Lauderdale County Sheriff: Florence man, woman dead in domestic murder-suicide on Arnold Lane

LAUDERDALE Co., Ala. (WAFF) - Two people were found dead in an Arnold Lane home in Lauderdale County on Thursday. The Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office have deemed the deaths as part of a domestic murder-suicide.

At 5 p.m. on April 6, deputies responded to a report of an unresponsive female at a home on Arnold Lane near Co. Rd. 7. After deputies arrived, an unresponsive male was located in a shed on the same property. According to Sheriff Joe Hamilton, evidence gathered on the scene included notes, letters and a handgun.

In the notes, he asked for forgiveness before committing the act.

Investigators say the female was shot and killed by the male and the male died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The male and female were considered to be in a common law marriage and the case has been ruled a murder-suicide.

Sheriff Hamilton identified the female as Virginia McDougal, age 40 of Florence. The male was identified as Dwayne Pigg, age 58 of Florence.

Court records show Pigg had a history of domestic violence.

In 2021, McDougal filed for protection from abuse against her husband, but later had the protection dismissed in order to co-parent with their child in 2022.

The bodies were taken to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences to conduct autopsies.

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