GEE Family (2009) - Logan County / Beason IL

Authorities in Beason, Ilinois have found five family members murdered in their central Illinois home.
Police and local authorities are now searching for the suspect or suspects.

Deputies responding to a 911 call Monday afternoon about a possible shooting in
Beason found the bodies of Raymond and Ruth Gee, their teenage
daughter, teenage son and younger son, Logan County Sheriff Steve
Nichols said Tuesday. A 3-year-old girl survived the attack, Nichols said.

In a news release, Nichols didn't specify how the family members were killed but
said they were the victims of a "brutal" homicide. He said at a news
conference that authorities are trying to identify a suspect.

Nichols says the suspect is considered armed and dangerous.

Beason is 141 miles southwest of Chicago.

Five people were found dead last night in Beason, Ill., about 135 miles northeast of St. Louis.

The victims were all from the same family and range in age from 11 years old to 46 years old.

This was "a brutal homicide against an entire family," said Logan County Sheriff Steve Nichols during a press conference this morning.

Nichols said that police have no suspect in the killings and urged residents to be on alert.

"We would consider this (suspect) armed and dangerous," Nichols said. "Since we don't have the suspect in custody, I want people to be cautious."

Killed were Raymond "Rick" Gee, about 46 years old, Ruth Gee, about 39 years old, Justina Constant, about 16 years old, Dillen Constant, about 14 years old, and Austin Gee, about 11 years old.

A 3-year-old girl -- who the sheriff said was a "possible survivor" -- was found alive and she is being treated at a Peoria hospital. The Peoria hospital is not releasing information about the little girl.

Logan would not say how the family members are related or how they died.

Beason is a central Illinois farming community.

Streets remained closed in the town, and authorities say they have set up a command post.

Illinois State Police Capt. Scott Compton confirmed the agency had crime scene investigators on the scene. But Compton referred other questions to the Logan County sheriff.

Beason is also about 40 miles northeast of Springfield.

The Logan County Sheriff confirms a family of five is dead in Beason, the victims of a brutal homicide.
Sheriff Steve Nichols held a press conference this morning, giving few details.
However, he did say the victims include Raymond and Ruth Gee and their three children, ages 16, 14 and 11.
Sheriff Nichols says there is one survivor, a little girl, who is now at a Peoria hospital.
While a suspect is not in custody, authorities do say they have a person of interest, who they consider armed and dangerous.

A couple and three children were found slain in their central Illinois home in what a sheriff described Tuesday as a "brutal homicide," and detectives were trying to identify possible suspects.

Authorities discovered the bodies late Monday afternoon after responding to a 911 call about possible shots fired at the address, Logan County Sheriff Steven Nichols said at a news conference.

A 3-year-old girl survived the attack and was taken to a hospital in Peoria, he said.

Nichols declined to say why his office didn't release information about the slayings until Tuesday morning. He said detectives were following leads to try to identify possible suspects, but that authorities could only say that the suspect was considered "armed and dangerous."

Nichols warned area residents to lock their doors at night as a precaution.

"We are determined to identify and arrest those responsible," he said.

The slayings, which Nichols described as a "brutal homicide against an entire family," occurred at the family's ranch-style home in Beason, a farming community about 140 miles southwest of Chicago.

Nichols would not provide details about the crime scene or the suspected cause of death, but said an autopsy was scheduled for later Tuesday.

Nichols identified the victims and gave approximate ages: Raymond "Rick" Gee, 46; Ruth Gee, 39; Justina Constant, 16, Dillen Constant, 14; and Austin Gee, 11.

He did not immediately provide details about the girl who survived.

Others in this tiny community described the family as quiet and well-liked.

Postmaster Jodie Duncan said she saw the children every morning when they came to the post office to get on the buses that took them to school.

"They were great kids," she said. "Austin was in the post office every morning in the lobby on the floor doing his homework. He'd say he's more awake in the morning."

She said Raymond Gee worked in construction and that Ruth Gee was a stay-at-home mother.

Beason is about 40 miles northeast of Springfield.

Deputies are still encouraging families in tiny Beason, Illinois to keep their doors locked, and keep an eye on their kids, in the wake of five murders that took place in a home there Monday. Meanwhile the killer remains on the loose. Deputies now say they're looking for a small framed pickup truck, likely a Ford Ranger or Chevy S-10 that was in the area. The vehicle is painted with gray primer and has chrome exhaust pipes coming out of the truck bed.

The couple and three of their children were found brutally slain inside their home in this tiny central Illinois farming community. Police said they responded to a call of shots fired when they found the bodies on Monday, but in a Wednesday morning news conference deputies said the victims were not shot. Sheriff Steve Nichols refused to elaborate on how they died.

A 3-year-old girl survived the attack and was taken to a hospital in Peoria, he said. The girl's grandmother identified her as the couple's daughter, Tabitha Gee.

Nichols declined to say why his office didn't release information about the slayings until Tuesday morning. He said detectives were trying to identify possible suspects, and that those responsible for the killings should be considered "armed and dangerous." Nichols warned area residents to lock their doors at night as a precaution.

The slayings, which Nichols described as a "brutal homicide against an entire family," occurred at the family's ranch-style home in Beason, a farming community about 40 miles northeast of Springfield.

Nichols declined to provide details about the crime scene or the suspected cause of death. He did confirm Wednesday morning that autopsies were complete.

Nichols identified the victims and gave their approximate ages: Raymond "Rick" Gee, 46; Ruth Gee, 39; Justina Constant, 16, Dillen Constant, 14; and Austin Gee, 11. He did not immediately provide details about the girl who survived. The family was described as quiet and well-liked by townspeople and relatives.

"They were very quiet and very kind and never had a bad word to say about anybody," said Ruth Gee's mother, Francis Constant, who lives in nearby Lincoln.

Raymond Gee hustled for work in construction and as a handyman while his wife, a stay-at-home mom, helped out whenever she could, Constant said.

The couple faced their share of hardships, including having an 11-year-old daughter who suffered a brain injury so severe she has live at a special facility in Peoria. She said her son-in-law also had an adult daughter who did not live at the couple's home.

The couple's children attended church, and waited each morning at the town's post office for the school bus.

In Beason, residents gathered on porches to talk about the killings, some obviously worried about what had happened and the fact that as of late in the day authorities had not made any arrests.

Dale Day, who lives a few blocks from the home where the bodies were found, said Tuesday he'd armed himself to be ready for any trouble that might come his way.

"Now I have my 9 mm loaded, cocked and ready to fire if someone breaks into my house," Day said.

Some residents said they had never considered locking their doors at night.

"Not many people lock their doors here," said Brittney Fillmore, 14, who knew both Justina and Dillen from high school. "Something like this isn't what you'd expect especially happening in a small town where everybody knows each other."

Betty Poston, 76, said she had never seen anything like the shootings since she moved to the town at age 10.

"Everybody always got along, neighbor helped neighbor."

About 70 people crowded into a small Methodist church, where a pastor tried to comfort them, particularly the 30 or so children among them.

"Just think of this family as up in heaven having fun, doing the things that make them happy," the Rev. Dale Badman told those gathered. "They don't want you to be burdened by fear, they don't want you to be burdened by pain."

Robert Bagby, the superintendent of Lincoln Community High School, where Justine Constant was a sophomore, described her as "a very vibrant, likable young lady who had a lot of friends."

Bagby said counselors were at the school for students who needed them.

Two of the children killed, Justina and Austin, attended an area Bible club this summer, said Jordan Peck, who led the club. Both children were attentive and polite, and Justina had become a born-again Christian recently.

Postmaster Jodie Duncan's said the children were never a problem when they waited each morning for the bus.

"They were great kids," she said. "Austin was in the post office every morning in the lobby on the floor doing his homework. He'd say he's more awake in the morning."

Anyone looking to help the surviving member of the Gee family can send donations: 1st Methodist Church of Lincoln 302 Broadway Lincoln, IL 62656

The head of the 911 center in Logan County says an adult discovered the bodies of five family members who slain earlier this week and then called authorities.

Logan County Emergency Management Agency Director Dan Fulscher says that the person saw the bloody bodies Monday afternoon, then ran out of the house and called authorities.

Earlier, authorities said they responded to a 911 call of possible shots fired. But on Wednesday, Logan County Sheriff Steven Nichols said the victims did not die of gunshot wounds. He would not elaborate.

Fulscher also says that 72 people are searching for clues in fields and ditches in the bean fields near the house where the family lived.

Police are asking for the public's help in locating a
pickup truck that was spotted in Beason hours before five family
members were found dead Monday in their home.

Few new details in the slayings of Rick and Ruth Gee and three
of the family's children emerged Wednesday. A wide-ranging search
of the surrounding fields continued, and the FBI confirmed it has
been called in to assist the investigation.

A fourth child, a 3-year-old girl who is believed to be the only
survivor of the attack, was in stable condition at a Peoria
hospital, the sheriff said Wednesday. A sheriff's deputy also
remains on guard at the hospital, Nichols said.

The truck is described as a Chevrolet S-10 or Ford Ranger-type
vehicle with gray primer and chrome exhaust pipes coming out of the
bed of the truck, Logan County Sheriff Steve Nichols said at a news
conference Wednesday morning. The truck was seen in Beason before
midnight Sunday, or at least 16 hours before the bodies were
discovered, Nichols said.

"We will take any tips anybody has," he said. "No tip is too
small."

A tip line has been established that will be monitored around
the clock. The number is (217) 732-3000, and callers are asked to
try again if the line is busy.

"We want to know what you know," Nichols said in a statement
later Wednesday.

Clarifications

Meanwhile, Nichols said the five victims did not die from
gunshot wounds, despite initial reports of a possible shooting at
their Broadway Avenue home. Nichols said the original 911 caller
said the victims had been shot and may have assumed so, but
autopsies have since proved otherwise.

Authorities have not disclosed how the family was killed or when
they died. Autopsy results were not be released as of Wednesday
night.

In his statement later Wednesday, Nichols tried to explain why
authorities did not alert the public to the deaths as homicides -
and that a suspect was still on the loose - until the day after the
bodies were found.

"We had to look at the possibility of a murder-suicide," he
said. "With the number of victims and size of the crime scene, the
necessary evidence that determined this to be a homicide was not
available until (Tuesday morning). That information was released at
(Tuesday's) press conference," he said.

Nichols also said that none of the Gees' other relatives are in
protective custody. Some Chicago-based news media reported Tuesday
that some relatives had been taken into protective custody.

FBI joins probe

Meanwhile, the sheriff confirmed Wednesday that the FBI has
joined the Beason investigation.

At least two FBI agents from the Peoria office are in Logan
County to aid the investigation, said Marshall Stone, supervisory
special agent at the FBI's Springfield office. The agents joined
investigators for a lengthy phone conference with the FBI's
Behavioral Sciences Unit at FBI headquarters in Quantico, Va.,
Nichols said.

"The FBI is reviewing case information and crime scene data and
will be assisting with this investigation as it progresses," he
said.

History of the case

Confirmed dead in what police have termed the "brutal homicide"
are Raymond "Rick" Gee, 46, his wife, Ruth Gee, 39, Justina
Constant, 16, Dillen Constant, 14, and Austin Gee, 11. Police first
responded to the home at 1571 2150th Ave. (Broadway) around 4:30
p.m. Monday.

The children and Rick Gee reportedly were last seen Sunday
night, and the children were absent from school Monday.

Without a suspect in custody, Nichols reminded residents
Wednesday to take "normal precautions. Lock your doors, know where
you children are and keep track of your neighbors."

Broadway, or 2150th Ave., was again closed between Illinois 10
and North Street on Wednesday. The entire block surrounding the
home is closed off by authorities.

Tension in this tiny central Illinois town is rising as residents
are fearful of a killer on the loose and growing frustrated by a lack
of information from authorities about the horrific murder of a family
of five. And what little information has been released about the
killings is only adding to the frustration and confusion for some.A
couple and three of their children were found dead on Monday in their
home, but while Logan County sheriff's reported that they discovered
the bodies after responding to a shots-fired call, Sheriff Steve
Nichols said Wednesday that the family members were not killed by
gunshot. Nichols did not divulge how they were killed.Officials
said autopsy results would be made available Tuesday, then pushed it to
Wednesday. After announcing at a Wednesday morning news conference
limited results, Nichols said autopsy results will be made available at
4 p.m. CDT Thursday.

Also during
the news conference, Nichols said police are asking for the public's
help in locating a pickup truck that was spotted in Beason hours before
the family was found dead Monday afternoon.The
small truck is described as a Chevy S10 or Ford Ranger-type vehicle
with gray primer paint and chrome exhaust pipes coming out of the bed
of the truck.The truck was seen in Beason before midnight Sunday, more than 16 hours before the bodies were discovered, Nichols said."We will take any tips anybody has," he said. "No tip is too small."But
some residents, saying they know just about everything and everybody in
this town of 150, said they could be more helpful if they had more
details from police."I feel like they think we're too stupid to help," said one man.Another
said he wishes he knew more about the killing, and the possible
whereabouts of the suspect or suspects, but since he doesn't he's
keeping close tabs on his son."I won't let him out of my sight," he said.Another man said people should just relax and let police handle the investigation.Nichols
said the five victims - Rick and Ruth Gee and three of their children -
did not die from gunshot wounds, despite initial reports of a possible
shooting at their home.A fourth child, a 3-year-old girl who is
believed to be the only survivor of the attack, is in "stable"
condition at a Peoria hospital, the sheriff said Wednesday.

Authorities are looking for a sharp-edged tool and/or
a cylinder-shaped object in connection with the slaying of five
family members in Beason, The Pantagraph learned early
Thursday.

Logan County Sheriff Steve Nichols could not immediately be
reached for comment by the newspaper.

Members of several emergency agencies spent two days searching
soybean fields near the family's home. The search did not resume
Thursday morning, but authorities earlier said they planned to
cover a specific area and were not expected to go beyond that
area.

What appeared to be the last police vehicle in Beason left just
before noon. Windows of the Gee family's home were newly boarded up
with plywood. Broadway Avenue was reopened.

Wednesday's activity

Few new details in the slayings of Rick and Ruth Gee and three
of the family's children emerged Wednesday, although the FBI
confirmed it was called to assist the investigation and Nichols
said autopsies had been completed. He said the five did not die
from gunshot wounds.

Police did ask the public to look for a pickup truck that was
spotted in Beason hours before two adults and three children were
found dead Monday in their home.

A fourth child, a 3-year-old girl who is believed to be the only
survivor of the attack, was in stable condition at a Peoria
hospital, the sheriff said Wednesday. A sheriff's deputy remained
on guard at the hospital, Nichols said.

The truck is described as a Chevrolet S-10 or Ford Ranger-type
vehicle with gray primer and chrome exhaust pipes coming out of the
bed of the truck. Nichols said the truck was seen in Beason before
midnight Sunday, or at least 16 hours before the bodies were
discovered.

"We will take any tips anybody has," he said. "No tip is too
small."

A tip line has been established that will be monitored around
the clock. The number is (217) 732-3000, and callers are asked to
try again if the line is busy.

Police clarifications

Meanwhile, Nichols said the five victims did not die from
gunshot wounds, despite initial reports of a possible shooting at
their Broadway Avenue home. Nichols said the original 911 caller
said the victims had been shot and may have assumed so, but
autopsies have since proved otherwise.

Authorities have not disclosed how the family was killed or when
they died. Autopsy results were not released as of Wednesday
night.

In his statement later Wednesday, Nichols tried to explain why
authorities did not alert the public to the deaths as homicides -
and that a suspect was still on the loose - until the day after the
bodies were found.

"We had to look at the possibility of a murder-suicide," he
said. "With the number of victims and size of the crime scene, the
necessary evidence that determined this to be a homicide was not
available until (Tuesday morning). That information was released at
(Tuesday's) press conference," he said.

Nichols also said that none of the Gees' other relatives are in
protective custody. Some Chicago-based news media reported Tuesday
that some relatives had been taken into protective custody.

FBI joins probe

Meanwhile, the sheriff confirmed Wednesday that the FBI has
joined the Beason investigation.

At least two FBI agents from the Peoria office are in Logan
County to aid the investigation, said Marshall Stone, supervisory
special agent at the FBI's Springfield office. The agents joined
investigators for a lengthy phone conference with the FBI's
Behavioral Sciences Unit at FBI headquarters in Quantico, Va.,
Nichols said.

"The FBI is reviewing case information and crime scene data and
will be assisting with this investigation as it progresses," he
said.

History of the case

Confirmed dead in what police have termed the "brutal homicide"
are Raymond "Rick" Gee, 46, his wife, Ruth Gee, 39, Justina
Constant, 16, Dillen Constant, 14, and Austin Gee, 11. Police first
responded to the home at 1571 2150th Ave. (Broadway) around 4:30
p.m. Monday.

The head of the Logan County Emergency Management Agency, Dan
Fulscher, told The Associated Press the 911 call was made by
someone who entered the house and saw bloody bodies "and very
quickly got out of there."

The children and Rick Gee reportedly were last seen Sunday
night, and the children were absent from school Monday.

Without a suspect in custody, Nichols reminded residents
Wednesday to take "normal precautions. Lock your doors, know where
you children are and keep track of your neighbors."

Residents in Beason, Ill., a small farm town scarred by a shocking murder , learned Thursday afternoon that Rick and Ruth Gee and three of their children died of trauma induced by "blunt-force."
Logan County Sheriff Steven Nichols made the announcement, just a day after he declined to discuss the cause of the deaths.
Five members of the Gee family were found dead in their home Monday afternoon after a 911 call reported possible gunshots being fired on the Gee's property.
The call was made by Rick Gee's stepfather it was confirmed today.
According to the The Pantagraph, he is the one who found the family's
bodies Monday afternoon. "It is burned in the back of my eyeballs," he
told the newspaper. "I am the one who found them," William "Pudge"
Koehler said at his Lincoln,Ill. home. The newspaper reports he
declined further comment and said he was just getting his first real
sleep since the slayings.
Restless residents, who were advised to keep their doors locked at all
times, are still left with more questions than answers. Police would
not say what object (or objects) may have been used to kill the family.
It is also still unclear what could have been a motive for the
slayings, and police would also not discuss whether officials have
recovered any weapons or if investigators have identified any suspects.
The tiny town of 250 residents has been under the watchful eye of
police since Monday, when officers blocked off the road leading up to
the blue-gray house, now turned crime scene. The windows of what was
once a home, now boarded up by plywood.
Over the past two days, an army of about 70 investigators could
be seen searching the sprawling miles of corn fields looking for
evidence. But by this morning officials had cleared out the Beason
Firehouse which had been used as a command post.
At Thursday's news conference, Nichols said investigators had
just finished combing through the crime scene. "The forensic evidence
in this case is significant," Nichols said. Nichols also confirmed that
the FBI was assisting investigators in the case. Logan County police said that more than 100 tips have come into a special hot line
set up to aid the investigation.On Wednesday, police asked the public to be on the lookout for a gray
pickup truck with chrome exhaust pipes that was seen in the area on
Sunday night.Among the deceased family members are Raymond "Rick" Gee, 46; Ruth Gee,
39; Justina Constant, 16, Dillen Constant, 14; and Austin Gee, 11.
A sixth member of the family, 3-year-old Tabitha Gee, survived
the attack and was airlifted to a hospital in nearby Peoria. She is
listed in stable condition and being cared for by her grandmother.
Funeral services are temporarily "on hold," according to Koehler, as the family focuses on young Tabitha's recovery..

Logan County Sheriff Steve Nichols is confident his
deputies will solve the family massacre in Beason.

"We're not going to quit," he told reporters Friday during a
news conference.

He said more than 250 people have reported tips to a special hot
line, and reward money is available through the local CrimeStoppers
chapter. More reward money may be offered as the case
continues.

Meanwhile, in Beason, the house where five members of the Gee
family were murdered and a child was viciously attacked sat silent
Friday. The windows were boarded up and crime scene tape
removed.

Police said blunt force trauma was the cause of death for
Raymond "Rick" Gee, 46, Ruth Gee, 39, and three of their children,
Justina Constant, 16, Dillen Constant, 14, and Austin Gee, 11,
whose bodies were found late Monday afternoon by Rick Gee's
stepfather. The family's 3-year-old daughter, Tabitha, remains at a
Peoria hospital under police guard.

Logan County Coroner Bob Thomas said it will be several months
before he will hold an inquest into the family's deaths.

"With the severity and the depth (of this case), I want to wait
until more detailed reports are available from police," Thomas
said. "They need time to do their work, and we want to have as much
information as possible."

Nichols said task force officers have spent hundreds of hours
investigating the leads generated from the hot line, 732-3000.

"We are diligently pursuing these tips," Nichols said. "We
encourage the public to keep calling."

A substantial amount of evidence is being analyzed by the state
police crime lab. Nichols said he expects to receive more leads as
the test results become available.

Being more specific than he had been in past days, the sheriff
said the family's dog has been turned over to the local humane
society. In response to a question about whether the dog barked
during the attack, Nichols said the dog was in the backyard while
officers processed the crime scene and was "quiet."

He also further described a pickup truck reportedly seen in the
vicinity before midnight Sunday. The small truck, perhaps a Ford
Ranger or Chevrolet S-10, has exhaust pipes protruding vertically
from the back of the truck bed, between the wheel wells and the
tailgate.

The truck was described as painted primer gray. Nichols
emphasized that the color of the truck was not a "factory paint
job."

Because of the unusual position of the tailpipes, Nichols said
anyone who sees any vehicle with those kinds of exhaust pipes
should call the hot line.

Authorities are seeking the public's
help in solving the slayings of five members of a central Illinois
family, saying the suspect or suspects may be injured.Police won't say if they are seeking one or more suspects in the deaths.But Logan County Sheriff Steven Nichols
said Saturday that a "violent struggle took place" and it's highly
likely that the person or people responsible also are injured.

Nichols is asking the public to "take a look at everyone ... they may
encounter" for recent injuries, especially to arms, the head and the
upper body.He says injuries could include cuts, bruises or loss of hair.Authorities found the bodies of Ruth and Raymond Gee and three of their children Monday at their Beason home.

Whoever killed five members of the Gee family in
Beason may have been wounded in a struggle, Logan County Sheriff
Steve Nichols said Saturday.

"During the brutal murders ... a violent struggle took place,"
Nichols said in a news release. "There is a possibility that the
person or persons responsible may have been injured
themselves."

The sheriff asked the public to "look at everyone they know
and/or may encounter that may have recent injuries, especially to
their arms, head or upper body." There also may be wounds elsewhere
on the body, he said.

Injuries could include cuts, lacerations, bruises, contusions,
abrasions and/or loss of hair, he said.

Anyone with information about someone with such recent injuries
is asked to call the tip line at 732-3000.

"No tip is too small," Nichols has said previously.

Police said blunt force trauma was the cause of death for
Raymond "Rick" Gee, 46, Ruth Gee, 39, and three of their children,
Justina Constant, 16, Dillen Constant, 14, and Austin Gee, 11.
Their bodies were found late Monday afternoon by Rick Gee's
stepfather.

The Gees' 3-year-old daughter, Tabitha, survived the attack and
remains at a Peoria hospital under police guard.

Police also are still looking for a pickup truck reportedly seen
in the vicinity before midnight Sunday. The small truck, perhaps a
Ford Ranger or Chevy S-10, has exhaust pipes protruding vertically
from the back of the truck bed, between the wheel wells and the
tailgate.

The truck was described as painted primer gray. Nichols
emphasized the color of the truck was not a "factory paint
job."

Nichols was not available for comment Saturday.

The funeral for the family is scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday in
Mount Pulaski.

Nearly 500 people gathered to remember members of the Gee family who were found slain in their Beason home last week.

Speakers at a funeral service in Mount Pulaski Monday remembered Rick and Ruth Gee and their three deceased children as "just simple people."

Family friend John Johnson said the Gees were down to earth. He says that "to honor this family, just keep it real."

The bodies of the Gees and children Justina Constant, Dillen Constant and Austin Gee were discovered Sept. 21. Police have no suspects in the slaying.

Relatives spoke at the funeral service and remembered the family as warm and welcoming. They said Rick Gee was mild-mannered and had a big heart.

An Illinois State Police squad car sat outside the worship center during the service.

The former son-in-law of an Illinois man, who was killed along with
four other family members in their Beason home, has been arrested and
charged with five murders. Christopher J. Harris of McLean County was
charged with the beating deaths of Rick and Ruth Gee and three of their
children.
Tabitha Gee, a 3-year-old, survived the attack but was in critical condition.

"The arrest is based on the tireless efforts of the
investigators and the Illinois State Police Crime Lab forensic analysis
of evidence removed from the crime scene," Sheriff Steve Nichols told
reporters. "There are more investigative leads to be followed. We have
not determined at this time if more arrests may come."Nichols declined to give more details or discuss the possible motive
for the killings. The sheriff said a "violent struggle" preceded the
deaths, which authorities attributed to "blunt force trauma."
Divorced in March 2007Investigators did seize a 1989 Ford Ranger pickup truck that belonged
to Harris. The truck matched the description of a truck seen in the
area at the time of the slayings.On Sept. 21, police found five members of the Gee family dead in their
home after receiving a call saying shots were fired. But later,
investigators said the victims were beaten to death and no one was shot.Killed were Raymond "Rick" Gee, 46, his wife, Ruth Gee, 39, and
children Justina Constant, 16, Dillen Constant, 14, and Austin Gee, 11.Harris formerly was married to another daughter, Nicole Gee, who did
not live at the Beason home. Nicole Gee and Harris were divorced in
March 2007. Nicole petitioned the court May of this year seeking
modification of child support.