The 77-year-old was found unresponsive on a bedroom floor after a shooting at Woodlake Estates Mobile Home Park.
YODER, Ind. — The Allen County Coroner’s Office ruled the shooting death of 77-year-old Sandra Sue Chelf a homicide after police found her inside her mobile home and arrested her husband.
The ruling turned a late-night shooting call into Allen County’s 13th homicide case of 2026. James Richard Chelf II, 79, was charged with murder after the May 22 incident in the 100 block of Woodlake Run, where he and Sandra Chelf lived in Woodlake Estates Mobile Home Park. The coroner’s findings gave the case its official death classification, while court records described what police say Chelf told a neighbor and officers before the charge was filed.
Coroner officials said their office was notified Friday night after a shooting at the mobile home park. Sandra Chelf was found unresponsive on a bedroom floor, and Southwest Allen County EMS pronounced her dead at the scene. After an autopsy and notification of relatives, the coroner identified her as Sandra Sue Chelf, a 77-year-old white woman. The office listed the cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death as homicide. Earlier public reports said she had been shot in the head, while later accounts from the coroner described multiple wounds. Authorities have not released the full autopsy report.
The police response began shortly after 10 p.m. The Allen County Sheriff’s Department said officers and Indiana State Police troopers were called at about 10:08 p.m. to a report of a shooting inside a residence. Other accounts based on court documents put the 911 call at about 10:15 p.m. and said it came from a woman who reported that her neighbor, James Chelf, had come to her home and said he had shot his wife. By the time officers reached the couple’s home, Chelf was outside. Police detained him before entering the residence.
What officers say Chelf told them at the doorway became the most widely reported detail in the case. Asked whether anyone else was inside, he allegedly said, “Just my dog and my dead wife.” The blunt statement was followed by the discovery of Sandra Chelf’s body inside the residence. Court records described by local outlets say Chelf later told police that he and his wife had been arguing, though he could not remember what the argument was about. He allegedly said, “I just went nuts,” and “I have no reason why.” Investigators have not announced a motive beyond that reported argument.
The homicide ruling also placed the case in the broader record of violent deaths tracked by local officials. Allen County’s homicide count includes deaths reviewed by the coroner, law enforcement and prosecutors, and each classification depends on medical findings and investigation results. Sandra Chelf’s death was not classified as accidental, natural or self-inflicted. It was classified as a homicide, a medical and legal term showing that another person caused the death. That classification does not by itself decide criminal guilt, but it supports the murder charge filed against James Chelf and frames the evidence prosecutors are expected to present.
Investigators said a firearm was recovered in the home. Reports based on court documents identify it as a .38 Special Smith & Wesson revolver found on the dining room table. The revolver allegedly held three spent casings, two live rounds and one empty chamber. Police have not released full forensic findings, but the reported condition of the gun is likely to matter in court. The number of spent casings may be compared with the number and location of wounds, bullet fragments and any impact marks in the home. Prosecutors also may use photographs, medical evidence and officer testimony to establish what happened inside the residence.
The sheriff’s department announced the arrest in stages. Its first statement said officers had detained an adult male at the scene and found an adult female inside with gunshot wounds. After an interview with investigators, the man was transported to the Allen County Jail on a preliminary charge of murder. A May 23 update identified him as James Richard Chelf II, age 79, of Yoder. By the following Wednesday, online court information cited by news outlets showed he had an initial hearing in Allen Superior Court 6 and had been formally charged with murder. He was reported held without bond.
The location of the shooting, Woodlake Estates Mobile Home Park, is in southwestern Allen County, off Indianapolis Road near Fort Wayne International Airport. The area is residential, and authorities have not said the shooting involved anyone outside the Chelf home. The neighbor’s reported contact with James Chelf appears to have been after the shooting, when he allegedly asked her to call 911. No injuries to officers, neighbors or other residents were announced. The dog that Chelf allegedly mentioned has not been a focus of the public investigation, and officials have not released details about its condition or care after police entered the home.
Several questions remain open as the case moves through court. Public reports do not say whether Sandra Chelf had sought help before the shooting, whether any protective order existed or whether police had previously been called to the home. They also do not explain what led to the argument described in court records. Those details may remain private unless they become part of the prosecution or defense case. Prosecutors are expected to rely on the coroner’s homicide ruling, police observations, the alleged statements and the firearm evidence. Chelf has the right to challenge the charge and the evidence against him.
Sandra Sue Chelf’s death remains under investigation by Allen County police, prosecutors and the coroner. James Richard Chelf II remained jailed without bond as the murder case continued in Allen Superior Court 6.
Author note: Last updated Monday, June 22, 2026.