Two people police found dead in a Columbus home from gunshot wounds on Monday night were identified Tuesday after autopsies.
Julie Anne Schmidtke, 36, was identified as the victim by the Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office, which said her estranged husband, Charles W. Schmidtke, 41, was also found deceased inside the home at 2272 Sumpter Court. Coroner Clayton Nolting pronounced both dead at the scene and ordered autopsies, which were conducted Tuesday.
According to public records, the couple was in the process of divorcing.
“Julie was found to have multiple gunshot wounds to her body and Charles died from a single gunshot to the head. The investigation is ongoing,” the coroner’s office said. “The lead investigating agency is Columbus Police Department.”
Nolting in a press release Tuesday afternoon said that Columbus Police Department officers investigated after receiving a report that Charles Schmidtke had entered the residence and possibly shot her.
Earlier Tuesday, Columbus police said they were conducting a death investigation after officers responded to a call at approximately 8:55 p.m. Monday of a reported shooting at a residence on the 2200 block of Sumpter Court, said Columbus Police Department spokesman Lt. Matt Harris in a press release on Tuesday.
Officers entered the residence and found two people dead with apparent gunshot wounds, police said. The names of the deceased were not immediately released.
As a result of the ongoing investigation, detectives believe that there was an argument inside the home involving two people prior to the shooting, police said. The detectives said there are no known threats of violence that would affect community safety.
According to online court records, Julie Schmidtke filed a petition for dissolution of marriage Dec. 14 in Bartholomew Superior Court 1, opened as a case that indicated the couple had at least one child. Charles’ address on that court filing is listed in Greencastle. A hearing in the case had been scheduled for Jan. 5.
A marriage license for Julie A. Neumann and Charles W. Schmidtke was issued in April of this year in Bartholomew County, public records show.
