Search Is On For 'Dangerous' Missouri Woman Accused Of Shooting Husband As He Slept
Authorities say Dawn Renee Wynn shot her husband, Harold Lee Wynn, in the back of the head as he slept in their southwestern Missouri camper. She later allegedly left a note and vanished from her mother's house while out on bond.
The search is on for a Missouri woman accused of murdering her husband as he slept beside her and then skipping out on her bond.
Dawn Renee Wynn, 49, was out on bond awaiting trial for the November murder of Harold Lee Wynn, 51, the McDonald County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday. Authorities say Mrs. Wynn failed to check in as part of her conditional pre-trial release and should be considered armed and dangerous.
“Please be on the lookout for Dawn Wynn,” authorities cautioned. “Due to a recent Missouri Supreme Court ruling, over objections from the prosecuting attorney, Wynn was out on bond and on pre-trial release where she had to check in my telephone.”
Deputies say Mrs. Wynn shot her husband “in the back of the head as he slept.”
McDonald County officials had responded to the married couple’s residence in McMillen Coy Township — a rural area in southwest Missouri near the confluence of Oklahoma, Kansas and Arkansas, known as the four-states area — on Nov. 16, 2021. Deputies said there’d been reports of a shooting at the couple’s camper near Anderson.
Dawn Wynn claimed she was sleeping when the sound of a gunshot woke her, as well as something “brushing” her face, according to the Joplin Globe. She allegedly called deputies and reported the shooting after seeing the blood.
A .40 caliber pistol was recovered from the crime scene and entered into evidence. Per an affidavit obtained by the Globe, the firearm — with a live round in the chamber — was found between Mrs. Wynn’s pillow and her husband’s head.
The couple’s two children were sleeping in the camper’s main living area, Mrs. Wynn told deputies.
The McDonald County Prosecuting Attorney secured warrants for Wynn’s arrest, charging her with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. She was initially held at the McDonald County jail without bond, according to McDonald Sheriff Robert Evenson.
After she was given bond and a conditional release, however, Wynn was ordered to live with her mother in a nearby Arkansas town pending her upcoming trial, according to CBS Pittsburg, Kansas, affiliate KOAM. Authorities in Benton County, Arkansas, say Wynn was last seen in the area of Jennifer Lane in Pea Ridge, Arkansas.
“She is believed to be headed to NE Oklahoma but has ties in SW Missouri,” the Benton County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a press release. “Dawn has no pending charges in Benton County. She is believed to be a danger to herself.”
McDonald County Sheriff Evenson told KOAM-TV Dawn Wynn left a note before vanishing Sunday afternoon.
Police say that Wynn doesn't drive and they don't believe she has access to a vehicle, according to northwest Arkansas affiliate KFTA.
In an update on Monday, Evenson confirmed to KOAM hat Wynn’s bond had been revoked and that an arrest warrant was issued for her arrest. Neighboring agencies were alerted via the NCIC, the FBI’s National Crime Information Center.
Dawn Wynn stands at 5’2” with short, black hair weighing between 150 and 170 pounds, according to Benton County officials. McDonald County officials warn potential witnesses to “exercise caution and do not approach.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact the McDonald County Sheriff’s Office at 1-417-223-4318 or the Benton County Sheriff’s Office at 1-479-273-5532.