A murder-suicide that began with a shooting at Southern Ohio Lumber on S.R. 73 in Peebles is being investigated by local and state law enforcement.

According to reports from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, a 32-year-old man shot at killed his wife at the lumber company around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday.

Rachel Madden, 32, of West Union, called the sheriff’s office to report that her estranged husband, Jason Maddon, 32, was at the lumber company and that she had a protection order against him, a sheriff’s office spokesperson said.

“During the phone call she was advising where the male is, and then gunfire erupts, and it is found she was shot by the male,” the spokesperson said. “We did receive other phone calls from people at the location advising that the male had shot her and fled the scene in a black Volkswagon.”

The chief of police of the Peebles Police Department and the chief of police of the Seaman Police Department located the vehicle at the intersection of U.S.Route 32 and S.R. 41 in Peebles. “They initiated a traffic stop on the suspect vehicle where immediately upon starting the traffic stop — they didn’t even get out of the car — the male shot himself and succumbed to a gunshot wound to the head,” the spokesperson said.

Walters said the couple were in the process of a separation and divorce and had a 12-year-old child.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and the Adams County Coroner’s Office are coordinating an ongoing investigation.

Reach John Hackley at 937-402-2571.