Monday, March 14, 2011

Wayne City, IL: Illinois Iraq veteran's death likely suicide

By Len Wells

Sunday, March 13, 2011

WAYNE CITY, Ill. — State and local police continue to investigate the shooting death of an Iraq war veteran whose body was found outside his Wayne City home Saturday afternoon.

A preliminary investigation indicates he likely took his own life.

The body of Charles Randel Talbert, 29, was found in the driveway of his home at 509 E. Section Line Road about 1 p.m. Saturday.

"There had been an ongoing domestic dispute between Talbert and his wife," said Wayne City Police Chief Dave Zola. "This ongoing dispute was witnessed by several neighbors up and down the road."

Wayne County Coroner Jimmy Taylor said interviews with witnesses revealed that Talbert's wife left the scene at some point Saturday afternoon, returned home and found her husband's body.

"An autopsy Sunday afternoon confirmed he suffered a gunshot wound to the head from a small-caliber handgun," Taylor said. "We still have some witness interviews to complete, but it appears at this time that he shot himself."

Illinois State Police detectives and crime scene technicians processed the scene Saturday evening.

Taylor added that Talbert was under the care of doctors at area Veterans Affairs Medical Centers for illnesses related to his service in the war in Iraq.

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