The pregnant wife of an Indiana pastor died after a single gunshot to the head Tuesday, the Marion County Coroner's Office told NBC News.
The death of Amanda Blackburn, who was also mother to a 1-year-old baby, has been ruled a homicide, and authorities believe that she died during a home invasion.
Blackburn, 28, was taken to Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. The 1-year-old, who was at home at home in his crib at the time of the apparent home invasion, was found unharmed, NBC station WTHR reported.
A statement from the Resonate Church, where Blackburn's husband Davey is pastor, said that he discovered his wife's body after returning home from the gym. "Someone had broken into his home and his wife Amanda had suffered a gunshot wound," the statement said.
In a statement posted on the church's website, the pastor described his wife as "a beautiful, gracious, loving woman of God."
"I have not only lost my ministry partner and support but also my very best friend," the statement said, adding: "Amanda made it her life’s calling to love and serve everyone she knew."
An Indianapolis police spokesman told NBC News that Davey Blackburn has been "ruled out completely and is definitely not a person of interest in this investigation."
"I hold firm to the belief that God is still good, that he takes our tragedy and turns it into triumph"
The church launched a support fund for the family. Its website said the couple moved to the area in 2012.
It added: "Please join us in prayer for our pastor, his son Weston and their entire family during these hard days ahead. We have extremely heavy hearts and although we are hurting tremendously, we are still hoping and believing that great things are still yet to come."
Police say a nearby house was earlier hit by a burglar who took electronics and other valuables, WTHR reported, although it was not yet clear if that break-in was connected to Amanda Blackburn’s death.
"For something like that, such a brazen attack," neighborhood crime watch captain Ryan McConnell told the station. "It makes you scared. You don't want to live in fear."
Pastor Blackburn's statement added: "I hold firm to the belief that God is still good, that he takes our tragedy and turns it into triumph."
