Kayla Paetow, 20, a white female, died on August 6, 2014, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Obituaries published that week reported that she “died at her home,” and listed funeral services for August 11 at Turner County First Presbyterian Church near Davis with burial at Hurley Cemetery.
That afternoon, a relative heard gunshots just before 2 p.m. and discovered Paetow and her fiancé, 32-year-old John Ernest Vigus, dead inside their central Sioux Falls residence.
Police described the incident as a murder-suicide, stating that Vigus shot Paetow before turning the gun on himself; investigators said the motive was unclear.
No arrests were made because the suspected shooter died at the scene. Subsequent listings and memorial pages continued to classify the case as a murder-suicide and to commemorate Paetow’s life, while friends and relatives gathered to mourn at the services noted in her obituary.
