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Ames, Iowa: Woman Found Dead at Home, Husband Charged With First-Degree Murder After Shooting Himself at Traffic Stop

Police found Kristen Stone, 47, dead during a welfare check on Ontario Street on Thursday morning. Her husband, Richard Stone, was charged with first-degree murder on Friday, then shot himself when officers stopped his vehicle, police said.

By Orbit Post2 min read
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Ames, Iowa: Woman Found Dead at Home, Husband Charged With First-Degree Murder After Shooting Himself at Traffic Stop

Key points

  • Ames police officers and medical personnel went to a home at 5010 Ontario Street at about 7:17 a.m. on Thursday, October 29, to carry out a welfare check, and they found Kristen Stone, 47, dead…
  • Investigators said they developed information that identified her husband, Richard Stone, 47, of Ames, as a suspect in her death.
  • After the warrant was issued, Ames officers began searching for Richard Stone, with help from the Iowa State University Police Department and the Story County Sheriff's Office.

Ames police officers and medical personnel went to a home at 5010 Ontario Street at about 7:17 a.m. on Thursday, October 29, to carry out a welfare check, and they found Kristen Stone, 47, dead inside, the Ames Police Department said. Police opened a homicide investigation at the home.

Investigators said they developed information that identified her husband, Richard Stone, 47, of Ames, as a suspect in her death. On Friday, October 30, investigators obtained an arrest warrant charging Richard Stone with first-degree murder. KCCI, the CBS affiliate in Des Moines, reported that the suspect is a member of the faculty at Iowa State University. Ames sits about 30 miles north of Des Moines, and the university is the city's largest institution. Its police department helped in the search that followed.

The search and the traffic stop

After the warrant was issued, Ames officers began searching for Richard Stone, with help from the Iowa State University Police Department and the Story County Sheriff's Office. The search ended at about 3:40 p.m. on Friday, when officers located him inside his vehicle in the 3900 block of Toronto Street and carried out a traffic stop to take him into custody.

Police said Richard Stone stopped for the officers and then shot himself inside the vehicle. Officers at the scene, joined by medical personnel from Mary Greeley Medical Center and members of the Ames Fire Department, began life-saving measures at once. He was taken by ambulance to a waiting air ambulance and flown to a hospital in the Des Moines area for further treatment. His condition was unknown at the time of the police department's announcement on Friday.

What police have not said

Police have not said how Kristen Stone died, and they have released no motive. The circumstances of her death remain under investigation, the department said. A criminal charge is an allegation, and Richard Stone is presumed innocent unless he is proven guilty in court.

Police did not announce a court date, and they did not say when further information would be released. Anyone with information about the case can call the Ames Police Department at 515-239-5133 or its anonymous tip line at 515-239-5533. Tips can also go to Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa at 515-223-1400.

Timeline

  1. Oct 29, 2026Officers and medical personnel respond to a welfare check at 5010 Ontario Street at about 7:17 a.m. and find Kristen Stone, 47, dead. Police open a homicide investigation.
  2. Oct 30, 2026Investigators obtain an arrest warrant charging Richard Stone, 47, with first-degree murder, and officers begin searching for him with help from Iowa State University police and the Story County Sheriff's Office.
  3. Oct 30, 2026Officers stop Richard Stone's vehicle in the 3900 block of Toronto Street at about 3:40 p.m. Police say he shoots himself inside the vehicle and is flown to a Des Moines area hospital, his condition unknown.

Sources