CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. (TCD) — Deputies reportedly found a homicide suspect with a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Thanksgiving before finding a dismembered victim in the trunk of a car.
On Thursday, Nov. 23, the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home near Poe Street and Eden Drive to conduct a welfare check after receiving information regarding a possible killing. Deputies knocked on the door and announced their presence, but no one answered.
The sheriff’s office secured the perimeter and walked into the backyard, where they found a large butcher knife on the ground. They also noticed blood and drag marks, corroborating their suspicions that a killing most likely occurred.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies continued attempts to contact the suspect in the home, but there was still no response. Officers made entry into the home and reportedly discovered 75-year-old Jonathan Dimick Sr. in the living room with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his abdomen. Dimick was unresponsive at the time but still alive.
Citrus County Fire Rescue attempted lifesaving measures. Dimick was later transported to a hospital via helicopter, where he died from his injuries.
According to the sheriff’s office, during the investigation, deputies found the dismembered body of 67-year-old James Banks in the trunk of his own car.
Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast called the scene “absolutely shocking.”
Prendergast added, “It is rare that a case this horrific occurs in Citrus County, but this is what we prepare for.”
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