In what was determined to be a murder-suicide, 29-year-old Joseph Norman Banks, a male, was found deceased in his Mishawaka, Indiana home on the evening of Tuesday, July 20, 2021. The events unfolded shortly before 11 p.m. when the Mishawaka Police Dispatch Center received a distressing phone call from a male at a residence on Burdette Street, who stated that someone had been shot.
However, contact with the caller was lost as officers were dispatched to the scene.
Upon their arrival, officers were unable to make contact with anyone inside the home. After several unsuccessful attempts to establish communication, the SWAT team was called in to assist. Once inside, they discovered the bodies of Joseph Banks and 23-year-old Trevor Danneffel; both had sustained fatal gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene.
Subsequent autopsies confirmed the tragic sequence of events. The investigation revealed that Banks and Danneffel were in a romantic relationship and lived together. Evidence indicated that Danneffel shot and killed Banks before calling the police to report the shooting. Before officers could make contact, Danneffel then turned the gun on himself. With the case determined to be a murder-suicide, authorities concluded there was no ongoing threat to the public.
