Coroner IDs mother, 6-year-old daughter found dead in Dayton home

Dayton police opened an investigation into their deaths after officers responded shortly before noon June 23 to the house in the 300 block of Burleigh Avenue. A neighbor asked police to check on the occupants’ wellbeing.

“Once officers got there, they checked the house and sadly found the mother and the daughter next to each other on the floor in the basement of the home,” Dayton police Maj. Brian Johns said last week. Both had been shot.

The suspected shooter was identified by police as Nelson’s boyfriend, who lived in the home for the past one-and-a-half years. He was found deceased in his vehicle in the Hunstville, Alabama, area. He died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Johns said.

While police did not confirm the suspect’s name, the Associated Press reported 32-year-old Dante Hawes of Dayton was found dead in a vehicle June 23 in Falkville, Alabama. Morgan County Coroner Jeff Chunn said Hawes was suspected of killing his girlfriend and a young girl, according to the AP report.

Johns said Friday the investigation into the deaths of Nelson and Guynn is ongoing.

“We’re still doing the criminal investigation on this to see what other avenues we can actually follow to hold anybody accountable in this case or to prevent it from happening again in the future,” he said.

He also revealed officers responded to the home about 12 hours prior to the welfare check on a report of a domestic dispute.

“It appears the homicide happened after law enforcement left the house,” Johns said.