Indiana Conservation Officers are pursing charges of possession of illegal ginseng after stopping a canoe on Lake Monroe. On Sunday June 4^th, 2017, Conservation Officers Stine and Noble initiated a boat stop on a canoe for appearing to not possess a lake use permit.

 
Kristina Curry,33, covered something behind her in the canoe when she saw the ICO’s approach. Officer Stine and Noble discovered Curry and the passenger, Matthew Ross, 33, were attempting to hide ginseng.
 
Curry and Ross admitted to digging the ginseng on state property and having more at their campsite and residence. They consented to a search of their vehicle, campsite in Paynetown State Recreation Area and their residence in Bloomington.
 
Overall, 7 ginseng plants, 2 ginseng roots and other various roots were located and seized as evidence.
 
Ginseng is a plant that is dug for its root. Ginseng can be legally harvested from September 1-December 31 of each year. Ginseng must be sold to a licensed ginseng dealer or disposed of prior to March 31 of the following year. It is illegal to dig Ginseng on state property.
 
Curry and Ross are being charged with possession of ginseng out of season and digging ginseng on state property. All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The deceased male found in a vehicle in southeastern Monroe County was positively identified as 47 year old,  Richard Lee Burton Jr. 

Indiana State Police had been searching for Burton in connection with the shooting deaths of a family in the Beck’s Mill area of Washington County.

The preliminary cause of death is a gunshot wound with the manner of death being consistent with suicide, said Monroe County Coroner Joani Shields, MDI. 

Shields would not disclose where Burton shot himself or disclose the type of gun. It is also not know whether the gun was the same that was used in killing the family he had been living with West of Salem. 

Shields said a final report is pending toxicology testing.

Coroner reports of the three victims were released Tuesday afternoon. According to Washington County Coroner Peg Shell, all three in the Newlin family died from gunshot wounds. 

Police believe Burton shot Danny G. Newlin, 58, and his son, Austin, 14, multiple times. 

Mother Kelley Kay Newlin, 41, was shot once. 

Police came to the home around 4p on Sunday to conduct a welfare check, after a caller from another state contacted police noting that the family might be in danger. 

According to Indiana State Police Sgt. Jerry Goodin, “The caller had been in contact with Burton, and based on that conversation felt the family might be in danger.”

Goodin said that contact was last made with the family at about 8p on Saturday night.

The killing happened sometime over the next 24 hours. 

Police have not released what type of gun was used, whether or not it was the same gun used by the alleged killer to kill himself or where the bodies were found in the home. 

The autopsies were performed in Salem this morning under Shell’s direction.

Goodin said no further information on the incident will be released. 

Monday morning shortly after 8:00 am, the Monroe County, IN Sheriff’s Department received a tip that Burton’s vehicle was parked at the Blackwell Horse Camp in Monroe County near State Road #446.

When deputies approached the vehicle they found a body believed to be Burton’s deceased in his vehicle.

This investigation is continuing but, information discovered from Sunday night’s investigation by Indiana State Police Detectives lead investigators to believe Burton was responsible for the deaths of all three victims located inside of the residence at 5882 South Beck’s Mill Road in rural Washington County.

If information is discovered that changes this belief, Indiana State Police Detectives will obviously follow those leads.

A mother, father and 14-year-old boy were found shot dead Sunday afternoon in their home at 5582 South Beck’s Mill Road, east of Salem.

Dead are Danny G. Newlin, 58, and his son, Austin, 14, of multiple gunshot wounds.

Mother Kelley Kay Newlin, 41, was shot once. 

State Police were hunting for suspect Richard Lee Burton Jr. who had been living at the Newlin’s home. Evidence found at the scene indicated that he was the person involved in the killings. 

Burton was found in Monroe County Indiana Monday morning, dead in the cab of his Dodge Ram truck. A self-inflicted gunshot wound is the preliminary cause of death. 

According to Washington County Coroner Peg Shell, all three in the Newlin family died from gunshot wounds. 

Police came to the home around 4p on Sunday to conduct a welfare check, after a caller from another state contacted police noting that the family might be in danger. 

According to Indiana State Police Sgt. Jerry Goodin, “The caller had been in contact with Burton, and based on that conversation felt the family might be in danger.”

Goodin said that contact was last made with the family at about 8p on Saturday night.

The killing happened sometime over the next 24 hours. 

Police have not released what type of gun was used, whether or not it was the same gun used by the alleged killer to kill himself or where the bodies were found in the home. 

The autopsies were performed in Salem this morning under Shell’s direction.

Goodin said no further information on the incident will be released. 

The autopsies provided positive identifications of the victims and gave detectives preliminary causes of death to all three victims.

According to Indiana State Police Sgt. Jerry Goodin, the locations where the bodies were found in the home will not be released. 

Burton’s autopsy is being performed in Terre Haute, IN and all information from that autopsy will have to be provided by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department or the Monroe County Coroner’s Office. 

These autopsies are preliminary and will not be official until Toxicology results are completed which typically take up to six weeks.