On May 13, 2024, a concerned family member arrived at a residence on Cedar Ridge Drive in Pacific, Missouri, after multiple failed attempts to contact the homeowners. Upon looking through a window of the home, the relative discovered the unresponsive bodies of two individuals inside. Authorities were immediately notified and arrived at the scene around 1:45 p.m., where they forced entry into the house.
Inside, they found 56-year-old female Mary Ann Gan deceased from a single gunshot wound.
Investigators from the Pacific Police Department and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office quickly determined that the tragic event was a murder-suicide. The second body found at the scene was identified as Mary's 26-year-old son, James Gan, who lived in the basement of the residence. Police concluded that James had shot his mother before turning the weapon on himself, sustaining a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The investigation revealed that the shooting likely occurred on May 12, which was Mother's Day, the date listed in Mary's official obituary.
Family members and the community were left in shock by the sudden violence. James Gan was a former U.S. Marine who had served for four years, including time stationed in Japan and Virginia, before returning to live with his mother in 2021. While relatives described him as a gentle person, they also noted he had been troubled and unemployed for roughly a year prior to the shooting. Mary was a well-known figure in the local community, having owned a business called Electric Tan & More and working at the local DMV. Because the sole suspect in the homicide died at the scene, there were no arrests, charges, or trials in connection with the case.
