Authorities say a Mount Pleasant woman who was apparently involved in a suicide pact will not be charged for shooting her boyfriend in early November. According to an Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation report, an autopsy showed 37-year-old Ryan P. Scarff died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. They say a second “non-contributing” gunshot wound was also found.
A news release from the state agency says an investigation showed that Scarff and Melissa D. Lonski had entered into a “joint suicide pact.” The release says the two tried to take their own lives by succumbing to carbon monoxide poisoning, and when this failed, Scarff fatally shot himself. It indicates that “during a state of panic” Lonski shot Scarff again, “not wanting him to suffer from the initial gunshot wound.” According to the D.C.I., that second gunshot wound did not contribute to Scarff’s death.
Contributed by Nick Wilkens, KCII, Washington