Duo wanted in Wendover shooting may have murdered Sanpete County couple, police say

MT. PLEASANT — The same man and woman who shot a Wendover woman in the head during a carjacking Saturday may have earlier shot and killed an elderly couple in their Mt. Pleasant home, investigators said Sunday.

Officers discovered the bodies of Leroy Woody Fullwood, 70, and Dorothy Ann Fullwood, 69, in their home on the east edge of Mt. Pleasant, 399 S. 600 East, about 8 p.m. Saturday, said Mt. Pleasant Police Chief Jim Wilberg. The couple died from gunshot wounds, likely sometime Thursday night or Friday morning.

He said the Fullwoods appeared to be victims of a "random robbery."

Just before 7 a.m. on Saturday, a couple forced a West Wendover woman into her car at gunpoint in the parking lot of a Wendover casino. Witnesses said a woman got into the car with the victim while her male accomplice followed in another vehicle.

Police said the victim eventually overpowered the woman and forced her out of the car at a secluded intersection. As the victim fled, she was shot in the back of her head. However, she was able to drive to the West Wendover police station for help. The 35-year-old woman remained hospitalized Sunday in a Salt Lake hospital.

The couple took off in the original stolen car, leading police on a chase on I-80 at speeds exceeding 100 mph. Nevada troopers laid out spikes at one point, but the fleeing vehicle was able to avoid them and the couple escaped. Officers believe the couple stole another vehicle in Wells, Nev.

Wilberg said the couple made a purchase with one of the Fullwoods' credit cards in West Wendover. That discovery prompted the call to Mt. Pleasant police, asking them to check on the Fullwoods' welfare.

The man and woman, who still have not been located, are also thought to be connected to a Thursday car theft in Moroni, about five miles west of Mt. Pleasant.

Police have only described the couple wanted in the carjacking and possibly the Mt. Pleasant double homicide as Caucasian. The two were in a gray Volkswagen Jetta with the Colorado license plate of 725WHX.

If the vehicle is spotted, the public is urged to call local police or dial 911.

A convenience store surveillance video of the gunman released by the West Wendover police showed a slender, young to middle-aged man wearing dark clothing and a white cap. Wilberg said his department has been working with federal marshals and the Sanpete County Sheriff's Office and have “leads on who the suspects might be.”

Investigators are also searching for a weapon believed to have been thrown from the couple's vehicle during the high-speed chase with Nevada state troopers.

Meanwhile, neighbors of the Fullwoods were devastated Sunday by the news of their deaths.

"If this happened to the Fullwoods, it can happen to anyone," said neighbor Coleen Oltrogge.

"The Fullwoods were good people," she said. “They worked in the (LDS Manti) Temple once a week. They took care of their kids and grandkids.”

She said the Fullwoods were the kind of people who would put up a fight if someone broke into their house. Oltrogge described Dorothy Ann Fullwood as a retired schoolteacher who worked with her in the local LDS Relief Society.

Other neighbors also described the Fullwoods as “good people.”

Oltrogge says the killings have shaken up the small city.

"The hard thing is folks here trust people. They leave their doors unlocked," she said. "It's important that we look out for each other."

Investigators have warned the public to be cautious because the suspects are believed to be armed with multiple weapons and should be considered dangerous. Anyone with information should call the West Wendover Police Department at 775-664-2930.