MOOREFIELD, W.Va. — Moorefield Police Chief Steve Reckart had an uneasy feeling when he pulled up at the home of Moorefield Middle School teacher Joy Coby Wednesday morning. Mrs. Coby, a beloved and very reliable teacher, hadn’t shown up for work. Reckart got a call from the principal asking him to do a welfare check at her home.
Reckart arrived to find the house empty and her car missing. However, as he looked further for her, things became murky.
“There was a cat that was supposedly missing and she was suppose have taken the cat to the vet which turned out to be false. There was information concerning some possible domestic related issues,” said Reckart. “As we checked further it turned out that information was not adding up.”
Hardy County dispatchers were able to track Coby’s cell phone which was on the move in neighboring Virginia and finally stopped at a Wal-Mart in Staunton, Virginia where Virginia State Police were alerted.
“We were able to track the car through a number of locations,” said Reckert. “They waited until the suspect left the Wal-Mart and were going to do a welfare check on him and as they approached the vehicle, there was a self inflicted gunshot wound.”
Jared Connors, Coby’s boyfriend, was the shooting victim. He was kept on life support at the University of Virginia Medical Center in critical condition. Meanwhile, back in West Virginia the incident prompted a wider search for Coby by the Moorefield Police.
“It didn’t appear there was any scuffle and we knew they had been looking for the cat the night before, so we looked where we thought they might have gone,” Reckart explained. “When I found out this gentleman had a self-inflicted gunshot wound, we expanded the search and found the body.”
Coby had been shot. She was found about 400 yards from her home. Connors is the leading suspect, but isn’t expected to live. Reckart said they had been trying to contact Conners and learned throgh his family he was aware police wanted to speak with him.
“He knew. I had tried to make telephone contact with him early that morning,” he said. “The family members were trying to get hold of him by text and I have some text where he knew police were looking for him.”
Reckart said there was no record of police ever being called to the residence, but family members indicated there had been some tension in the relationship. Despite that tension, Coby’s murder, the first in Moorefield in seven years, hit the community hard.
“The community is very distraught about her death,” said Reckart. “Ballgames have been cancelled and there are grief counselors at the school. She was very well liked and it’s a big loss to our community.”
Coby leaves behind four children.