On Sunday, October 23, 2022, officers from the Neosho Police Department were dispatched to a residence in the 1000 block of Stratford Place in Neosho, Missouri, to conduct a death investigation. Upon entering the home, law enforcement discovered the bodies of two individuals, marking the grim conclusion to a domestic tragedy. Among the deceased was 78-year-old female Donna J.
Barnett, a retired bank teller who had lived at the residence with her husband.
Investigators determined that the incident was a murder-suicide committed by Donna’s husband, 87-year-old Charles Barnett. Evidence at the scene indicated that Charles had used a. 38 caliber firearm to shoot his wife before turning the weapon on himself. Both individuals were pronounced dead at the scene, and authorities confirmed that no other suspects were being sought in connection with the violence.
Because the perpetrator died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound during the commission of the crime, there were no arrests made, and no criminal charges were filed. The Neosho Police Department concluded their inquiry after establishing the sequence of events that led to the deaths of the couple, closing the case without a trial or conviction.
