The deceased parents leave behind four children
Authorities in St. Johns County, Fla., are looking into the tragic murder-suicide case involving a fire rescue lieutenant who reportedly shot and killed his wife. They leave behind four children who have now lost both parents.
On Thursday, June 13, around 9:20 p.m., deputies from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office discovered the bodies of Lt. Shawn Yarbrough, 46, and his wife, Andrea Nicole Nahrup Yarbrough, 34, in the bathroom of their home in the Entrada subdivision of St. Augustine, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.
Andrea’s death has been ruled a homicide, while her husband’s has been deemed a suicide, per the sheriff’s office.
Autopsy results showed that both died from gunshot wounds, as confirmed by the chief medical examiner for the District 23 Medical Examiner’s Office.
“The family is trying to make sense of everything,” the Yarbrough family said in a statement reported by First Coast News.
“At this time we would just like to state that she was very loved and she will be very missed by family, friends, and anyone else who has crossed paths with her.”
The couple had recently celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary with their four children, as Andrea’s sister, Olivia Martin, told ActionNewsJax.
Earlier that day, the tragic events began to unfold when Andrea’s mother, Deborah Churchill, asked the police to perform a welfare check at her daughter’s home. She shared her concern because she had not heard from Andrea or Shawn despite multiple attempts to contact them, according to the FIBRS Incident Report.
Churchill explained that she had picked up her granddaughter from the house that morning. However, she hadn’t seen or spoken to Andrea or Shawn because her granddaughter had come outside alone, mentioning that her parents were sleeping.
Shawn had also failed to report to work that day.
Responding officers and rescue personnel entered the home through an unlocked front door, finding a shell casing and blood beneath a closed bathroom door on the second floor inside. They discovered Shawn’s body lying on the floor, his head covered in blood, and Andrea’s body leaning against the wall with a gunshot wound to the chest.
Neighbors remarked on how active the couple was in their community, noting they had seen them just the previous weekend.
One neighbor, speaking to Action News Jax under the condition of anonymity, said, “She was on the HOA board here and did a lot for the neighborhood. Us neighbors are struggling to find our peace, and we are just so sad. We really need each other right now.”
Andrea’s family has since created a GoFundMe page to support her eleven-year-old daughter, Lily.
Organizers Taylor Churchill and Marvin shared on the GoFundMe page, “Lily is suddenly and temporarily without the security of her mom, no health insurance, and, as of now, the family is unsure of any life insurance or benefits she may be entitled to. Lily and Marsh (her dog) will need to adjust to living with her loving grandparents in a new and strange world. Please find it in your heart to give some assistance to help pay for immediate healthcare costs and other necessities during this difficult transitional time of great loss and pain for a young girl thrust into adulthood. Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.”
For those experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or visit thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential, and the hotline operates 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
