Wilma Louise Aaron, an 86 year old white female from the Benton/West City area of Franklin County, Illinois, died on January 25, 2018. That afternoon, West City police were called by a relative to a home in the 400 block of South Central Street, where officers found Wilma and her husband, 86 year old Billie Gene Aaron, dead from gunshot wounds. Preliminary autopsy findings and the coroner's early assessment indicated the scene was a murder-suicide.
Investigators reported recovering a note written by Billie Gene Aaron and noted that both he and his wife had been facing recent health challenges. Illinois State Police crime-scene specialists were brought in to assist with processing the residence, and community records of gun-violence deaths list Wilma among those lost on that date in the Benton/West City area.
No arrests were made. Authorities identified the sole suspect as Wilma's husband, Billie Gene Aaron, who died by suicide at the scene, and stated they did not anticipate evidence of third-party involvement. The case was treated as a domestic murder-suicide, and there were no outstanding suspects.
