HINTON, W.Va. — Summers County Sheriff Garry Wheeler says a bloody crime scene where his deputies were called Monday was not for one with a weak stomach. Inside the home at Forest Hill deputies found the dead bodies of Wayne Gadd, 79, and his wife Patti Gadd, 73.
“They were both shot, there’s no doubt about that,” said Wheeler of the victims. “Mom was confirmed shot twice. Dad was shot once, we’re kind of suspecting he might have been shot twice and we’re waiting on information from the medical examiner’s office.”
Wheeler said the crime scene was a bloody mess. Patti Gadd’s body had been moved into the bedroom leaving a blood trail from where she had been shot. They had been dead at least three days. Probably longer according to Wheeler. They were called to the home by the couple’s son, John Edward Gadd, 44. The younger Gadd told deputies he shot his father in self defense.
“It’s just kind of a bungled up thing,” said Wheeler. “There was an accidental shooting of his mother by his dad and then he shot his dad to protect himself. That’s his story.”
Wheeler thought Gadd’s story has a lot of unanswered questions. He was most confused by his delay in contacting authorities after they died.
“That was my first question, why didn’t he call when it was fresh,” Wheeler explained. “If it was an accidental shooting and self defense, call us day one when it’s fresh and you might be good to go. I don’t know why he didn’t call. I wish I knew.”
John Gadd was charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of concealing a dead body. Wheeler said murder charges were pending, but they were awaiting the autopsy report from the Medical Examiner.
It’s the fifth murder in Summers County this year, something Wheeler said is highly uncommon. Even more uncommon have been the circumstances. Two of the victims were burned up in a fire and the Gadd story was completely bizarre according to the Sheriff.
“This is stuff you hear about it big cities like New York and Chicago and places like that,” he said. “It’s not something you hear about in Summers, or for that matter even in Raleigh or Kanawha Counties. It’s just bizarre.”