April J. Adkins Houston, a 53-year-old woman from Dover, Ohio, and identified as White/Caucasian, was found on the afternoon of June 1, 2025, inside the couple’s home on Gordon Road NW, where she was gravely wounded and later pronounced dead at Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital in Stark County. Deputies from the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office had been dispatched just after 1:30 p.m.; they discovered her husband, Robert S. “Bob” Houston, 64, deceased on a bed and April J.
Adkins Houston on the floor nearby. Early investigative findings pointed to a murder-suicide inside the residence as family and friends were preparing to gather later that day.
The Sheriff’s Office, its crime scene unit, and the Tuscarawas County Coroner’s Office processed the scene, while the Stark County Coroner assumed responsibility for the autopsy of April J. Adkins Houston because she was pronounced in Stark County. Detectives indicated they would analyze phones and other evidence to reconstruct the sequence of events. News outlets reported that authorities believed Robert Houston fatally shot April J. Adkins Houston before taking his own life.
Public records and memorial notices confirmed the identity and age of April J. Adkins Houston and the date of death, noting her roots in the Dover area and acknowledging the shock to relatives and friends. Separate entries documenting gun-violence incidents also logged the location and timing of the case.
No arrests were made. Investigators publicly described the case as an apparent domestic murder-suicide with the husband as the sole suspect, who died at the scene, and they did not announce any ongoing search for additional suspects. Authorities indicated the investigation would remain open pending final coroner determinations and evidentiary review, but there were no indications of any other person’s involvement.
