Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Gonzales County, FL: Gonzales County husband, wife dead in apparent murder - suicide

ADVOCATE STAFF REPORT Originally published September 14, 2010 at 10:36 p.m., updated September 14, 2010 at 10:36 p.m.
GONZALES - A husband and wife died in an apparent murder-suicide on Monday in rural Gonzales County.

The wife, Patricia Ann West Ramos Hastings, 39, of Gonzales, was found dead from a gunshot wound in a rural area of Gonzales County near Interstate 10. The Gonzales County Sheriff's Office received the call at 7:15 p.m. Monday, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.

She was pronounced dead at the scene by Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Eulogio Melchor.

Then, two and a half hours later, dispatchers received a report of another body found on the railroad tracks between Gonzales and Harwood. The body was identified as Joe Hastings Jr., 47, the husband. He also died of a gunshot wound, Gonzales County Sheriff Glen Sachtleben said.

Melchor pronounced the husband dead at the scene.

He ordered autopsies be performed on both bodies. The bodies were sent to the Travis County Medical Office in Austin.

Sachtleben said this appeared to be a murder-suicide.

"What can I say? Sometimes people just go crazy," Sachtleben said.

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