Matt Durr
MLive.com
KINGSLEY, Mich. — As the investigation into the deaths of Tara Kelley, 53, and Angelina Winn, 49, continues, police say the two women were shot to death, according to the Associated Press. Kelley and Winn were discovered Friday in their home on Walton Road in Paradise Township, near Kingsley.
Authorities in Grand Traverse County will not confirm if the deaths were part of a murder-suicide, but did say there is no threat to the public, the AP reports. The women worked as corrections officers at Oaks Correctional Facility near Manistee since 2016.
Prior to that, the women worked at the Pugsley Correctional Facility in Kingsley, which was closed by the state. In 2013, Kelley was named officer of the year at Pugsley and Winn won the same award in 2014. The women worked for the Michigan Department of Corrections for about 20 years.
As news of the deaths spread, MDOC Director Heidi Washington sent an email to corrections officers across the state.
“Officers Tara Kelley and Angelina Winn were valued members of the team at the Oaks and will be missed by many,” said Washington’s email, which was obtained by MLive.
“Please keep the family and colleagues of these employees in your thoughts and prayers,” Washington’s email said. “It is in these difficult times, that having your MDOC family to rely on is so important.”
The investigation is being handled by the Grand Traverse Sheriff’s Office and the Michigan State Police. The autopsies will be conducted by the Medical Examiner’s Office in Kalamazoo.