On the night of Sunday, October 5, 2025, a tragic sequence of events unfolded at a residence in the Oakville neighborhood of St. Louis County, Missouri. Police officers from the South County Precinct were dispatched to a home in the 100 block of Chinon Drive at approximately 11:36 p.m. following a call reporting a shooting. Upon their arrival at the scene, law enforcement officials entered the residence and discovered two individuals suffering from gunshot wounds. Despite the immediate response of emergency services, both subjects were pronounced deceased at the scene, prompting the St. Louis County Police Department’s Bureau of Crimes Against Persons to initiate a homicide investigation.
Detectives examining the physical evidence and circumstances within the home determined that the incident was a murder-suicide. The investigation revealed that the 77-year-old female victim, Nicki Ketterling, had been shot and killed by her husband, Larry Ketterling. After inflicting the fatal injuries upon his wife, authorities concluded that Larry, who was also 77, turned the firearm on himself. Because the sole suspect in the homicide died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, no arrests were made, and police did not pursue any other suspects in connection with the case.
Nicki was a long-time resident of the area who was known for her background as a teacher, librarian, and active member of the local theater community. Born in South Dakota, she had moved to St. Louis decades prior and was deeply involved in volunteer work and the arts. The violent conclusion to the couple's lives shocked the surrounding community, as they had been married for over fifty years and raised five children together. The police inquiry remained active in the immediate aftermath to formally close the case, but officials confirmed that the tragedy was an isolated domestic event with no further threat to the public.
