Police ‘have no answer’ in murdersuicide

As investigation nears end, authorities lack note or clear motive in Clayton Road deaths

DANBURY — Police are nearing the end of their investigation into a murder-suicide on the north end of the city this week, but authorities are no closer to understanding the deaths of the mother and father.

“This is a tragic incident that will likely cause great sadness and sorrow to the family for years to come, especially the children,” Erin Henry, the city’s public information specialist, said in a statement.

Danbury police found the bodies of the husband and wife in a basement bedroom shortly after 3 p.m. Monday, while conducting a wellbeing check at the Clayton Road residence. Fire and emergency medical services personnel responded but the couple was already dead. Police said they went to the house after a caller reported that family members had not seen or heard from the residents since Sunday.

Korene Davis-Smith — who is listed in city records as the owner of the Clayton Road home

— died from gunshot wounds to the head, neck and torso, according to the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Her death was ruled a homicide.

Preston Smith died from a gunshot wound to the head, and his death was ruled a suicide, the medical examiner’s office said. Officers recovered a gun legally owned by Smith at the scene, Henry said.

“The investigation appears to be coming to an end,” Henry said. “However, the reports are still incomplete. The exact time of the shooting is unknown, there was no note left behind, and we have no answer for a reason(s) behind the event.”

Danbury police did not release the identities of the couple but said they were married, between the ages of 30 and 40, and had three children ranging in age from 9 to 13. According to public records, Davis-Smith was 39 and Smith was 38.

“While we respect and appreciate the media’s role in society, in cases like this, many believe the public interest in this type of event does not outweigh the public interest of the family,” Henry said. “As stated earlier, unless something drastically changes, we will not release anything further related to this tragic incident.”

Henry said the couple’s children are being cared for by family members, and police do not believe they were home at the time.

This is the second murdersuicide in Danbury this year. Over the summer, a mother killed her three children before dying by suicide.

The couple

A neighbor, who never formally met the young couple but would see their kids playing outside, said it had only been a few months since the family moved in.

Danbury land records show Davis-Smith purchased the ranch-style home on Clayton Road for $420,000 in August.

Before that, she and Smith lived in the Willow Park Apartments on Park Avenue and previously resided in Arkansas and New York, according to public records.

According to Davis-Smith’s LinkedIn profile, she had been a human resources manager at the Ethan Allen Hotel in Danbury since 2017. The Ethan Allen Hotel could not be reached to confirm her employment.

Davis-Smith also listed two years experience as an accounting manager for a hotel company in Arkansas on her LinkedIn, as well as a few years of study at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. According to the university’s records and registration office, she was enrolled as an accounting major from the fall of 2015 to the fall of 2018, but did not graduate.

Public criminal records show Preston Smith faced some minor charges in Arkansas between 2005 and 2012, according to the Arkansas Judiciary’s online court records. In 2005, he was charged with disorderly conduct and a nuisance code violation. He later faced traffic violations, such as careless and prohibited driving and failure to pay registration, according to the court records.

In three of his cases, the charges — including the one for disorderly conduct — were dismissed, while the others resulted in fines.

To connect with a certified domestic violence advocate, whether you need services or just someone to talk to, visit CTSafeConnect.org or call or text 888774-2900. If you think your computer usage might be monitored, call or text the phone number. Advocates are available 24/7.

Anyone who has thoughts of harming themselves, or seeks access to free and confidential mental health support, can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 800-2738255 (en Español: 888-628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing dial 711 and then 988) or visit 988Lifeline.org. People in need can also text the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.