Bonnie Gilbert, 34, and her five children were shot
to death in their home. Her husband, Gene Gilbert, 28, who was
implicated in the slayings, committed suicide at his father's home in
South Dakota.
Mother and 5 Children Slain; Father Said to Kill
Himself
The New York Times
January 5, 1981
Delmar, Iowa - A mother and her five young children
were found shot to death today in their home in this small eastern
Iowa community, and the authorities said that the woman's husband
apparently committed suicide nearly 450 miles away.
The police discovered the bodies of Bonnie Gilbert,
three girls and two boys in their white, two-story house yesterday.
Investigators said that the police had gone to the
home to tell Mrs. Gilbert about the apparent suicide of her husband.
The body of James Gene Gilbert was found early
today in Yale, S.D. The police said he apparently died from a
self-inflicted bullet wound.
The site of Mr. Gilbert's death is about 450 miles
northwest of where his family was killed. Gerald Shanahan, the chief
of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Chief, called it ''one
of the bloodiest murders in years.''
Mr. Shanahan said that the six victims had
apparently been shot with a pistol. A gun found near Mr. Gilbert'S
body is being tested to see if it was used in all seven deaths, the
authorities said.
