WAYNESBORO, GA — A murder-suicide incident at Shade RV Park has prompted an investigation by the Burke County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies and members of Burke EMA responded to a report of a suspicious occurrence at the 4700 block of River Road, around 1:45 p.m.
Upon arrival, deputies interviewed a witness who had come to the park to check on their family members. Opening the door of the RV, the witness discovered that both individuals appeared to be deceased.
Entering the RV, deputies found William Proveau, 50, and Cynthia Smith, 51, in the bedroom area with apparent gunshot injuries, stated the sheriff’s office in a release. Preliminary stages of the investigation suggest that Proveau shot Smith before taking his own life.
Sheriff Alfonzo Williams made a statement that expressed his deepest condolences to the family members who were impacted by this tragic event.
The Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) has seen an alarming uptick in murder-suicides, with three recorded in less than a month. On January 15, a couple from Augusta was involved in a murder-suicide at a gas station in Aiken. A similar event occurred in Augusta on January 14, when a woman was fatally shot by her husband who subsequently killed himself.