In the late spring of 2015, the community of Buena Vista, Virginia, was shaken by the tragic death of Rita Kay Rowles. A 51-year-old female, Ms. Rowles lost her life to gun violence on May 28, 2015. The incident that led to her untimely passing was investigated by the Rockbridge County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities responded to a distress call that led them to the discovery of Ms. Rowles and a male individual, both of whom had sustained fatal gunshot wounds. The initial investigation by law enforcement pointed towards a murder-suicide, with the belief that the man shot Ms. Rowles before turning the weapon on himself.
At the time, investigators worked to piece together the events that culminated in the deadly encounter. While the investigation was ongoing, the preliminary assessment of the scene and evidence suggested a contained incident without an ongoing threat to the public. As a result of the circumstances being classified as a murder-suicide, there were no arrests made or suspects sought in connection with the death of Rita Kay Rowles. The case, therefore, did not proceed to the stages of charges, trials, or convictions.
