By Jeff Lehr
jlehr@joplinglobe.com
FAIRLAND, Okla. — An autopsy has determined that home-invasion victim Sam Sanders died of a single gunshot wound to the chest.
Jessica Brown, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, revealed that preliminary finding of a state medical examiner who performed the autopsy Wednesday in Tulsa.
Sanders, 64, was killed after two armed men entered his home three miles east of Fairland early Tuesday morning while he and his wife and two grandchildren were sleeping. Ottawa County Sheriff Terry Durborow has said Sanders was shot while struggling with the intruders.
Investigators have said the slain man’s wife, Lillian “Sue” Sanders, and the couple’s 20-year-old grandson were left tied up inside the home. They have not described how they were bound or with what.
Brown said Wednesday that the wife and grandson may already have been restrained when the struggle broke out and Sanders was shot.
“I believe (the intruders) left shortly after Mr. Sanders was shot,” she said.
Their motive is presumed to have been robbery. But the intruders apparently did not succeed in that regard. Brown said investigators do not believe that anything was stolen.
“We’re trying to talk to as many people as possible — neighbors, friends, associates, people they worked with — to get a handle on who they knew and if they had any enemies, or if there was any reason someone may have wanted to target these folks,” Brown said.
Friends of the Sanders couple told the Globe that they were high-school sweethearts who had been married for 44 years. Both attended Seneca High School in Missouri.
Sam Sanders began his career in the cattle business near Neosho, Mo., with his father-in-law, Jim Triplett. He later became a truck driver and eventually a trucking broker with business in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri. He sold that business and retired several years ago, and has been restoring vintage cars and going to car shows as a hobby in his retirement.
“He was a very loving, kind man,” Faith Yeats, a family friend, told the Globe. “He gave to many charities.”
She said the violent crime that took his life has devastated his family.
“It’s a great shock,” Yeats said. “It’s something you don’t expect to happen to you or to someone you love.”
Investigators lack detailed descriptions of the culprits because they had their faces covered. The sheriff declined to say Wednesday if that meant they were wearing masks. He instead acknowledged that the crime “really shook up” the surviving members of the family, and that the psychological trauma they experienced may be hindering their recall of details that could aid investigators.
“Sometimes it takes a little while for people to calm down and get their wits back, especially when it comes to the loss of a loved one,” Durborow said.
Details withheld
Investigators have yet to disclose what type of gun was used to kill Sam Sanders or how the men entered the home.
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Fairland slaying victim was shot in chest
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