Family of 5, including 3 kids, found dead in Ohio home with gunshot wounds: What to know
A family of five, including three children, were found dead at a Lake Township home Thursday evening, the Uniontown Police Department said.
Officers were called to a home in the 13000 block of Carnation Avenue about 7:30 p.m. to perform a welfare check. When they got there, the release said, five family members were found dead inside the home.
Officers believe the incident was a domestic dispute that became deadly. The incident is being investigated as a quadruple homicide-suicide.
Who are the victims?
Harry Campbell, chief investigator of the Stark County Coroner's Office, identified the deceased as Jason Dunham, 46, Melissa Dunham, 42, and their children Renee, 15, Amber, 12, and Evan, 9.
All died from multiple gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at 9:52 p.m, Campbell said.
No other people were believed to be involved.
What do police say happened?
Uniontown Police Chief Michael Batchik said Jason's handgun was used in the shooting, but it was not known as of Friday afternoon who fired the shots. He said Jason and Melissa had permits to carry concealed weapons.
Batchik said one of Melissa's coworkers asked police to check on her because she had not heard from Melissa in two days. A police officer and a sergeant arrived at the home to find packages at the front door and accumulated mail in the box.
All the family's vehicles were present. Police entered the home with a neighbor's help. They found family members in their bedrooms.
The chief said the crime was the worst he has seen in his career.
"For me, this is the worst one I've ever been involved with in 23 years in law enforcement, and I've spent all 23 years out here in Uniontown," Batchik said.
Uniontown police had no reports or records of previously responding to the Dunhams' address, according to a dispatcher.
Children were students at Lake Local School District
The three children were students at the Lake Local School District, which said counselors would be available.
Lake Local Superintendent Kevin Tobin said he was notified around 9 p.m. Thursday by the Uniontown police chief. He said the students included a ninth grader who was in the band, a seventh grader, both girls, and a third grade boy.
The district has mobilized its crisis response team. Tobin met with administrators and counselors Friday morning.
Counselors, mental health professionals and other resources are meeting with students and staff, he said.
"We alerted our parents and our staff (about the tragedy)," Tobin said. "And we have counselors and others meeting (with kids) as we speak. We are working through this as calm and compassionate as we can."
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The ninth grader, Tobin said, was heavily involved in the band. The band was slated to attend an away football game at Boardman Friday evening.
"This is going to impact them. They are a family and it is almost two years to the day when we lost another band student after surgery," Tobin said. "It's a very, very tragic incident and we will just rally as a school community and as Lake Local community."
He added the pastoral society and other agencies will help the staff and students, as well as the community.
Who was Melissa Dunham?
According to LinkedIn, Melissa Dunham was a partner at Bober Markey Fedorovich & Co., an accounting firm based in Fairlawn. The firm announced in June that Dunham had been appointed as a new partner.
Dunham specialized in corporate tax returns and her expertise in Employer Retention Credit program reimbursements had been instrumental in optimizing benefits for the firm's clients during the pandemic, according to the firm's site.
"With a career spanning nearly two decades at BMF, Melissa has demonstrated exceptional leadership and contributed significantly to the firm’s success," the announcement read.
The announcement also noted that Dunham had received many accolades including a Woman of Professional Excellence award presented by the Women’s Network and the 30 For the Future Award from the Greater Akron Chamber in 2019.
In a YouTube video from the Chamber, Dunham talks about her love for the Greater Akron community.
“It’s a wonderful community to raise our children," she said. "I love being a part of community support services and the Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio. And the school districts are amazing. They challenge my children. And it’s a great place to live, thrive and there’s many opportunities in this small community.”
She was involved with the Girl Scouts and said her daughters were learning to be risk-takers and leaders while in the organization.
"I really enjoy working with young women and little girls to be the best that they can be,” she said.
In the video, Dunham also mentioned that her family loved to go camping and that something people might not know about her is that she was certified to teach archery.
Elizabeth Bartz, CEO of Akron-based State and Federal Communications, had known Dunham for at least 10 to 15 years as Bober Markey Fedorovich handles her company's accounting. Dunham was her main contact.
Bartz said she was “devastated” by the news.
“She’s a great Girl Scouts mom. She would always have her daughters send me their cookie order forms. They would deliver them in person and write me thank you notes,” Bartz said.
Melissa Dunham's employer makes statement
In a statement to the Beacon Journal on Friday afternoon, Sara M. Martin, chief operating officer at Bober Markey Fedorovich said she and the firm were "devastated by the shocking and tragic news of the deaths of Melissa Dunham and her family."
Martin wrote that Melissa was a close friend to many of her associates and made "immeasurable contributions" to the firm during her 18 years there.
She stated that the firm is committed to supporting their employees as they deal with the loss by providing counseling and other assistance.
"Melissa's legacy will forever be etched into the fabric of our BMF community," Martin wrote. "We are heartbroken for Melissa’s loved ones and join them in mourning this terrible loss. We respect the privacy of Melissa's family and ask that any further inquiries be directed to the appropriate authorities."
Who was Jason Dunham?
According to LinkedIn, Jason Dunham worked in sales and business development at POS Highway in Hartville.
Neighbors share memories of family
The next-door neighbors remembered the couple and three children who lived there fondly on Friday morning.
Edmond Gazdacko said the couple moved in 18 years ago before they had children. He and his wife Denise always enjoyed the neighbors and never had any issues with them.
He said the three children — the youngest was 9 years old — were in the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. He said they played with his own grandchildren when they visited. Children from both families gathered for a baseball game in the Gazdackos' front yard when their grandchildren visited from Oklahoma earlier this summer.
Denise Gazdacko said Melissa was a wonderful mother and her husband Jason helped the Gazdackos put up their basketball hoop. She also said Jason was a nice man, but controlling.
She said one of the girls was a tomboy who did yard work and the other was the kind who would make elaborately decorated cupcakes. Their younger brother was eager to play with them and the neighbors' grandchildren, she said.
Vigil for Dunham family
Lake Girl Scout Service Unit and Boy Scouts of America Pack 45 will hold a vigil for the family Saturday at 7 p.m. in Hartville Memorial Park behind Lake Elementary.
Where is Uniontown, Ohio?
Uniontown is an unincorporated area between Akron and Canton with its own ZIP code for portions of Green in Summit County, Lake Township in northern Stark County and some other communities.
While there is no Uniontown government, there are Uniontown policing and fire districts that cover portions of Lake Township.
This is a developing story.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Uniontown Ohio shooting: 5 dead in murder-suicide, family identified
