On a tragic evening in Smith-Mills, Kentucky, Joshua L. Mallory, a 42-year-old Caucasian male, lost his life in a violent sequence of events that also claimed the lives of two other individuals. The incident unfolded on September 3, 2022, at a residence on KY 136 West. Kentucky State Police were dispatched to the scene around 8:30 p.m. following reports of a shooting.
Upon their arrival, officers discovered a grim scene outside the home. Arianna L.
Ziebell, 26, was found deceased with an apparent gunshot wound. Joshua Mallory was also found outside with critical injuries. He was immediately transported to a hospital in Evansville, Indiana, where he later succumbed to his wounds. Before he passed, information he provided led authorities to believe they were dealing with a potential hostage situation, as four children were inside the residence.
The investigation soon revealed the incident to be a double-murder-suicide perpetrated by 27-year-old Mason C. Quinn. Quinn and Mallory were friends and worked together at Gibbs Die Casting. On that fateful night, Mallory had received a distressing text message from Quinn, prompting him to go to Quinn's home in an attempt to de-escalate a volatile situation. When Mallory arrived, he found Ziebell attempting to leave. Quinn then fatally shot Ziebell before turning the gun on Mallory, shooting him multiple times in the stomach as Mallory tried to intervene and wrestle the weapon away.
With the initial belief that a hostage situation was in progress, the Emergency Response Team and the Kentucky State Police's Special Response Team were called to the scene. They were able to safely evacuate all four children from the house. Inside, authorities found Mason Quinn deceased from what was determined to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The investigation, conducted by the Kentucky State Police with assistance from the Henderson County Coroner's Office and the Kentucky Medical Examiner's Office, concluded with the determination that Quinn was the sole perpetrator in the tragic deaths of Arianna Ziebell and Joshua Mallory. No arrests were made as the suspect took his own life.
