Ames police found 47-year-old Kristen Stone dead inside a home on Ontario Street Thursday morning, and by Friday afternoon they had a first-degree murder warrant out for her husband. That search ended hours later when the suspect, 47-year-old Richard Stone, shot himself inside his vehicle during a traffic stop, and he was airlifted to a Des Moines-area hospital in unknown condition.
Officers were called to the 5000 block of Ontario Street for a welfare check just after 7:15 a.m. Thursday, according to WHO13. Kristen Stone was found dead that morning at 5010 Ontario Street, as reported by Iowa State Daily. Investigators identified her husband, Richard Stone, as a suspect in her death, as first reported by KCCI.
Warrant Issued, Then a Traffic Stop Turns Violent
Police obtained a warrant Friday charging Richard Stone with first-degree murder and began searching for him, the Iowa State Daily reports. Accounts differ on exactly where and when officers caught up with him: WHO13's report says multiple agencies located Stone in his vehicle and initiated a traffic stop along the 3000 block of Toronto Street just after 3:30 p.m., while the same Iowa State Daily account places the stop in the 3900 block of Toronto Street at approximately 3:40 p.m.
Stone stopped for law enforcement but then shot himself inside his vehicle, according to the station's report. Officers and medics began life-saving measures before Stone was transported by air to a Des Moines hospital for treatment, per the same account. Police said his condition was unknown as of Friday afternoon, according to the Iowa State Daily.
What Investigators Haven't Said
Police have not released additional details about how Kristen Stone died or what led investigators to identify her husband as a suspect, the Iowa State Daily notes. No further update on Richard Stone's condition had been made public at the time of these reports.
