On Sunday, June 3, Mary Simmons went to answer the door at her home on Kit Fox Place in Fountain Hills. When Mary, 70, answered the door she may or may not have been surprised to see who the caller was. She knew him; it was, Dwight Jones a man she played tennis with on occasion. He was later described as a “sometimes tennis instructor.”
What exactly happened inside the home between the time Jones entered and when he left may never be known, but Simmons and her husband, Bryon Thomas, 72, were later found shot to death in the house, and police are certain that Jones is the man responsible.
It is known that Jones was in possession of a .22-caliber handgun belonging to the couple. Officers later witnessed him drop a bag into a trash can in Scottsdale. It contained the handgun.
Scottsdale Police and other agencies had been on the trail of Jones since late Saturday. Thanks to a tip, he had become the prime suspect in a murder spree in which four other people died in Scottsdale. Police did not locate Jones until later Sunday afternoon, after he had visited Fountain Hills.
It was late Sunday evening that Scottsdale Police contacted the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and asked them to do a welfare check on the Fountain Hills couple. It was near midnight when deputies arrived and could not get anyone to answer the door. They checked with a neighbor to see if they had a phone number for Thomas and Simmons.
Deputies had to place a ladder up from the lower level driveway to a window over the garage. This provided a view into the main level of the house. The deputy saw Thomas and he appeared to be deceased. At that point the deputies called for a supervisor and prepared to force entry into the house.
Once inside they also found Simmons’ body. Since this was part of a Scottsdale investigation, detectives and forensics specialists from that city were called out to investigate.
Nearly everyone who knew Simmons and Thomas said they were a wonderful, sweet couple, who would always say hello. Simmons is described as an active woman who loved to play tennis, and she was a caregiver to Thomas, who was reportedly blind.
Police have found no link between Jones’ divorce proceedings and the Fountain Hills couple. It appears to have been a casual, recreational connection on the tennis court between Jones and Simmons. It would seem that at the time they were killed, Thomas and Simmons would have had no hint that Jones was being hunted as a murder suspect.
What exactly happened inside the home between the time Jones entered and when he left may never be known, but Simmons and her husband, Bryon Thomas, 72, were later found shot to death in the house, and police are certain that Jones is the man responsible.
It is known that Jones was in possession of a .22-caliber handgun belonging to the couple. Officers later witnessed him drop a bag into a trash can in Scottsdale. It contained the handgun.
Scottsdale Police and other agencies had been on the trail of Jones since late Saturday. Thanks to a tip, he had become the prime suspect in a murder spree in which four other people died in Scottsdale. Police did not locate Jones until later Sunday afternoon, after he had visited Fountain Hills.
It was late Sunday evening that Scottsdale Police contacted the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and asked them to do a welfare check on the Fountain Hills couple. It was near midnight when deputies arrived and could not get anyone to answer the door. They checked with a neighbor to see if they had a phone number for Thomas and Simmons.
Deputies had to place a ladder up from the lower level driveway to a window over the garage. This provided a view into the main level of the house. The deputy saw Thomas and he appeared to be deceased. At that point the deputies called for a supervisor and prepared to force entry into the house.
Once inside they also found Simmons’ body. Since this was part of a Scottsdale investigation, detectives and forensics specialists from that city were called out to investigate.
Nearly everyone who knew Simmons and Thomas said they were a wonderful, sweet couple, who would always say hello. Simmons is described as an active woman who loved to play tennis, and she was a caregiver to Thomas, who was reportedly blind.
Police have found no link between Jones’ divorce proceedings and the Fountain Hills couple. It appears to have been a casual, recreational connection on the tennis court between Jones and Simmons. It would seem that at the time they were killed, Thomas and Simmons would have had no hint that Jones was being hunted as a murder suspect.
On Sunday, June 3, Mary Simmons went to answer the door at her home on Kit Fox Place in Fountain Hills. When Mary, 70, answered the door she may or may not have been surprised to see who the caller was. She knew him; it was, Dwight Jones a man she played tennis with on occasion. He was later described as a “sometimes tennis instructor.”
What exactly happened inside the home between the time Jones entered and when he left may never be known, but Simmons and her husband, Bryon Thomas, 72, were later found shot to death in the house, and police are certain that Jones is the man responsible.
It is known that Jones was in possession of a .22-caliber handgun belonging to the couple. Officers later witnessed him drop a bag into a trash can in Scottsdale. It contained the handgun.
Scottsdale Police and other agencies had been on the trail of Jones since late Saturday. Thanks to a tip, he had become the prime suspect in a murder spree in which four other people died in Scottsdale. Police did not locate Jones until later Sunday afternoon, after he had visited Fountain Hills.
It was late Sunday evening that Scottsdale Police contacted the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and asked them to do a welfare check on the Fountain Hills couple. It was near midnight when deputies arrived and could not get anyone to answer the door. They checked with a neighbor to see if they had a phone number for Thomas and Simmons.
Deputies had to place a ladder up from the lower level driveway to a window over the garage. This provided a view into the main level of the house. The deputy saw Thomas and he appeared to be deceased. At that point the deputies called for a supervisor and prepared to force entry into the house.
Once inside they also found Simmons’ body. Since this was part of a Scottsdale investigation, detectives and forensics specialists from that city were called out to investigate.
Nearly everyone who knew Simmons and Thomas said they were a wonderful, sweet couple, who would always say hello. Simmons is described as an active woman who loved to play tennis, and she was a caregiver to Thomas, who was reportedly blind.
Police have found no link between Jones’ divorce proceedings and the Fountain Hills couple. It appears to have been a casual, recreational connection on the tennis court between Jones and Simmons. It would seem that at the time they were killed, Thomas and Simmons would have had no hint that Jones was being hunted as a murder suspect.
What exactly happened inside the home between the time Jones entered and when he left may never be known, but Simmons and her husband, Bryon Thomas, 72, were later found shot to death in the house, and police are certain that Jones is the man responsible.
It is known that Jones was in possession of a .22-caliber handgun belonging to the couple. Officers later witnessed him drop a bag into a trash can in Scottsdale. It contained the handgun.
Scottsdale Police and other agencies had been on the trail of Jones since late Saturday. Thanks to a tip, he had become the prime suspect in a murder spree in which four other people died in Scottsdale. Police did not locate Jones until later Sunday afternoon, after he had visited Fountain Hills.
It was late Sunday evening that Scottsdale Police contacted the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and asked them to do a welfare check on the Fountain Hills couple. It was near midnight when deputies arrived and could not get anyone to answer the door. They checked with a neighbor to see if they had a phone number for Thomas and Simmons.
Deputies had to place a ladder up from the lower level driveway to a window over the garage. This provided a view into the main level of the house. The deputy saw Thomas and he appeared to be deceased. At that point the deputies called for a supervisor and prepared to force entry into the house.
Once inside they also found Simmons’ body. Since this was part of a Scottsdale investigation, detectives and forensics specialists from that city were called out to investigate.
Nearly everyone who knew Simmons and Thomas said they were a wonderful, sweet couple, who would always say hello. Simmons is described as an active woman who loved to play tennis, and she was a caregiver to Thomas, who was reportedly blind.
Police have found no link between Jones’ divorce proceedings and the Fountain Hills couple. It appears to have been a casual, recreational connection on the tennis court between Jones and Simmons. It would seem that at the time they were killed, Thomas and Simmons would have had no hint that Jones was being hunted as a murder suspect.
Family Members
Spouse
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
