Update On Gary Murder / Suicide Saturday Morning
On February 27, 2021 approximately 12:04 AM Gary officers were dispatched to the area of 15th Ave and Martin Luther King Drive for a suspicious vehicle that had been parked with the hazard lights on for some time, according to Lt. Dawn Westerfield of The Gary Police.
Upon arrival Gary Officers observed a female slumped over in the driver seat. Officers attempted to make contact with the female but got no response. Officers then made entry to the vehicle and discovered a female now identified as Mary Washington-Jones, 55, of Portage and a male identified as Tony Wilson 56, of Gary in the vehicle. Neither person was showing any signs of life, Westerfield said. Gary medics were immediately requested to the scene and confirmed neither party had any signs of life. Both parties were later declared deceased on scene by the Lake County Coroners Office.
Mary Washington-Jones retired from DCFS (Department of Child Family Services) with over 30 years of service. She earned her BSM from Indiana Wesleyan and graduated with an MBA (Indiana University Northwest). She was a mother of two daughters DaNetra and Donyetta Washington. She had one granddaughter (Aubrey) who she loved dearly. The family says she was betrayed by someone pretending to love her, her friends, and her family. This crime has the left community in disbelief over such a loss of a great person.
This incident is currently considered a domestic related murder/suicide. The Metro Homicide Unit is handling the case and anyone with information is asked to call 219-755-3855 or the Crime Tip Line at 866-CRIME-GP.
