ZIONSVILLE, Ind. – Two teens and their father were found dead in their home Friday morning after an apparent double murder-suicide.
The children, 15-year-old Harrison Hunn and 13-year-old Shelby Hunn, appear to have been shot while sleeping in their bedrooms by Michael Hunn, 50, before he killed himself at the small green and white home on County Road 900 East, the Boone County Sheriff’s office said.
“It’s a tragic event,” Sheriff Mike Nielsen said during a Friday afternoon press conference. “We just don’t have the answers sometimes of why these things occur.”
Hunn and the children’s mother, Stephanie Reece, divorced in November 2017. The children were staying with their father on a scheduled custody visit.
Zionsville Community Schools called Reece, who coaches girls’ tennis for the high school, at 9:35 a.m. Friday to let her know neither Harrison nor Shelby showed up for class, police said. Harrison was in high school, and Shelby was in middle school.
When Reece could not get ahold of anyone over cell phone, she drove to her ex-husband’s house. Police received a call from Reece around 10:30 a.m. asking for a welfare check. Deputies who arrived on the scene found the Hunns dead in the home.
During the press conference, Nielsen said Reece had no reason to believe Harrison or Shelby were in any danger and that the couple’s divorce was not contentious.
“We may never find out why this occurred, but we will do the best we can to try to find the answers for the family,” Nielsen said.
However, court filings show ongoing disputes after the divorce.
Harrison and Shelby complained that their father had a drinking problem, according to records obtained by the IndyStar. It apparently hindered his ability to care for them or drive them around.
Hunn was scheduled to appear in court Sept. 28. The IndyStar reported the hearing was for missed child support payments and other unpaid fees.
Police said investigation into a definitive motive is still ongoing.
Hunn’s home, which includes an old barn and at least one other small structure, is located in a relatively rural area of Boone County. The few houses nearby are mostly spread out between large fields.
Nanette Shoemaker, manager of the nine-hole Hickory Bend Golf Course course about a half a mile down from CR 900, was working Friday morning when she noticed police had gathered in the area and blocked off the street.
She said she was concerned something had happened with her cousin, who also lives nearby, so she and a friend hopped onto a golf cart and drove over to see what was going on.
Zionsville is generally a quiet and good community, Shoemaker said, save for a few drug issues. Still, she was surprised a crime like this could happen.
“We don’t have much excitement out here at all, really,” Shoemaker said.
Police left around 5 p.m. or so Friday.
Most of the scene was cleaned up by Saturday morning. The only sign anything had happened at the home was a strip of yellow police tape twisted down the green porch railing.
