On March 27, 2023, 57-year-old Michele Lee Elliott was found deceased in her Union Township home in Miami County, Ohio, from an apparent gunshot wound. The discovery occurred after 58-year-old Brian E. Mason approached the Miamisburg Police Department, stating he had accidentally shot Elliott while demonstrating the use of a firearm she had requested. Mason claimed that during the demonstration, the gun discharged, striking Elliott in the chest. Panicking, he covered her body with a blanket and left the scene.
Following his admission, deputies conducted a welfare check at Elliott's residence, where they observed blood through a window and subsequently found her body inside. Mason was taken into custody and initially charged with murder. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on March 28 and was held on a $1 million bond.
In June 2023, a grand jury indicted Mason on charges of reckless homicide with a firearm specification and having a weapon under disability due to a prior drug-related conviction. If convicted of the firearm specification, Mason faces an additional three-year sentence. His bond was increased to $25,000, and a trial was scheduled for June 27, 2023.
Elliott, a graduate of Milton Union High School and Wright State University, was remembered for her love of horses, cooking, and family. She is survived by her parents, Melvin J. and Sondra Elliott, and her brother, Mark Elliott. Funeral services were held on April 3, 2023, at North Riverdale Lutheran Church in Dayton, followed by interment at Ehrstine Cemetery in Trotwood.
