Man shoots wife, calls 911, kills self while on phone with dispatcher

Family tells deputies couple would have celebrated 41st anniversary Monday

GLEN ST. MARY, Fla. – A Baker County man shot and killed his wife, called 911 to report the shooting and then turned the gun on himself before deputies could arrive, according to the Baker County Sheriff's Office.

Robert Combass was still on the phone with the sheriff's office dispatcher when he shot himself, deputies said.

According to the incident report, Combass also told the dispatcher that he'd killed the cat, and then said "Bye, bye," before the dispatcher heard a gunshot.

Deputies found Combass, 62, and his wife, 59-year-old Helen Combass, dead inside their home on Bluffcreek Road, which is in a rural area of Cuyler, north of Glen St. Mary, not far from the small town of Taylor.

Deputies said they never had any previous calls to the home, and that Monday would have been the couple's 41st wedding anniversary.

They said it appeared Robert Combass shot his wife while she slept. She was found lying face down on the floor between the bed and the wall. He was found in the kitchen. Both had been shot in the head.

Family later told deputies that Robert Combass had recently developed some medical issues, which might have led to the tragedy.

Family members said there had never been any domestic abuse between the two and that they "loved each other very much."

"We have spoken with their family, a family that got along, loved one another -- married 41 years, fixing to have an anniversary -- just a terrible tragedy," Baker County Sheriff Scotty Rhoden said.


About the Author:

Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.