State Police Investigation Continues into Norton Deaths 

The investigation remains ongoing at this time into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of three individuals inside a City of Norton residence on Sunday.

The incident occurred shortly before noon Sunday (April 10, 2022) when the Norton Police Department received a 911 call from an individual at the residence. When officers entered the house in the 800 block of Highland Ave NW, they located two deceased women and a deceased man. A firearm was recovered inside the residence by state police investigators.

Based on the evidence collected during the course of the investigation, it appears that Bryan C. Wampler, 53, shot and killed both his wife, Vivan A. Wampler, 53, and Elizabeth A. Sturgill, 81, before fatally shooting himself. The bodies of all three individuals were transported to the Office of the Medical Examiner in Roanoke for examination and autopsy. Sturgill is the mother of Mrs. Wampler.

The investigation remains ongoing at this time by the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Wytheville Field Office, with the assistance of the City of Norton Police Department and Wise County Commonwealth’s Attorney.