Police arrived at the couple’s Heritage Club home at around 6:45 a.m. and found the woman dead and Timothy Sparks covered in blood on the bed next to her in a first floor bedroom. Warren County Coroner Russ Uptegrove said he had the results of the autopsy that was performed on Susan Sparks Tuesday but could not release them.
“They did the autopsy today and I know the specifics of the autopsy findings, but it’s just not something we’re going to make public at this point,” Uptegrove said. “It’s an ongoing investigation.”
Detective Sgt. Jeremy Saylor said they questioned Timothy Sparks about the incident involving his wife and released him with no charges filed.
“We took him in as a matter of normal police procedures,” Saylor said. “He wasn’t charged, he was just spoken to through the course of normal police procedure.”
The police report indicated Timothy Sparks did not know the gun was loaded, and his wife “was stronger than he was due to a recent shoulder surgery.”
A press release from the city lists the death as “questionable.” Police were at the home again Tuesday and crime scene tape was still strung around the house.
Prosecutor David Fornshell was on the scene Monday but could not be reached for comment.
Timothy Sparks struggled to speak during fits of sobbing when he called 911. He attempted CPR on his dying wife as directed by the dispatcher.
“Oh my god. Come on. Come on. Baby, look at me. Honey, come on. Come on,” he is heard shouting in the call. “What did I do? She’s not breathing.”
He told a 911 dispatcher he walked in on his wife holding his shotgun, according to the call.
“I was getting ready for work and I just came in (the bedroom) and she was standing there with a gun,” he told the dispatcher in the emotionally charged call. “I said, ‘What are you doing?’ I tried to take the gun. She pulled it toward her.”
Timothy Sparks, the general manager of a local Chevrolet dealer, told the same to officers when they arrived at the home at about 7 a.m., according to a police report.
In their summary of the incident, officers said they found Timothy Sparks on the left side of the couple’s bed with his hands near his wife. Susan, a former Ford employee, was covered in blood on the bed. The room smelled of gunpowder, police said.
Officers said Timothy “paused” when police asked him whether he was holding the gun when it went off.
“He stated he was,” officers reported. “He stated he did not know the gun was loaded. I did not speak to Mr. Sparks after he advised me of what happened.”
Police removed Timothy from the bedroom after they arrived. They said he asked if his wife was still alive — his hands, arms, face and clothing covered in blood.
Officers temporarily brought Timothy into his kitchen while they searched for a pair of shoes for him to wear. He was then placed inside a cruiser, questioned and brought to the station, the report states.
WCPO 9 On Your Side contributed to this report.
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