In a tragic turn of events on a Saturday evening in South Bend, Indiana, Helen Higginbotham, a 71-year-old female, lost her life in a violent encounter. The incident, which unfolded on November 3, 2018, was later determined by the St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit to be a murder-suicide.
The perpetrator was identified as Higginbotham's 76-year-old ex-husband, Edward Zelasko. On that fateful evening at a residence on West Prairie Avenue, Zelasko fatally shot Higginbotham.
In addition to taking his ex-wife's life, he also shot and killed his dog before turning the gun on himself.
Authorities found that Higginbotham had died from her gunshot wounds, and her death was officially ruled a homicide. Zelasko, on the other hand, survived the initial self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. However, he succumbed to his injuries and passed away the following evening. An autopsy later confirmed that his death was a suicide. The investigation concluded that Zelasko was the sole individual responsible for Higginbotham's death.
