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Wife and daughter among those killed in Huntington double-murder suicide

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Huntington Police Chief Phil Watkins says his department is continuing to investigate a double murder-suicide.

Clyde Crawford

The suspect Clyde Crawford, 52, of Huntington, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound along the banks of the Ohio River near McClelland Park Friday afternoon.

Crawford is accused of shooting and killing his wife Sharon Crawford, 51, and her daughter Alexis Beard, 26, Thursday in the 2700 block of North Staunton Road. A 20-month-old baby girl was injured.

“We obviously know it was domestic relationship as far as the husband and wife,” Watkins said.

Police would not reveal a motive for the shooting Monday.

“We still have to finish documenting everything out and processing all the information and evidence that had been collected Thursday Friday,” Watkins told MetroNews.

Huntington Police coordinated with the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department to have a K-9 Team begin tracking a scent from the scene of the shooting. The K-9, a bloodhound named “Bailey”, ultimately led officers to the area of McClelland Park, where Clyde Crawford’s body was found along the riverbank.

“We coordinated with the Kanawha and Putnam County’s Metro Drug Enforcement Network Team and they had an officer from the St. Albans Police Department who came down and actually flew a drone over the riverbank just north of the scene to help us search that area,” Watkins said.

West Virginia State Police, the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the A.T.F, and the West Virginia Division of Corrections Probation and Parole Service all assisted in the investigation.





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