Lisco deaths called suicides

The gunshot deaths of a Lisco, Neb., couple remained under investigation Friday, although preliminary results indicated Donald and Elizabeth Osborn took their own lives, Garden County Attorney Phil Pierce said.

The Osborns' bodies were found Wednesday in their home in western Nebraska by sheriff's deputies. Autopsies were performed, and the preliminary results indicated the deaths were a double suicide, said Pierce.

But, Pierce said, nothing has been finalized.

The couple's deaths came amid a turbulent summer for Donald, 39, and Elizabeth, 22. The couple's 8-month-old child died in July. In addition, Donald Osborn was the subject of several criminal investigations.

He was under investigation in neighboring Keith County for credit card fraud, Keith County Attorney Blake Edwards said.

Edwards said his office had been reviewing the results of an investigation by the State Patrol to determine what charges would be filed against Donald Osborn at the time of his death.

In addition, Osborn was under investigation for writing bad checks in Garden County and in Custer County, South Dakota, according to Pierce.

The couple had visited South Dakota last week, Pierce said.

The Osborns had lived in Ogallala before moving to Lisco earlier this summer. Lisco is about 60 miles northwest of Ogallala.

Donald was a lifelong resident of the area, while Elizabeth had recently moved to Nebraska from Quincy, Mich.

On July 14, the couple's baby, William “Willy” Silverhawk Osborn, died. His death was investigated, in part, because of Donald Osborn's prior criminal record.

In 2006, Donald Osborn served 350 days in jail on three counts of misdemeanor child abuse.

An autopsy was performed on the child in Scottsbluff, and the cause of death was ruled to be sudden infant death syndrome. That is a medical term for the death of a child younger than 1 year that remains unexplained after a thorough examination.

“There was a lot of work done on that,” said Pierce.

Contact the writer:

444-1309, robynn.tysver@owh.com