In the summer of 2016, a domestic dispute in Milledgeville, Georgia, escalated into a heartbreaking tragedy that ended the life of 65-year-old Ola Steele. On the evening of Wednesday, July 13th, a heated argument between Steele and her husband, Will Steele Sr., at their Baywood Drive home took a fatal turn. The altercation culminated in Will Steele fatally shooting his wife before turning the weapon on himself.
Authorities were alerted to the unfolding horror by a 911 call that
originated in Newton County from an individual who was on the phone with Ola Steele and heard a gunshot. When Baldwin County sheriff's deputies arrived at the residence, they discovered both Ola and Will Steele with gunshot wounds to the chest. Ola Steele, a retiree from Central State Hospital, was pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 11:05 p.m.
Her husband, 61-year-old Will Steele Sr., was initially treated by first responders and then transported to Oconee Regional Medical Center. He was later transferred to Navicent Health in Macon, where he succumbed to his self-inflicted injuries in the early hours of the following morning. The Baldwin County Sheriff's Office investigated the incident and officially ruled it a murder-suicide.
The death of Ola Steele, who was described by those who knew her as a 'really nice lady,' left a void in her family and community. Her funeral services were held the following week at Parker Spring Baptist Church, with her burial at Holliman Grove Pentecostal Church Cemetery. She was survived by her six children, sixteen grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren, along with her sisters and a host of other relatives.
