On an autumn day in Grantville, Kansas, the life of 61-year-old Hispanic male, James V. Chavez, was tragically cut short in an act of violence that also claimed another life. On October 25, 2017, Chavez was visiting a neighbor, 64-year-old Penny J. Nelson, at her home on Detlor Road, just outside of Grantville. What began as a visit between friends, and rumored boyfriend and girlfriend, turned into a scene of horror.
Authorities were called to the residence to investigate a shooting, and
upon arrival, they discovered the bodies of Chavez and Nelson. Chavez was found on the front porch of the house, while Nelson was discovered in the kitchen. Both had been shot and killed. The investigation quickly led authorities to identify a suspect, 66-year-old Harlan T. Gleason, who was Nelson's brother.
As law enforcement, including the Kansas Highway Patrol SWAT team, secured the scene, they found Gleason deceased inside a bedroom of the home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The investigation concluded that Gleason had shot and killed both his sister, Penny J. Nelson, and James V. Chavez before taking his own life. Due to the perpetrator's suicide, no arrests were made in connection with the double murder. The motive for the shootings was not definitively determined, with law enforcement suggesting at the time that it appeared to be a spur-of-the-moment act. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation assisted the local sheriff's office in the investigation.
