Update on tragic murder-suicide near Cambridge
Father reportedly kills 5-year-old son, then turns gun on himself
by Z. Daniel Barnett - Published: January 18, 2013
Guernsey County authorities have released an update on the shooting deaths of a Cambridge man and his 5-year-old son.
According to Sheriff Mike McCauley, 36-year-old Russell Ball is believed to have taken his son Jacob’s life with a shotgun on Tuesday night before turning the gun on himself. The bodies of the father and son were not found until around 3:45pm on Wednesday. Reports indicate that the boy’s mother requested a well-being check at Ball’s Piedmont Road residence. Deputies forced entry into the locked home shortly thereafter to discover the scene of the apparent murder-suicide.
Sheriff McCauley said that the crime was likely motivated by marital strife. Detectives also said on Thursday that Ball had been unemployed for several years. Court documents in Guernsey County did not suggest Ball had history of violence, though he is said to have threatened to harm himself on Tuesday evening.
The bodies of Russell and Jacob Ball have been sent to the Licking County Coroner’s Office for autopsy. Sheriff McCauley said that no other parties are suspected in the crime.
