Discovery ends nationwide manhunt for Thomas Propst

By WARREN DILLAWAY

Asthtabula Star Beacon

NEW LYME TOWNSHIP

A lot of people will sleep better knowing the man deputies believe was responsible for the Aug. 30 murder of his estranged wife has been found dead in his vehicle less than a mile from the murder scene.

Thomas Propst, 55, was found dead in the vehicle that was the subject of a nationwide manhunt since the killing of Paulette Propst at her home at 1414 Dodgeville Road, according to Ashtabula County Sheriff William Johnson and Ashtabula County Coroner Pamela Lancaster.

Paulette Propst was 55 and the mother of four grown children, including an 18-year-old daughter who was home during the shooting.

The shooting occurred a few hours after Propst was served with a temporary protection order, Johnson said recently. He said coroner’s reports showed she had been shot multiple times in the head, neck and torso with a .45-caliber pistol.

Guinevere Juckett, who lives in rural New Lyme Township, is one of those relieved the man believed to be responsible for his wife’s death has been found. Juckett said she has been a bit concerned since the murder of Paulette Propst.

Juckett went for a walk with a friend Saturday and about 1:30 p.m. found a vehicle matching the description of the vehicle Thomas Propst was driving the night of the killing.

After coming across the vehicle the pair did not know whether Propst was somewhere in the area so they decided to slowly leave.

“As soon as we got out of the [immediate] area we started to run. We turned, called 9-1-1 and got the hell out of there,” Juckett said. She said they were not aware he was dead in the vehicle.

Juckett said she has always felt comfortable on her property, but things changed after the murder less than a mile away.

“In the last three weeks, I’ve been watching over my shoulder,” she said.

Lancaster said investigators found a variety of papers and documents with the body that identified Propst as the man in the truck.

“He was found locked in his truck,” she said.

“He is in an advanced state of decomposition corresponding to the time of the murder,” Lancaster said. She said the decomposition of the body would make an autopsy worthless.

Lancaster said there were pharmaceutical drugs found at the scene, but the murder weapon was not found. “No gun was found in an extensive search of the car and the area,” she said.

Lancaster said Propst’s family was notified that he had been found.

Johnson said finding Propst is a big relief to many people, including his deputies. “This person had nothing to lose,” he said of the danger facing deputies who might have had to approach him.

“It releases a lot of pressure for a lot of people,” Johnson said.

The dense wooded area of Fee Road, about a half mile south of Dodgeville Road, made it difficult for deputies and U.S. marshals to find the vehicle, Johnson said.

Johnson said the Pennsylvania State Police provided air surveillance immediately after the murder, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol, U.S. Marshal’s offices in Cleveland and Youngstown and the Lake County SWAT team all helped in the manhunt.

“The end result is good. I’m sure it gives the family a sense of closure,” Johnson said.

He said investigators believe Propst was the only person involved in the murder of his wife but will continue to investigate and review the final report that will be developed by Lancaster’s office. He also said investigators believe Propst shot himself soon after the murder.