Sierra Vista, AZ: Officials calling deaths in Coronado Cave a murder-suicide

Thu, 10/07/2010 - 13:47

BY DEREK JORDAN
Herald/Review
SIERRA VISTA — Two people were found dead inside the Coronado Cave on Wednesday in what appears to have been a murder-suicide, the sheriff’s office announced today.
Walt G. Lemaire and Sheryl L. Allen, both 23, were discovered inside a tent in the back of the cave in the Coronado National Memorial in Hereford by a park ranger at 2:19 p.m., said Carol Capas, spokeswoman for the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office.

Both are listed as Sierra Vista residents according to sheriff’s records, though an Arizona driver’s license issued to Lemaire in April lists a Mesa address, Capas said.
The initial investigation indicates that Lemaire shot Allen with a small caliber handgun recovered at the scene before shooting himself, she said. The two were believed to have been in a relationship.
The park ranger investigated the cave after pulling over a vehicle for a traffic violation in the area earlier that day. The occupants had seen the tent in the cave and asked if camping in Coronado Cave was allowed, Capas said.
Investigators estimate the incident occurred between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. that day.
Both bodies have been taken to the Cochise County Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy and the investigation continues.
Coronado Cave, located in the Coronado National Memorial, is located about 21 miles south of Sierra Vista and extends about 600 feet from the entrance. Forest Service staff reported Thursday that the cave remains open to the public.