Sandy couple found dead after murder-suicide, police said

SANDY – A Sandy woman was shot multiple times and killed by her husband Saturday night before he subsequently took his own life, police confirmed Wednesday.

Stanley Siwale, 57, and Rebecca Siwale, 47, were found dead in their home, 2118 E. Candle Spruce Cove. Sandy Police Lt. Dean Carriger says investigators believe the two were arguing and at some point in the evening, Stanley Siwale told their three children, ages 11 to 17, to leave the house during the argument.

Just moments after the children left the house, they heard several “explosive-like noises,” according to police.

Police were called around 9:45 p.m. Carriger did not know who made the call Wednesday. When officers arrived, they spoke with the children and, based on the children’s statements and other information they gathered, entered the home to check on the couple.

Rebecca Siwale’s body was found with multiple gunshot wounds, while Stanley Siwale died from a single self-inflicted gunshot wound, Carriger said. What the couple had argued about was still under investigation Wednesday. Carriger said Sandy police had no previous reports of domestic violence involving the couple.

The couple were originally from Zambia, according to several social media posts. Rebecca Siwale was vice president and head of digital services at FLSmidth Inc. Stanley Siwale was previously a research associate at Cleveland State University.

The Organisation of Zambians Abroad posted a statement on its Facebook page, purporting to be from the Siwales’ children. In their statement, the children expressed their gratitude to the Sandy police and fire services.

“But rather than focusing on what happened that day, we would like to focus on the lives our parents lived between their arrival on Earth and their departure, and focus on lives lived to the full rather than lives tragically lost,” they wrote. “It is very important to us, their children, that our parents are remembered for the lives they lived leading up to June 8th.”

Rebecca Siwale will be remembered for her devotion to the Catholic Church and her passion for mining, “and she earned a place among the top 100 women in mining. She had an adventurous soul and was once brave enough to march with lions in Zambia. She was a pioneer who broke barriers in her profession, but at the same time was down to earth, funny and kind,” the children said.

Stanley Siwale is remembered as a successful engineer.

“His persistence in his education was evident in his three engineering degrees, which he followed up with a doctorate. He adored his children and took them on bike rides, tennis outings, and hikes. He was terrible at karaoke, but never passed up an opportunity to sing. He was a person who mentored people not only in the United States, but around the world, especially in his home country of Zambia.”

Friends have set up a GoFundMe page* to help pay for funeral expenses.

*KSL.com does not guarantee that funds deposited into the account will be used for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering depositing funds into the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.