelina Winn, both Michigan Department of Corrections employees at the Oaks Correctional Facility in Manistee.
Police investigating death of 2 people found in home near Kingsley
MLive
Oct 25, 2019
KINGSLEY, MI – The Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of two people at a residence near Kingsley.
Officials are in the process of identifying the individuals and notifying the next of kin. The investigation is ongoing.
There is no reason to believe that there is a threat to the public, officials said.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Two dead in Kingsley preliminarily identified as state corrections employees
Up North Live
October 26, 2019
https://upnorthlive.com/news/local/two-dead-in-kinglsey-preliminarily-identified-as-state-corrections-employees
GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) -- The Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office announced Saturday that it has preliminarily identified the two individuals in Friday's death investigation on Walton Road near Kingsley.
According to the sheriff’s office, the individuals are believed to be Tara Kelley and Angelina Winn, both Michigan Department of Corrections employees at the Oaks Correctional Facility in Manistee.
Positive identification is still pending from the Medical Examiner's Office in Kalamazoo, according to the sheriff’s office.
The investigation into the cause of the deaths continues, pending the results of the autopsies and the completion of the Michigan State Police Crime Lab report.
2 Michigan corrections officers found dead in their home
Assoicated Press Wire
October 26, 2019
KINGSLEY, Mich. (AP) — Police say two veteran Michigan corrections officers have been found dead in the northern Michigan home they shared.
The Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office is investigating the deaths of 53-year-old Tara Kelley and 49-year-old Angelina Winn at the home near Kingsley. They were found dead Friday. Both worked at Oaks Correctional Facility near Manistee.
The causes of their deaths have not been released, but the sheriff's office said in a news release there was no reason to believe there was a threat to the public.
Both women spent most of their corrections careers at Pugsley Correctional Facility in Kingsley and moved to the Oaks in 2016 when Pugsley closed.
MDOC Director Heidi Washington sent an email to employees informing them of the deaths.
2 Michigan corrections officers found dead in Paradise Twp. home
Detroit News
October 26, 2019
Two Michigan prison officers were found dead in their home near Kingsley Friday and state police are searching for answers.
Officers Tara Kelley and Angelina Winn served at the Oaks Correctional Facility in Manistee, Michigan and "will be missed by many," said Heidi Washington, director of the Michigan Department of Corrections, in a letter to employees.
The Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Department, along with Michigan State Police, is investigating the incident that occurred at the home on Walton Road in Paradise Township.
It is unclear what occurred, however, Sheriff Thomas Bensley said, " At this time there is no reason to believe that there is a threat to the public."
The investigation into the cause of death continues as officials await autopsy results, the sheriff's department says.
Winn had worked for the department for 20 years and Kelley for 19 years. They both hired in at Pugsley Correctional Facility and moved to the Oaks in 2016.
Kelley is a graduate of the University of Michigan - Flint.
"Officers Tara Kelley and Angelina Winn were valued members of the team at the Oaks and will be missed by many," Washington said. "Please keep the family and colleagues of these employees in your thoughts and prayers."
Washington advised those who knew Winn and Kelley to speak with the department's Wellness Unit after the sudden loss of their colleagues.
Names released of 2 corrections officers found dead in Kingsley
Record Eagle
October 26, 2019
KINGSLEY — Two Michigan Department of Corrections officers found dead "will be missed by many."
Tara Kelley and Angelina Winn, longtime officers at Oaks Correctional Facility in Manistee, were identified as the two people discovered dead in Kingsley on Friday, according to a Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Department release.
Several Sheriff's Department officials, including Sheriff Tom Bensley, did not return multiple calls Friday and Saturday, but shared a copy of the release posted online.
The pair were found in their Walton Road home in Kingsley, according to the post and a statement by MDOC Public Information Officer Chris Gautz.
Autopsies are pending and social media posts list no suspected cause of death. A statement released Friday notes investigators have "no reason to believe that there is a threat to the public."
A letter shared with Oaks employees by MDOC Director Heidi Washington states the Sheriff's Department and Michigan State Police continue investigating the incident.
"Today is a sad day for the MDOC family," she wrote.
Winn, a 20-year employee, and Kelley, who'd worked with MDOC for 19, were both hired in as officers at Pugsley Correctional Facility.
They moved to Oaks in 2016 after the now-defunct Pugsley was shuttered.
2 women found dead in Northern Michigan home were state corrections officers
MLive
Oct 26, 2019
KINGSLEY, MI – Two women found dead Friday in a home near Kingsley were both state corrections officers in Northern Michigan, according to MDOC officials.
The Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office said Friday it was investigating the death of two people at a home near Kingsley.
Their cause of death has not been released, but authorities also said there was no reason to believe there was a threat to the public.
On Friday, an email was sent to Michigan Department of Corrections employees by Director Heidi Washington, informing them of the deaths of the two state corrections officers.
“We received word this morning that two corrections officers at Oaks Correctional Facility were found deceased in their home,” according to the email, which was obtained by MLive.
The Oaks prison complex is located in Manistee.
The MDOC email said the Grand Traverse Sheriff’s Department and Michigan State Police were investigating the deaths of the long-time employees.
It described the women as “valued members of the team at Oaks" and as people who "will be missed by many.”
In the email, Washington also reminded MDOC employees mourning the loss that help is available to them.
Investigators have not yet released the names of those found dead, saying on Friday they were still in the process of notifying next of kin.
More information is expected to be released as the investigation continues.
2 corrections officers found dead in home identified
MLive
October 26, 2019
KINGSLEY, MI - Two longtime state corrections officers who were found dead Friday in a Northern Michigan home they shared have been identified by authorities.
The bodies of Tara Kelley, 53, and Angelina Winn, 49, were discovered in their home on Walton Road in Paradise Township, near Kingsley, according to the Associated Press.
Police have not yet released the officers' cause of death, but have said the deaths are not linked to any known threat to the public.
Both women worked at the Oaks Correctional Facility near Manistee. Their jobs moved to that prison complex in 2016. They had previously both worked for many years at the Pugsley Correctional Facility in Kingsley, which has since been closed by the state.
Grand Traverse Sheriff's officials and the Michigan State Police are investigating the deaths.
"The investigation into the cause of the deaths continues, pending the results of the autopsies and the completion of the Michigan State Police Crime Lab report," sheriff's staff said.
Autopsies are being handled by the Medical Examiner's Office in Kalamazoo.
On Friday, MDOC Director Heidi Washington sent an email to state corrections employees about the deaths.
"Officers Tara Kelley and Angelina Winn were valued members of the team at the Oaks and will be missed by many," said Washington's email, which was obtained by MLive.
Both women had been with the corrections department for about 20 years.
"Please keep the family and colleagues of these employees in your thoughts and prayers," Washington's email said. "It is in these difficult times, that having your MDOC family to rely on is so important."
2 Michigan prison officers found dead in home near Kingsley
Detroit Free Press
Oct. 26, 2019
Police are investigating after two veteran Michigan corrections officers were found dead Friday in their home near Kingsley.
The Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office, assisted by the Michigan State Police, is investigating the deaths of Tara Kelley, 53, and Angelina Winn, 49, in Paradise Township, officials said.
"This is an open and ongoing investigation," the sheriff's office said in a Friday news release.
"At this time there is no reason to believe that there is a threat to the public."
A sheriff's office spokesman said no updates on the investigation were available Saturday morning.
The two women were officers at the Oaks Correctional Facility near Manistee. Both spent most of their Michigan Department of Corrections careers at Pugsley Correctional Facility in Kingsley and moved to the Oaks in 2016, when Pugsley closed.
Kelley had worked for the department for 19 years and Winn for 20 years, department Director Heidi Washington said in an email to employees.
Both officers "were valued members of the team at the Oaks and will be missed by many," Washington said.
"Please keep the family and colleagues of these employees in your thoughts and prayers," Washington said. "It is in these difficult times that having your MDOC family to rely on is so important."
Kelley was named "Officer of the Year" at Pugsley in 2013. Winn received the same honor there in 2014.
Members of the department's Wellness Unit were dispatched to the Oaks Friday to talk with staff and help them cope with the loss, Washington said in the email.
2 Michigan corrections officers found dead in their home
9 and 10 News
October 26, 2019
KINGSLEY, Mich. (AP) — Police say two veteran Michigan corrections officers have been found dead in the northern Michigan home they shared.
The Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the deaths of 53-year-old Tara Kelley and 49-year-old Angelina Winn at the home near Kingsley. They were found dead Friday. Both worked at Oaks Correctional Facility near Manistee.
The causes of their deaths have not been released, but the sheriff’s office said in a news release there was no reason to believe there was a threat to the public.
Both women spent most of their corrections careers at Pugsley Correctional Facility in Kingsley and moved to the Oaks in 2016 when Pugsley closed.
MDOC Director Heidi Washington sent an email to employees informing them of the deaths.
Two female Michigan correctional officers found dead in home
Fox News
October 26, 2019
Police in Michigan are investigating after two female correctional officers were found dead Friday in their home near Kingsley.
The bodies of Tara Kelley, 53, and Angelina Winn, 49, were discovered sometime Friday morning at a residence in Paradise Township, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office did not offer details surrounding the deaths but noted that the investigation was “ongoing” and that there was no immediate “threat to the public.”
The sheriff’s office did not immediately return Fox News’ request for comment early Saturday.
The victims were identified as officers at Oaks Correctional Facility in Manistee County. They previously worked at Pugsley Correctional Facility in Kingsley prior to 2016.
In an email to employees obtained by the Free Press, state Corrections Director Heidi Washington called the women “valued members” who will be “missed by many.”
"Please keep the family and colleagues of these employees in your thoughts and prayers," she said. "It is in these difficult times that having your MDOC family to rely on is so important."
Kelley has been with the department for 19 years. Winn had 20 years on the job.
Sheriff: 'No threat' after 2 Corrections officers die of gunshot
Detroit News
October 28, 2019
Two Michigan Department of Corrections corrections officers who were found dead in their home Friday morning in Grand Traverse County both died of gunshot wounds, the sheriff's office said.
Lt. Chris Oosse, spokesman for the Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office, said the bodies of Tara Kelley, 53, and Angelina Winn, 49, were found in the 9 a.m. hour on Friday morning. A friend found them at their home on Walton, in the village of Kingsley, after stopping by to conduct a wellness check.
Oosse declined to say where in the home the women were found, or share investigators' view of the case. The medical examiner did not immediately respond to a request for information on the victims' official causes of death.
Oosse reiterated what the sheriff's office said Saturday morning when it announced the deaths, that there "still is no current threat" related to how they died.
After learning of the tragedy, the Michigan Department of Corrections' Wellness Team made its way from Lansing, where they had been engaging with new recruits, to the Oaks Correctional Facility in Manistee, where the two women worked.
Wellness leader Lynn Gorski, coordinators Lennie Alcorn and Sandi Powell and chaplain coordinator Lloyd Scharer, who started in his new role that Monday, made that trip to meet with what Gorski described as a "close-knit staff" at Oaks. According to the 2019-20 budget, Oaks is budgeted for about 289 full-time positions.
"This is a priority for us," Gorski said. It called for adjustments to the team's schedule, but the four spent the entire weekend at the facility. Along with Warden Les Parish, who spoke to each shift of workers over the weekend, members of the wellness team made themselves available for employees and their families.
Gorski said there are "heightened emotions" in a situation like this, involving "not only a sudden loss, but a tragic, violent loss, that leaves lots of questions."
Wellness coordinator Powell remained at the Oaks facility for at least part of the day Monday, and there will be "continued follow-up" over the weeks to come, Gorski said.
Michigan Corrections Organization, the union representing corrections workers, offered a statement:
"The death of these two officers is a tragedy, and our hearts are with the staff at the Oaks Correctional Facility.
Corrections staff need resources to cope with the stress of their career and the impact it can have on their lives both inside of and outside of work.
We're glad that the MDOC's new Wellness Unit responded to help grieving staff.
Kelley and Winn worked at the Oaks Correctional Facility in Manistee. Department of Corrections Director Heidi Washington said, in a letter to employees, that both will be "missed by many."
Winn had worked for the department for 20 years and Kelley for 19. They both hired in at Pugsley Correctional Facility and moved to the Oaks in 2016.
The women's deaths come in the midst of what corrections employees call a "crisis" of employee mental health, that affects custodial staff in particular. Both 2016 and 2019 studies of employee mental health, conducted by the union and the department, respectively, found elevated levels of PTSD among staffers.
Three corrections staffers have died by suicide in 2019.
Kingsley correction officers found Friday likely shot, investigators say
Record Eagle
Oct 28, 2019
KINGSLEY — Two corrections officers found in their Kingsley home likely died of gunshot wounds, investigators said.
A Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Department detective accompanied the bodies of Angelina Winn, 49, and Tara Kelley, 53, to Kalamazoo Monday morning to oversee autopsies, Lt. Chris Oosse said.
The women, both Michigan Department of Corrections employees based at Oaks Correctional Facility in Manistee, were found just after 9 a.m. Friday by a friend, Oosse said.
The discovery drew Sheriff’s Department officials, along with personnel from the Grayling-based Michigan State Police Forensics Lab and firefighters from nearby Paradise Township for an on-scene investigation that stretched into the afternoon.
Completed autopsy reports — which Oosse said should take another week or two — and a report from the MSP lab should provide a clearer picture, he said.
A letter shared by MDOC Public Information Officer Chris Gautz Saturday said the pair “will be missed by many.” It names Kelley and Winn as 19- and 20-year employees, respectively, both hired in as officers at Pugsley Correctional Facility before the now-defunct prison shuttered in 2016.
Oosse couldn’t speak to the pair’s relationship or who owned their home.
He also couldn’t confirm a time of death.
“There was no threat to the public, that’s as far as I can say on the subject,” Oosse said, reiterating a Friday afternoon Sheriff’s Department Facebook post. “Our detective bureau’s working everything out right now.”
Police: Michigan corrections officers found in home died from gunshot wounds
Detroit Free Press
Oct. 28, 2019
LANSING — Two Michigan corrections officers who were found dead in their home near Kingsley on Friday died of gunshot wounds, an official said Monday.
No suspects are sought in connection with the incident, said Lt. Chris Oosse of the Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office. But he declined to comment when asked whether the incident was a murder-suicide, saying more forensic reports are awaited.
"There is no threat to the public," Oosse said.
The bodies of Tara Kelley, 53, and Angelina Winn, 49, were discovered inside their Paradise Township home around 9 a.m. Friday after someone went to the house to check on them, officials said.
Oosse would not say how long the two women had been dead or what type of firearm was used.
Kelley and Winn were officers at the Oaks Correctional Facility near Manistee. Both spent most of their Michigan Department of Corrections careers at Pugsley Correctional Facility in Kingsley and moved to the Oaks in 2016, when Pugsley closed.
Kelley had worked for the department for 19 years and Winn for 20 years, department Director Heidi Washington said in a Friday email to employees.
Both officers "were valued members of the team at the Oaks and will be missed by many," Washington said.
"Please keep the family and colleagues of these employees in your thoughts and prayers," Washington said. "It is in these difficult times that having your MDOC family to rely on is so important."
Kelley was named Officer of the Year at Pugsley in 2013. Winn received the same honor there in 2014.
Michigan State Police are assisting with the investigation.
Members of the department's Wellness Unit were dispatched to the Oaks on Friday to talk with staff and help them cope with the loss, Washington said in the email.
Washington appointed an employee wellness program manager in May. A July study pointed to a "mental health crisis" among Michigan Department of Corrections workers, with high rates of suicide and stress, among other concerns.
Police say dead Northern Michigan corrections officers were shot
MLive
Oct 29, 2019
KINGSLEY, MI -- As the investigation into the deaths of Tara Kelley, 53, and Angelina Winn, 49, continues, police say the two women were shot to death, according to the Associated Press. Kelley and Winn were discovered Friday in their home on Walton Road in Paradise Township, near Kingsley.
Authorities in Grand Traverse County will not confirm if the deaths were part of a murder-suicide, but did say there is no threat to the public the AP reports. The women worked as corrections officers at Oaks Correctional Facility near Manistee since 2016.
Prior to that, the women worked at the Pugsley Correctional Facility in Kingsley, which was closed by the state. In 2013, Kelley was named officer of the year at Pugsley and Winn won the same award in 2014. The women worked for the Michigan Department of Corrections for about 20 years.
As news of the deaths spread, MDOC Director Heidi Washington sent an email to corrections officers across the state.
“Officers Tara Kelley and Angelina Winn were valued members of the team at the Oaks and will be missed by many,” said Washington’s email, which was obtained by MLive.
“Please keep the family and colleagues of these employees in your thoughts and prayers,” Washington’s email said. “It is in these difficult times, that having your MDOC family to rely on is so important.”
The investigation is being handled by the Grand Traverse Sheriff’s Office and the Michigan State Police. The autopsies will be conducted by the Medical Examiner’s Office in Kalamazoo.
No suspect sought in Kingsley deaths
Record Eagle
Nov 15, 2019
KINGSLEY — Investigators seek no suspects in the shooting deaths of corrections officers Angelina Winn and Tara Kelley.
Winn, 49, and Kelley, 53, were found in their Walton Road home the morning of Oct. 25, according to Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Department Capt. Randy Fewless. Investigators days later said the pair had been shot, but declined to go into further detail.
“I think it’s safe to say we do not believe there is anyone involved other than the … two people who are unfortunately deceased at this point,” Fewless said.
He wouldn’t say if investigators suspect a murder-suicide or suicide pact, noting the department is still waiting on autopsy results.
“Right now it doesn’t necessarily matter what we think happened — it’s going to be about what the medical examiner says happened in their official report,” Fewless said. “We’re still in a holding pattern.”
Kelley and Winn were Michigan Department of Corrections veterans, both with nearly 20 years under their belts. They joined the staff at Oaks Correctional Facility in Manistee after the Pugsley Facility near Kinglsey shuttered in 2016.
Fewless declined to elaborate on the pair’s relationship, but said they’d lived together and worked together for “a long time.”
The department has no history of domestic-related calls to the pair’s home, he added.
Kelley and Winn “will be missed by many,” MDOC Director Heidi Washington wrote in a letter to the pair’s coworkers last month.
“Today is a sad day for the MDOC family,” she wrote.
When they didn’t show up for their shift on Oct. 25, coworkers called a former colleague who lived nearby and asked that she check on the pair.
She found Kelley and Winn “inside the house, not moving,” Fewless said, and called 911.
Investigators confirmed their deaths on the scene and spent the next several hours searching the home and interviewing neighbors. They didn’t find any nearby residents who’d heard the shots, Fewless said.
“At this point in time, we’ve forwarded all of the results of our investigation to the medical examiner’s office,” he said.
Investigators expect autopsy reports within the next couple weeks, according to Fewless. He said toxicology reports for the women have been the primary source of delay.
“They (will) come back and write a report based on all of the information, which includes the examination of the bodies, the toxicology, as well as the police investigation,” Fewless said. “So they take all of those things into account.”
Deaths of Kingsley Women Ruled Murder-Suicide
9 and 10 News
December 3, 2019
The Grand Traverse Sheriff’s Office just released an update on a death investigation near Kingsley.
Deputies now say Tara Kelley shot Angelina Winn multiple times, killing her.
They say Kelley then turned the gun on herself.
Deputies say the two women lived together in their Paradise Township home back in October.
They say the two had been drinking before the shooting.
The women also worked at the Oaks Correctional Facility in Manistee.
Deputies are now calling this case a murder-suicide.
Autopsy: Women found dead in Kingsley home died as result of murder-suicide
Up North Live
December 03, 2019
GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) -- The results of the autopsies of two women found dead inside a Grand Traverse County home in October have been released.
According to investigators, Angelina Winn and Tara Kelley died as a result of as a murder-suicide.
Medical examiners said Winn died of multiple gunshot wounds to the head and torso.
Investigators said Kelley died of a close-range gunshot wound to the head.
Winn died of homicide and Kelley died by suicide, said investigators.
The bodies of Winn and Kelley were found inside a home on Walton Road in Kingsley on the morning of October 25.
Records indicate Winn and Kelley were employees of the Michigan Department of Corrections at the Oaks Correctional Facility in Manistee.
Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office Captain Randy Fewless said the weapon used was a 40 caliber glock pistol that was registered to Kelley.
According to Fewless, an argument between Winn and Kelley happened prior to the shooting but it is unknown at this time of exactly when it happened.
Investigators are waiting on information from the family before releasing anything on the nature of the relationship between Winn and Kelley and what led up to the shooting.
Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office Captain Randy Fewless said the weapon used was a 40 caliber glock pistol that was registered to Kelley.
According to Fewless, an argument between Winn and Kelley happened prior to the shooting but it is unknown at this time of exactly when it happened.
Investigators are waiting on information from the family before releasing anything on the nature of the relationship between Winn and Kelley and what led up to the shooting.
2 Michigan corrections officers died in murder-suicide, autopsies show
Grand Rapids Press
December 3, 2019
KINGSLEY, MI — Autopsy results for two women found dead in a Northern Michigan home in October have been released.
According to UpNorthLive, Tara Kelley, 53, and Angelina Winn, 49, died as a result of a murder-suicide. The women's bodies were discovered on Oct. 25 in a home on Walton Road in Paradise Township, near Kingsley.
According to investigators, Winn died of homicide and Kelley died by suicide, the TV station reported.
Both women were corrections officers at Oaks Correctional Facility, according to Michigan Department of Corrections.
Kingsley deaths ruled 'murder-suicide'
Record Eagle
December 03, 2019
KINGSLEY — Weeks later, investigators have ruled the deaths of two Kingsley-based corrections officers a murder-suicide.
Tara Kelley, 53, and Angelina Winn, 49, were found dead in their Walton Road home by a former coworker on the morning of Oct. 25, 2019.
Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Department investigators initially released few details to the public beyond the pair's cause of death — gunshot wounds.
Now, autopsy reports show Kelley died of a self-inflicted shot and her longtime roommate, Winn, suffered several gunshot wounds to the head and torso at Kelley's hand, Capt. Randy Fewless said Tuesday.
Both had been drinking and were "well above" the legal limit, he added.
"We believe that there was an argument that day that preempted the shooting," Fewless said Tuesday.
Kelley and Winn both served as Michigan Department of Corrections officers at The Oaks Correctional Facility in Manistee. Both MDOC veterans, they'd also worked at Pugsley Correctional Facility near Kingsley before the prison was shuttered.
Fewless declined to elaborate on the nature of the pair's relationship, only saying they'd lived together for several years.
Investigation: Argument possibly led to murder-suicide
Record Eagle
Dec 4, 2019
KINGSLEY — An investigation into a murder-suicide involving two Michigan Department of Corrections officers revealed an argument amid a faltering relationship as a possible motive.
Angelina Winn and Tara Kelley were a couple who lived together near Kingsley for several years, Grand Traverse Sheriff’s Capt. Randy Fewless said.
The two also worked together at Oaks Correctional Facility in Manistee.
Winn, 49, was texting another woman on Oct. 23, two days before Winn and Kelley didn’t show up for work, Fewless said. Texts and interviews with the woman, who also works at Oaks, showed Winn’s replies abruptly stopped at 10:17 p.m.
Investigations revealed that Kelley, 53, knew Winn was communicating with another woman, and a letter from the woman to Winn suggested a relationship between the two was starting, Fewless said.
“We believe that may have precipitated this, that there may have been an argument that night over the texting and a new relationship beginning to form,” he said.
If true, that argument ended when Kelley shot Winn several times with a Glock .40-caliber pistol as Winn sat in a recliner before Kelley shot herself, Fewless said.
Nothing indicated Kelley planned the killing ahead of time, Fewless said.
Autopsies showed both women were drinking that night, with Kelley having a .36 blood-alcohol content and Winn, .22, Fewless said. Investigators also found wine glasses nearby.
Interviewers learned that Kelley and Winn had a big argument a few days prior, and Winn told the woman she was texting that she was considering moving out if things didn’t improve, Fewless said.
A former colleague who lived nearby found the two women after they didn’t show up for work on Oct. 25 — totally unlike the two model employees who were never late, Fewless said. A sergeant at Oaks asked the colleague to check on them, and she could tell their vehicles were still in their garage. She let the sergeant know, who called central dispatch to request a wellness check.
Deputies were on their way when the colleague went behind the couple’s house and could see Kelley on the floor through a window, Fewless said. She broke the glass and got in.
The investigation into Winn and Kelley’s deaths is all but over, Fewless said. He’s waiting for a crime scene report from the Michigan State Police, and their findings didn’t contradict anything revealed through autopsies and interviews, Fewless said.
He reiterated how the two women’s deaths is a tragedy for both of their families.
It came as a shock to Kelley and Winn’s friends and colleagues as well, with former coworker Andrea Slater recalling them as funny, big-hearted women with a soft spot for cats, a love of motorcycles and a passion for the outdoors.
Friends remember Kingsley pair dead in 'murder-suicide'
Record Eagle
Dec 4, 2019
KINGSLEY — To Andrea Slater, Angelina Winn and Tara Kelley were soft-hearted cat lovers who couldn’t turn away a fluffy stray.
It’s a better memory than the day she heard Winn, 49, and Kelley, 53, were found dead in their shared home on the morning of Oct. 25.
After a month of few answers and tight lips, autopsy reports classify the death as a murder-suicide — Kelley apparently shot Winn several times before killing herself, according to Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Department Capt. Randy Fewless.
“It was like a bomb being dropped,” said Slater, a former coworker to the pair of longtime corrections officers. “My mind is blown at their passing.”
Slater, a former coworker who met the pair on the job at Pugsley Correctional Facility about 18 years ago, said Kelley and Winn — or rather, Tara and Angie — were loving cat owners and avid motorcycle enthusiasts.
In a recent chat, they’d shared their enthusiasm over building a new shed to house their Harley Davidson bikes, Slater recalled.
“They loved their cats, they loved their motorcycles, they loved their time away from their job. And they loved their families,” she said. “They were funny women.
“They had big hearts.”
The pair often helped Slater trap stray cats — she runs a nonprofit that spays/neuters and then releases homeless cats — and had a pack of their own “kitties” at home. They found their most recent addition, a “little, all-black fluffy wonder,” at work and he wiggled his way into their hearts, Slater said.
They were also “outdoor gals,” often out on hikes or kayaking, or enjoying a family game night.
“They were valued members of the MDOC team — especially at Oaks Correctional Facility,” said MDOC Spokeswoman Holly Kramer. “They were good employees who were well-liked by their colleagues.”
Both were seasoned corrections officers — Winn with 20 years under her belt and Kelley with 19. They started their careers at Pugsley Correctional Facility near Kingsley, moving to Oaks Correctional Facility in Manistee in 2016 when Pugsley was shuttered.
Kramer says neither had any disciplinary actions on their files and were model employees — in 2013 and 2014, Kelley and Winn were respectively named officers of the year.
“This really took everyone by surprise,” Kramer said. “We were really shocked and heartbroken by the death of these two officers and the manner in which they occurred.”
They worked in a taxing field, said Slater, who left corrections several years ago.
But she said Kelley and Winn were talented compartmentalizers and always left work at work.
“When they clocked out and left work and took their uniforms off, that was that,” Slater said. “It was like — ‘This is my job, this is not who I am.’”
She fondly remembers a summer afternoon visit from Kelley and Winn. They’d seemed happy and well-adjusted.
It makes their deaths difficult to believe.
“These gals, they just were too well-balanced,” Slater said. “I just find it hard to believe that their deaths are what they say they are.
“Maybe they had a pact, maybe there was a health problem, maybe they had one too many beers. I just don’t buy it.”
Patrol cars swarmed Kelley and Winn’s Fife Lake Township home that Oct. 25 morning, lingering through the afternoon to probe the scene and survey neighbors.
When Kelley and Winn didn’t show for their shift, coworkers called a former colleague who lived nearby and asked she check in on them.
She found Kelley and Winn “inside the house, not moving,” and called 911.
Investigators believe an argument broke out and escalated, Fewless said Tuesday morning.
He added that Kelley and Winn both registered a BAC “well above” .08.
They found no notes at the scene, and the gun used, a 40-caliber Glock, was registered to Kelley. Fewless previously told the Record-Eagle the department had no record of domestic-related calls to the pair’s Walton Road home.
“It’s a tragedy for both these families, really,” Fewless said.
Investigators were still contacting the pair’s families Tuesday morning.
“For the world to be missing out on them, now, is wrong,” Slate said. “It’s just wrong.”
State workers died in murder-suicide
Love triangle preceded women's shooting deaths, police say
Detroit News
December 11, 2019
Paradise Township – The shooting deaths of two female northern Michigan corrections officers at their home in late October has been determined to be a murder-suicide and believed to be a "crime of passion," according to the Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office.
Autopsy results confirm that Angelina Winn, 49, died from multiple gunshot wounds, and her death was a homicide. Winn was shot six times, including in the head and chest, according to Capt. Randy Fewless of the sheriff's office.
Winn was sitting in a recliner at the time.
Tara Kelley, 53, died of a close-range gunshot to the head, Fewless said. Her death was ruled a suicide. She was found a short distance away from Winn.
Both women were intoxicated at the time. Winn had a blood alcohol level of 0.22, Kelley of 0.36.
"I think it was probably something where (Kelley) just had had enough and went and got her gun from upstairs and came down and basically ambushed her in the chair," said Fewless, describing the incident as being fueled by jealousy on Kelley's part.
Police confirmed Winn was romantically involved with another female who lived in the Manistee area, near where she and Kelley worked as corrections officers. Investigators reached out to that woman, who confirmed she'd been texting with Winn on Oct. 23 when, about 10 p.m., "the texting just stopped," Fewless said.
The women were scheduled to work on the morning of Oct. 25, but when neither showed up, prison staff thought it was strange for two women considered "great employees," Fewless said. A staff member stopped by the home and saw Kelley's legs on the floor.
"She knew something was wrong," Fewless said. "She ended up calling dispatch, and we sent units down and started the investigation at that point."
The weapon recovered was a privately owned firearm, Fewless said.
Michigan Department of Corrections spokeswoman Holly Kramer said Winn and Kelley were well-liked corrections officers at Oaks Correctional Facility in Manistee and their deaths came as a surprise to their 304 colleagues.
"We were really shocked and heartbroken at the tragic death of these officers and the manner in which it occurred," Kramer said Tuesday. "It has been a very difficult time for their colleagues at the facility."
The two were well respected: Kelley was officer of the year at Pugsley Correctional Facility in 2013, and Winn took home the award the following year.
The department's wellness unit has been at the Manistee facility working with co-workers, Kramer said.
Love triangle preceded murder-suicide of corrections officers, police say
Detroit News
December 11, 2019
Paradise Township - The shooting deaths of two female northern Michigan corrections officers at their home in late October has been determined to be a murder-suicide and believed to be a "crime of passion," according to the Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office.
Autopsy results confirm that Angelina Winn, 49, died from multiple gunshot wounds, and her death was a homicide. Winn was shot six times, including in the head and chest, according to Capt. Randy Fewless of the sheriff's office.
Winn was sitting in a recliner at the time.
Tara Kelley, 53, died of a close-range gunshot to the head, Fewless said. Her death was ruled a suicide. She was found a short distance away from Winn.
Both women were intoxicated at the time. Winn had a blood alcohol level of 0.22, Kelley of 0.36.
"I think it was probably something where (Kelley) just had had enough and went and got her gun from upstairs and came down and basically ambushed her in the chair," said Fewless, describing the incident as being fueled by jealousy on Kelley's part.
Police confirmed Winn was romantically involved with another female who lived in the Manistee area, near where she and Kelley worked as corrections officers. Investigators reached out to that woman, who confirmed she'd been texting with Winn on Oct. 23 when, about 10 p.m., "the texting just stopped," Fewless said.
The women were scheduled to work on the morning of Oct. 25, but when neither showed up, prison staff thought it was strange for two women considered "great employees," Fewless said. A staff member stopped by the home and saw Kelley's legs on the floor.
"She knew something was wrong," Fewless said. "She ended up calling dispatch, and we sent units down and started the investigation at that point."
The weapon recovered was a privately owned firearm, Fewless said.
Michigan Department of Corrections spokeswoman Holly Kramer said Winn and Kelley were well-liked corrections officers at Oaks Correctional Facility in Manistee and their deaths came as a surprise to their 304 colleagues.
"We were really shocked and heartbroken at the tragic death of these officers and the manner in which it occurred," Kramer said Tuesday. "It has been a very difficult time for their colleagues at the facility."
The two were well respected: When they were working at Pugsley Correctional Facility prior to the Oaks facility, Kelley was officer of the year in 2013, and Winn took home the award the following year.
The department's wellness unit has been at the Manistee facility working with co-workers, Kramer said.
