- March 12, 2025
Volusia County Sheriff’s Office deputies discovered the bodies of Joyce Ryals, 74, and James Ryals, 73, in their home Tuesday night and are investigating it as murder-suicide.
BY MATT MENCARINI | STAFF WRITER
The Volusia County Medical Examiner’s Office has confirmed the cause of death in a murder-suicide in a home near Ormond Beach.
The Sheriff’s Office found the bodies of Joyce Ryals, 74, and James Ryals, 73, in their home Tuesday night and, based on evidence at the scene, investigators believed James Ryals killed his wife before killing himself.
After conducting autopsies Wednesday morning, the medical examiner determined Joyce Ryals died from multiple gunshot wounds, and James Ryals died from a single gunshot wound.
The Sheriff's Office said two guns were used in the shooting, and both were recovered in the bathroom along with the bodies. The Sheriff's Office had originally reported a single gun was found at the scene.
Deputies were dispatched to the home, on the 100 Block of Woodhaven Circle, after a New Jersey relative asked for a well-being check, after she told deputies she hadn’t been able to contact them.
The Sheriff’s Office said deputies arrived at the home at 11:48 p.m and found the two bodies in the bathroom with a note.
This story was updated 1 p.m., Oct. 31, with new information.
