VA Couple James Ashley Bayne ID’s As Victims In Wednesday Police-Pursuit Murder-Suicide

CRAIG COUNTY, VA. (THECOUNT) — Ashley Bayne and James Bayne, both of Covington, VA, have been identified as the victims in a murder-suicide that span several counties, Wednesday morning.

Ashley Bayne was discovered deceased on a sidewalk after 8 a.m. Wednesday in Craig County after Craig County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call of a shooting at a business located in the 26000 block of Craig Creek Road.

The second death occurred about 30 minutes later and was self-inflicted by James Bayne following a police-pursuit that ended in Botetourt County.

State police say that the suspect who shot the female fled in a vehicle that was later spotted on Route 220 in Botetourt County by a Botetourt County Sheriff’s deputy.

The pursuit continued along Route 220 until the vehicle stopped near Valley Farms Road.

When deputies approached the stopped vehicle, they found the driver to be suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

James Bayne 52, of Covington, was was transported to an area hospital where he was later pronounced dead of gunshot injuries to the head.

A handgun was recovered from the Dodge at the crash scene, according to state police.

The two had a domestic relationship, but were not married nor were they related, according to Virginia State Police. source

The deadly incident remains under investigation.

Covington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,961, making it the third-least populous city in Virginia. It is surrounded by Alleghany County, of which it is also the county seat, source Wikipedia.