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THE twin sister of a mom who died by suicide in front of her fire chief boyfriend claims there were chilling signs of alleged abuse before her death.
Grace Holland, 35, died inside the home of her fiance in 2020, years before another body was found on the same man’s property.
On July 22, 2020, Grace, a 35-year-old mom-of-four, turned a gun on herself while she was at home with her boyfriend in Creve Coeur, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, an investigation by the Creve Coeur Police Department found.
Her ex-fiance, who works at a nearby fire department, called 911 to report the shooting, and first responders arrived to find her dead from a single gunshot wound to the head, according to the medical examiner’s report.
On Saturday, a physician named Sarah Sweeney, 39, was found dead inside another home in nearby Frontenac, owned by the same fire chief.
Her death is still under investigation and the medical examiner is determining a cause.
The news has reopened wounds for Grace’s family, who strongly suspect wrongdoing, despite the ruling by police and the medical examiner.
Speaking exclusively to The U.S. Sun, Grace’s twin sister Laura said she felt “responsible” for Sarah’s death and that she didn’t “protect” her.
“I feel like I didn’t do enough with Grace’s case,” the heartbroken sister said.
CHIEF SUED
Grace’s daughters, ex-husband, and father have filed a wrongful death suit against the chief that alleged he either killed her or drove her to suicide through abuse.
The chief has denied any wrongdoing through his lawyer and is seeking to get the petition thrown out, according to a filing seen by The U.S. Sun.
The suit, which Laura is not a part of, details harrowing alleged evidence of Grace and the chief’s turbulent relationship.
Grace allegedly fell pregnant with her ex-fiance’s child days before her death and wanted to keep the baby, according to text messages seen by the family.
However, conversations between the two allegedly reveal that the chief wanted out of the relationship, the civil suit states.
“Get out of my house. I don’t want to be married. I don’t want a baby,” reads one text sent by the chief.
The chief admitted in his response filing that he indeed sent this message.
Another text acknowledged by the chief read, “I told you this over and over.
“All you do is keep pushing… Move on with your life. This is over.”
The day after that conversation, the chief invited Grace to meet up with mutual friends and had conversations about furnishing his house, he admitted in court docs.
On June 9, 2020, Grace allegedly recorded a video that captured the chief talking about her “making problems with me,” according to the suit.
The suit states that Grace allegedly responded, “You don’t want me to die so don’t say that,” before the chief allegedly said, “I wish you’d just go away, but I realize that’s not going to happen.”
The chief acknowledged the existence of a recording but denied the referenced interaction ever happening.
Grace’s family has told local media in the past that Grace had a miscarriage, which led to a sharp decline in mental health, local CBS affiliate KMOV reported in 2021.
They are arguing that this could have influenced her death.
‘HE’D ALWAYS COME BACK’
Speaking to KMOV, Sweeney’s family said they hadn’t heard from her in two years, ever since she started dating the chief.
One of the last conversations the family had together was them discouraging Sweeney from dating the chief, they told the outlet.
When asked for her reaction to the news, Laura could only think of all the times she allegedly helped her sister move away from the chief.
“He’d always come back,” she told The U.S. Sun.
“She’d block him and he’d email her… it was this controlling relationship of love bombing and tearing her town.
“That’s what’s heartbreaking to me, is I feel like no one should have to suffer in someone else’s hands.”
The U.S. Sun reached out to the chief’s lawyer for comment on the lawsuit proceedings but did not get a response.
TRAGIC END
Laura said that Grace was always at the firehouse cooking for the firefighters and was known to visit them on holidays.
Her ex-husband is a police officer, so she was always a part of the tight-knit community of public servants, Laura said.
“Those were her friend groups, they hung out together,” Laura told The U.S. Sun.
Grace approached her ex-fiance’s department about their relationship and asked for help, but did not get any assistance, Laura claimed.
“There is a history of domestic violence… she documented it,” Laura said.
Despite having videos and recordings that allegedly highlighted the abuse, Laura said Grace’s case was “pretty much dismissed.”
After her death, Laura claimed firefighters were instructed by the chief’s station to not speak with Grace’s family during the investigation.
“There was a hush order that went through,” she said.
“It’s just hurtful because I know these were her people.”
Because of the order, Laura said that no one was allowed to show support throughout memorial services.
“It was really sad at Grace’s funeral. She didn’t have any friends there,” Laura said.
“She had no one. It was just her family, and that was heartbreaking.”
Laura said the tragic situation has changed her relationship with law enforcement, which she was raised to always respect.
“I’ve grown up in a belief that you trust the police and you go to the police for help,” she said.
“And these are professional individuals that are here to protect people.”
Now, she’s calling for law enforcement to take Sweeney’s death seriously.
“We just want them to do a good job and hopefully give Sarah’s family the answers that we’re still looking for,” she said.
ONGOING INVESTIGATION
The Frontenac Police Department told The U.S. Sun that Sweeney was found dead inside the home with no apparent signs of trauma and no signs of a struggle.
Her death was listed as a sudden death by the police, but the official cause will be released by the medical examiner.
Sweeney’s attorney told KMOV that she suffered from a life-threatening medical condition, but it’s unclear if this influenced her death.
The investigation into her death is ongoing.
There is also a separate investigation into Grace’s death that’s being headed up by the St. Louis Police Department, Creve Coeur Police Department Chief Jeffrey Hartman told The U.S. Sun.
That investigation has been completed and is currently being reviewed by the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Chief Hartman, who has spoken extensively with local media about Grace’s death, stood by his department’s decision that she died by suicide.
He told The U.S. Sun, “The Holland family has called into question the integrity of our police department, which includes statements and accusations that our police department is somehow involved in a conspiracy or cover-up.
“That is simply not true,” he said.
Chief Hartman said all the existing evidence in her case does not support any assumption that she was murdered.
