In the quiet town of Canon City, Colorado, the summer of 2014 was marked by a tragedy that shook the local community, particularly its law enforcement family. Priscilla Samento, a 49-year-old woman and a dedicated dispatcher for the Canon City Police Department for 21 years, became the victim of a devastating act of violence on June 12, 2014.
Concerns were raised when Priscilla, known for her reliability, failed to appear for her late-night shift and was not answering her phone.
Officers were dispatched to her home in the 700 block of Whipple Avenue to conduct a welfare check. What they discovered inside was a scene of heartbreak and loss. Priscilla was found deceased, the victim of a fatal gunshot wound. Alongside her was the body of her 56-year-old husband, Daniel Samento.
The investigation that followed revealed a grim sequence of events. Authorities concluded that Daniel, a retired Canon City Police Officer with 30 years of service, had shot and killed his wife before turning the gun on himself in a murder-suicide. This conclusion meant there were no suspects to be pursued and no arrests to be made, leaving a community to grapple with the shock and sorrow of their loss.
Neighbors and friends of the couple expressed their profound disbelief, describing the incident as an inconceivable and heart-wrenching loss. Some had observed a recent decline in Daniel's physical and mental health, noting that while he was still a 'super guy,' it was evident he was struggling with personal issues. In the aftermath, it was reported that an antidepressant had been prescribed to Daniel for depression, though it was not found in his system at the time of the autopsy. The tragic event left the Canon City Police Department mourning the loss of two of their own, not just as colleagues but as members of their extended family.
