SOUTHPORT — The untimely deaths of a Southport couple came at the end of a short-barrel shotgun in what appears to be a case of murder-suicide, authorities reported Monday.
Friends and family of the couple are now seeking community support for a family suddenly stricken with tragedy.
“We’re really trying to get help from anyone we can,” said Michael G. Cox, who discovered the bodies of his mother and boyfriend at the Southport home. “None of us have the money for a funeral.”
The Bay County Sheriff’s Office released preliminary findings Monday in the deaths of John Steve Bowen, 46, and Donna Maria Merendino, 44. Deputies were called to 1327 10th St. at about 7 p.m. Friday after Cox found the bodies. BCSO reported that preliminary autopsies corroborate BCSO Crime Scene Unit’s preliminary findings that Bowen killed Merendino with two shots from a short-barrel shotgun before turning the gun on himself.
Toxicology results are still pending, BCSO said.
Following the sudden tragedy, Cox said he and his siblings are trying to raise enough money to hold a service for Merendino. He has opened an account at Tyndall Federal Credit Union under the name Michael G. Cox and said the goal is to reach about $5,600.
Mindy Custer, a childhood friend of Merendino, said the incident came as a shock for all of Merendino’s friends and family members.
“She had the biggest heart,” Custer said. “She would have done anything in the world for anybody.”
An earlier version of this story is posted below.
SOUTHPORT — John Steve Bowen shot Donna Maria Merendino twice before turning the gun on himself, according to preliminary findings released by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office on Monday.
Autopsies were completed on Monday and a forensic analysis by the BCSO Crime Scene Unit corroborated the preliminary findings. Bowen, 46, killed Merendino, 44, with two shots from a short-barrel shotgun on Friday before killing himself, the BCSO reported. Toxicology reports are still pending.
Check back later for more on this story.