A mobile home fire Sunday morning led to a double tragedy for a Doniphan family.
Ripley County Coroner Mike Jackson said Wednesday that he was awaiting full autopsy reports for Letha Neeley, 33, and her stepfather, J.T. Robertson, 60.
Neeley and her two children reportedly resided with Robertson at his mobile home on County Road 21N-2, three miles north of Doniphan.
Neeley's body was found about 9 a.m. Sunday in a bedroom after fire destroyed the home.
According to Jackson, while he is still awaiting full autoposy results on Neeley, it appears her cause of death was from carbon monoxide poisoning.
About 8:20 Sunday evening, Doniphan police found Robertson's body inside his pickup truck parked behind the business where he worked on the Courthouse Square in downtown Doniphan.
Jackson said Robertson died from a single 22.-caliber gunshot wound to the head that appeared to be self-inflicted.
Preliminary autopsy evidence, Jackson said, showed no signs of foul play in Neeley's death.
Robertson was well-known from his job as 'a right-hand man' at Reed Oil Co., a service station in the heart of the downtown area.
Robertson frequently attended school and community events with his family and considered Neeley's children his grandchildren.
The tragic day began with a fire call to the Robertson home about 7:30 a.m. Sunday. The Current River Fire Department found the structure engulfed.
Ripley County sheriff Mike Barton said Robertson told officers that he, Neeley and her two-year-old son were awake and inside the home when the fire started.
"We don't know if she went back in or if she didn't ever make it out," the sheriff said.
Her body was found on a bedroom floor. The room contained a propane wall heater, the sheriff said.
Fire investigators believe the blaze may have started in the bedroom.
Robertson told officers he was able to get the 2-year-old boy out of the home. Neeley's school-age daughter was with other family members and not at the home, investigators said.
Barton said Robertson later met with deputies at the sheriff's department around 10 a.m. and was cooperative with deputies.
"Anytime there is a fatality we investigate and he came to our office - we weren't saying we believed anything was done wrong," Barton said.
Around 3:45 p.m. Sunday, the sheriff's department was contacted by Neeley's family, Barton said.
"The family reported they couldn't find him and they were concerned," the sheriff said. "He hadn't been seen in several hours so we did a missing person report and contacted other agencies."
Others involved in the investigation were the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Missouri Fire Marshals Office and Doniphan City Police.