On the evening of February 20, 2015, the quiet community of Maumelle, Arkansas, was disturbed by a house fire at 151 Auriel Circle. First responders arrived at the scene to find a grim discovery within the smoke-filled residence. Inside, lay the bodies of 31-year-old Elizabeth Wilbanks, her brother, Dr. James Wilbanks, 41, and his wife, Tatiana 'Tanya' Wilbanks, 27.
All three had suffered fatal gunshot wounds.
Investigators from the Maumelle Police Department, in collaboration with the Arkansas State Crime Lab, pieced together the tragic events of that night. Their findings revealed a horrific double murder-suicide. The evidence indicated that Dr. James Wilbanks, an assistant professor of management at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, had shot and killed his sister, Elizabeth, and his wife, Tatiana. Following the murders, he intentionally set the house on fire before turning the gun on himself. The family's two dogs were also found shot to death inside the home.
The shocking incident sent ripples of grief and disbelief through the community and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where Dr. Wilbanks was an accomplished researcher and professor. In the wake of the tragedy, the university made counseling services available to students and faculty to help them cope with the devastating loss. The families of Elizabeth and Tatiana Wilbanks reportedly received a life insurance payout, a small measure of financial relief in the face of their immeasurable sorrow. With the perpetrator deceased, authorities confirmed they were not seeking any other suspects and considered the case closed.
