On a quiet Wednesday morning in Lawrenceville, tragedy unfolded in the 600 block of Clearwater Place: 39-year-old Rachel Free was found dead in her bedroom, and evidence suggests her partner, 51-year-old Embrey Watson, shot her as she slept before taking his own life.
Police were dispatched shortly after 9:40 a.m. after a reported shooting. When officers entered the home, they found both individuals dead in the bedroom, with a firearm recovered at the scene.
Investigators now believe that Watson had shot Free while she slept, and then turned the weapon on himself. The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office has taken custody of the two bodies, and autopsy results are pending to confirm the exact causes and manner of death.
Neighbors say the couple had endured a volatile relationship for about two decades. On the morning of the shooting, Free was reportedly preparing to end the relationship and move out of their shared home. That plan, neighbors and investigators suggest, may have triggered the tragic violence.
The location of the incident is in the River Park neighborhood, near the Yellow River, just west of Lawrenceville — close to the intersection of Lawrenceville Highway and Sugarloaf Parkway. Authorities have confirmed that there is no ongoing threat to the public.
As the community reels from the shock, investigators are continuing to piece together the final hours before the tragedy. Anyone with information has been urged to contact Gwinnett County detectives.
