Man, woman ID'd in apparent murder-suicide in Perry County

The Perry County Sheriff's Department has identified a couple found shot in the head Friday in Perry County.

Perry County Sheriff Gary Schaaf in a news release Saturday said the bodies of Shawn J. Galeski, 36, of Perryville, Mo., and his girlfriend, Jamie L. Cole, 29, of Perryville were discovered about 2:15 p.m. at Galeski's residence on Route E. The deaths appeared to be the result of a murder-suicide, but Schaaf said it's too early to rule out the possibility of a double-suicide.

"It's a tragic set of circumstances no matter how you look at it," he said.

"It took a little while to identify who Cole's relatives were, but we were able to notify them later [Friday] evening," Schaaf said in the release.

According to Schaaf, both Galeski and Cole were killed by a single gunshot to the head. The incident took place in a locked upstairs room at the residence and probably occurred sometime early Friday morning based on the condition of the bodies upon discovery.

"We had dealt with Galeski some in the past," Schaaf said, "but we hadn't had any trouble with him lately. You wouldn't had known he'd been around."

A person found the couple and contacted the sheriff's department, and a weapon was located at the scene. More information will be made known as the investigation continues, Schaaf said.

Pertinent address:

Route E, Perry County, Mo.