A transgender woman wanted for fatally shooting her brother and also-trans lover over the weekend has been found dead, cops say, following a daylong manhunt by police.
Michigan police had warned citizens to be on the lookout for 22-year-old Ruby Taverner Sunday, after finding the bodies of Ray Muscat, 26, and Bishop Taverner, 25, in the suspect’s Independence Township apartment early Sunday morning.
According to the sheriff’s office, Taverner formerly went by Martin, and Muscat previously used the first name Amber. The pair had been living together in the suspect’s apartment.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said Sunday that 5-foot-two, 115-lb. Taverner was ‘armed and dangerous’ and ‘highly dangerous to themselves or someone else,’ as police combed the area in search of the purple-haired suspect.
Her body was discovered by police Monday morning in woods near the crime scene. She reportedly died from a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound.
‘An Independence Township woman who fatally shot her live-in boyfriend and her brother Sunday was found dead today of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound near the apartment complex where the fatal shootings occurred,’ the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said Monday in a statement.
Police did not release a motive for the killings, but said Monday that they were likely premeditated, citing the fact that Taverner’s brother had been shot once in the head.
‘You don’t typically find someone shot in the head one time unless they just kind of coolly and calmly walked up and did it,’ Bouchard said.
Michigan police found the body of 5-foot-two, 115-lb. Ruby Taverner – formerly Martin Taverner – Monday following a daylong manhunt for the double homicide suspect, wanted for the murders of her 25-year-old brother and transgender boyfriend. She died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police say
Cops found the bodies of Taverner’s 26-year-old live-in boyfriend Ray – formerly Amber – Muscat (at left) and older brother Bishop Sunday morning in the pair’s apartment. Bishop’s body was found in the living room, and Muscat’s body was found in a rear bedroom, police said
Police also revealed that a Glock 43X handgun purchased by Taverner within the past week was found on her person, discovered by detectives searching the wooded area near Independence Square Apartments.
Authorities added she also had two other handguns registered in her name.
‘This tragic situation has now been brought to a close, and our investigators will now pivot to see if we can answer the question on everyone’s mind – why,’ Bouchard said in a press release sent after the discovery.
The suspect had been living with Ray Muscat – formerly known as Amber Muscat – cops said Sunday. It is unknown how long they had been in a relationship.
Police are investigating the circumstances that led to the shooting.
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‘It’s a terrible situation,’ Sheriff Michael Bouchard said Monday. ‘ It always seems to be magnified when you get someone who commits something horrible like that – a homicide – and then kills themselves.
The shooting transpired early Sunday morning around 3 am at an apartment the suspect shared with live-lover Muscat. Pictured is the complex, Independence Square Apartments
Oakland County cops said Sunday that purple-haired Taverner was ‘armed and dangerous’ and ‘highly dangerous to themselves or someone else’
‘You almost wonder “what was the point” to this whole thing? You never get any answers that satisfy those questions because, now, all parties are deceased.’
Deputies had responded to reports of gunshots at the Clarkston apartment complex around 3:20 am Sunday, cops said. The call came from an unidentified female resident of the apartment.
‘The caller, who lived in the apartment with Taverner, said she was awaken[ed] by what she believed were gunshots,’ police’s statement Monday read.
Bishop Taverner’s body was found in the living room, and Muscat’s body was found in a rear bedroom, The Detroit Times reported.
Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene, Bouchard said Monday. The sheriff also revealed that Bishop Taverner had been shot once in the head.
Taverner (at right) is pictured with now dead brother Bishop in graduate garb in this undated image. Cops said the transgender suspect shot her sibling once in the head before turning the gun on herself
Police the mobilized a force of more than two dozen deputies, supported by drones and K-9 units, to search for Taverner Sunday. Her remains were found after the sheriff’s office resumed its search Monday morning.
Investigators say that after allegedly committing the homicides, Taverner likely fled the apartment on foot, leaving behind her cell phone and car, which were recovered by police at the crime scene.
Bouchard said detectives are working to determine a motive for the double slaying, and said an autopsy will be performed on Taverner.
‘This tragic situation has now been brought to a close, and our investigators will now pivot to see if we can answer the question on everyone’s mind – why.’
An investigation is currently underway.
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