Sheriff: SW Side man kills wife, self

COLUMBUS – The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office says a 56-year-old Franklin Township man shot his wife to death inside their home Tuesday morning, then turned the gun on himself.

Deputies called to a home at 1875 Little Avenue on the Southwest Side at approximately 10:00 a.m. found John Gebhardt and his 51-year-old wife, Paula Ratcliff-Gebhardt, dead from single gunshot wounds to the head, Sheriff Dallas Baldwin said.

The initial investigation indicated that Gebhardt shot his wife and himself “during a domestic violence situation,” Baldwin said.

Ratcliff-Gebhardt was pronounced dead at Mt. Carmel West Hospital. Gebhardt was pronounced dead at the scene.

Baldwin says his office is still investigating the incident.