Olds death ruled a suicide
Posted: 04.27.2012 at 3:40 PM
The scene outside of the Harville home.  / Tess Hedrick
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OLDS, IOWA -- The Wednesday death of an Olds, Iowa man has been ruled a suicide.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety stated in a press release on Friday that 43-year old John A. Harville had died from a self inflicted gun shot wound.

The sleepy town of Olds was rattled on Wednesday when Henry County Sheriff's Deputies and Iowa State Patrol Troopers descended on the Harville home at 201 South Smith Street.

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Around 4:30 that afternoon, Debra Layton-Harville, 50,  had placed a 9-1-1 call telling the dispatcher that she had been badly beaten by her husband, John.

During the course of the call, a single gun shot was heard in the background.

When officers arrived on the scene the found Debra suffering from multiple wounds to the face. She told officers that her husabnd had tied her up and assaulted her for hours.

When officers searched the residence, they found John dead in the kitchen, holding a.380 semi-automatic handgun.

He was declared dead at the scene. Debra Layton-Harville was transported to University of Iowa Hospitals for treatment.

There is no report on her condition.


Original KTVO story

Complete Press Release from the DPS

Olds, IOWA --- On April 25, 2012, at approximately 4:30 PM, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa State Patrol responded to a 911 call placed from a residence in Olds, Iowa.  The caller, 50 year old Debra Layton-Harville, informed the dispatcher that she had been badly beaten by her husband, 43 year old John A Harville. She indicated that Mr. Harville was still at the residence and had a gun. While Layton-Harville was speaking to the dispatcher, a single gunshot was heard in the background.

Upon arriving at the residence, located at 201 South Smith Street, officers made contact with Debra Layton-Harville who had sustained multiple injuries to her face.  Debra Layton-Harville reported that she had been tied up and assaulted by her husband for several hours.  Officers searched the remainder of the residence and discovered John Harville on the kitchen floor with an apparent gunshot wound to the head.  Upon further examination, a .380 semi-automatic handgun was located in John Harville’s hand. John Harville was pronounced dead at the scene. Debra Layton-Harville was transported to the University of Iowa Hospital to receive treatment for her injuries.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, with the assistance of the Henry County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa State Patrol, conducted an investigation into the domestic assault and the death of John Harville.  An autopsy was conducted at the University of Iowa’s Decedent Care Center, which determined that Harville died as the result of a close contact gunshot wound to the head, consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

As a result of the investigation and autopsy, John Harville’s death has been ruled a suicide.