All was quite Sunday afternoon at 3811 Forest Highland Drive, two shiny cars were parked in the driveway, a broken tree limb lay in the front yard and a child’s Exersaucer was deposited with brush for curbside pickup.
The afternoon’s calm was in contrast to the scene about 12 hours earlier, police say.
Chattanooga police had gone to the white house to conduct a wellness check about 3:37 a.m. and discovered what is being treated as a murder-suicide, according to Sgt. Jerri Weary of the Chattanooga Police Department.
The family of Robyn Burns Gann called police to say their daughter had not returned after going to visit her estranged husband, Kenneth, and had not returned their telephone calls, the sergeant said.
When no one would come to the door of the house, located about a block south of Ashland Terrace, an officer looked through a window and saw someone lying on a couch with a plastic bag over their head, Sgt. Weary said.
Police forced their way into the home and found Mr. Gann, unconscious but still breathing, and called for an ambulance to carry him to Memorial North Park Hospital.
Mr. Gann, 23, was in critical condition Sunday afternoon and his chances of recovery “are not good,” Sgt. Weary said.
Mrs. Gann, 25, was found dead in an office area of the home, the sergeant said.
Preliminary indications are that Mrs. Gann was strangled, but results of the Hamilton County medical examiner’s report are not expected until sometime today, she said.
Family members told investigators that the couple had been experiencing marital problems and were currently separated, Sgt. Weary said.
Mr. Gann’s father told police that his son had been experiencing mental problems and the family had been trying to have him seek a psychiatric examination, she said.
The Gann’s 2-year-old daughter was staying with her maternal grandparents and was not present at the time when the murder-suicide attempt took place, Sgt. Weary said.
