Early Saturday morning, the quiet of the Miami-Valley suburbs was shattered when 34-year-old Jacob E. Prichard walked into a nightmare that his community is still trying to make sense of. According to authorities, he fatally shot his colleague, drove home, murdered his wife, loaded her body into the trunk of his car, and in what appears to be a final act of despair, ended his own life in the parking lot of the municipal building in West Milton.
At about 2 a.m. on October 25, 2025, Prichard arrived at the apartment of 25-year-old Jaime S. Gustitus in nearby Sugarcreek Township. A 911 caller reported waking to a pounding at the door; moments later a man wearing a gun threatened, “Get back in — we have a gun.” Investigators believe Prichard forced entry and shot Gustitus multiple times. The two were reported to be coworkers at Wright‑Patterson Air Force Base, though authorities have said the motive remains unknown.
After the attack, Prichard traveled home to the Carriage Trails neighborhood of Huber Heights, where he allegedly killed his 33-year-old wife, Jaymee M. Prichard. Authorities report he then loaded her body into the trunk of his vehicle and drove roughly 30 miles north to West Milton.
When Prichard pulled into the parking lot of the West Milton Municipal Building at approximately 4:22 a.m., surveillance footage showed his car arrive and the trunk open. Soon after, he reportedly fatally shot himself beside the vehicle. At 5:08 a.m., a West Milton patrol officer discovered the scene: Prichard dead next to his car, Jaymee’s body inside the trunk, and a handgun nearby.
In the hours of investigation that followed, the collective was gruesome and detailed: both Jaymee and Jacob died from gunshot wounds, and Gustitus was found dead at the condo in Sugarcreek Township. While the area of West Milton remains safe and the incident appears isolated, the collaboration among the West Milton Police Division, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and other local agencies is ongoing.
This tragedy has left two neighborhoods reeling. Friends and neighbors recall Gustitus as a caring and dedicated young woman, respected for her warm spirit. Jaymee is remembered as friendly, full of life, deeply loved by those around her. Local residents, shocked and heartbroken, have gathered at both scenes, placing flowers and candles to honor the lives lost. “We’re all shocked… heart-broken and sick to our stomachs about all this and worried about the kids,” one neighbor told reporters.
As investigations continue, officials say they have found no immediate threat to the public and believe the horrific chain of events began outside the West Milton limits. Motive remains elusive. “Our hearts go out to the families and friends affected by this senseless tragedy,” said Chief Doyle Wright of the West Milton Police Division. The ripples of this morning will be felt for a long time in two small Ohio towns now mourning more than just names on a police report.
