KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two people were found dead as the Douglas County Sheriff's Office was involved in a standoff that lasted several hours at a home south of Eudora.
Authorities said Benjamin Eaton, Jr., 52, shot and killed Nicole Eaton, 44, at the residence in the 900 block of East 2300 Road.
Dispatchers were called at 8:52 p.m. Thursday about a woman in distress who was difficult to hear. An Eudora Police Department officer responded initially and heard a gunshot when he reached the front door.
Law enforcement officers were able to contact Benjamin Eaton who was inside the home by phone. Police described him as overtly hostile and threatening to shoot law enforcement officers, as he barricaded himself in the house.
The Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of the Lawrence Police Department and Kansas Highway Patrol, utilized drones and other technology to gain access to the residence. The tools allowed officers to determine that Nicole Eaton was deceased.
After several hours of communicating by phone, law enforcement lost contact with Benjamin Eaton. They continued to use technological tools to try to re-establish contact with him or identify his status inside the house to take him into custody.
Sheriff Jay Armbrister said that as part of the investigation, there were concerns about a possible threat of explosives inside the residence, which was partly why officers acted methodically over several hours.
Just before 4:30 p.m. Friday, KHP entered the residence and found Benjamin Eaton dead.
Detectives and investigators are currently processing the scene.
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