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SANDY — A Sandy woman was shot multiple times by her husband and killed Saturday night before he then took his own life, police confirmed Wednesday.
Stanley Siwale, 57, and Rebecca Siwale, 47, were found deceased inside their home near 2100 East and 9700 South. Sandy Police Lt. Dean Carriger says investigators believe the two had been arguing and at some point that evening, Stanley Siwale told their three children, ranging from ages 11 to 17, to leave the residence during the argument.
Just moments after the children went outside, they told police they heard multiple "explosion type sounds."
Police were called about 9:45 p.m. Carriger did not know Wednesday who made the call. When officers arrived, they spoke to the children, and based on what the children said as well as additional information collected, the officers entered the home to check on the couple.
Rebecca Siwale's body was found with multiple gunshot wounds while Stanley Siwale died of a single self-inflicted gunshot wound, Carriger said. What the couple was arguing about was still being investigated Wednesday. Carriger said Sandy police had no prior reports of domestic violence involving the couple.
The couple was originally from Zambia, according to several social media posts. Rebecca Siwale was the vice president and head of digital services at FLSmidth Inc. Stanley Siwale was previously a research assistant at Cleveland State University.
The group Organisation of Zambians Abroad released a statement on its Facebook page purportedly from the Siwales' children. In their statement, the children expressed gratitude to the Sandy Police Department and Sandy Fire Department.
"But instead of focusing on what happened on that day, we would like to focus on the lives that our parents lived between their arrivals and departures on earth, fixing on lives richly led instead of lives tragically lost," they wrote. "It is very important to us, their children, that our parents be remembered for the lives they led up until June 8."
Rebecca Siwale was remembered for her dedication to the Catholic Church and passion for mining, "and she earned a spot as one of the top 100 women in mining. She had an adventurous soul, once brave enough to walk with lions in Zambia. She was a trailblazer, breaking barriers at her job, but in the same breath, down-to-earth, funny, and sweet," the children said.
Stanley Siwale was remembered as a successful engineer.
"His perseverance in his education showed in his three engineering degrees that he took to a doctoral level. He adored his children, taking them on bike rides, tennis excursions, and hikes. He was horrible at karaoke but never turned down the opportunity to sing. He was a person who mentored people not only in the U.S. but also across the world, particularly in the country he was from, Zambia."
A GoFundMe page* was set up by friends to help pay for funeral expenses.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
Domestic violence resources
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition: Utah's confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
- Utah's statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
