On Wednesday, November 9, two people who were found dead at a medical examiner’s office in Dallas County on Tuesday, November 8, were identified as Beth Frost and her estranged husband, James Frost. Authorities believe that the incident was a murder-suicide case.
According to the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department, 51-year-old James Edward Frost II had fatally shot his 46-year-old estranged wife before aiming the gun at himself. The shooting happened at the Dallas Medical Examiner’s Office around 4:45 pm on Tuesday. Another employee was also shot by Frost, though not fatally.
The Dallas County Sheriff's Department further stated that police found the bodies of the couple in the second-floor office of the Stemmons Corridor building. Court records have specified that James Frost and Beth Frost have been married since July 2001 but were estranged. The couple leave behind two children — a 9-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy.
County Commissioner John Wiley Price said:
"You can have the best security in the world, and you can’t stop people who are determined whatever evil they are going to carry out. He could’ve sat in the parking lot and done the same thing. He knew where she worked."
Further investigation will reveal how James Frost bypassed an entrance open only to employees to reach the second floor.
Court records reveal that Beth Frost had filed for divorce due to "conflict of personalities"
46-year-old Beth Frost had married James Edward Frost II in 2001, with whom she had two children. Their long relationship, however, ended in a tragic murder-suicide on Wednesday.
Though the couple have been estranged for a while, they weren't divorced. According to court records, however, Beth Frost had filed for divorce on May 2, citing a "conflict of personalities" as grounds for the divorce.
"[The marriage had become] insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities between Beth and Jed that destroys the legitimate ends of the marriage relationship and prevents any reasonable expectation of reconciliation."
Court records also show that a child custody evaluation was supposed to take place in early October. Frost believed that her estranged husband would wish for mutual access to their young children and their estate.
The couple were also neck-deep in financial problems. In a lawsuit filed in August, James Frost’s father said the couple owed him $228,916 from a series of loans. He had lent the money for purchasing property, including one house in 2006 and another in 2010. The loans also covered medical and living expenses. James Frost also denied owing State Farm Federal Credit Union a loan of about $50,000, over which he was getting sued.