A swift conclusion

The following day, county coroner Don Bender signed Jill Well’s death certificate, a process which would have normally taken weeks to complete had an autopsy been conducted. The cause of death was “gunshot wound to the head” and the manner of death was “accidental.” And on the same day, Sheriff LeRoy Yowell and Undersheriff Alan Yowell released the guns to Mike Wells, but someone else signed the release paper for Mike.

Things didn’t add up

For many, a lot of things didn’t make sense the day Jill was shot in the head on that remote ranch in Colorado. First, the responding sheriff immediately accepted Mike’s explanation on what happened with only a few questions – that 6-year-old Tanner accidentally shot Jill while attempting to shoot at a target. Then, Tanner was questioned in the presence of his father. Finally, the case was closed on that day, ruled as “accidental” before sundown.