The wife of a Florida fire lieutenant shared an ominous Facebook post just days before her husband killed them both in a shocking murder-suicide, leaving their four young children orphaned.
Andrea Nicole Yarbrough, 34, shared a table of statistics showing the number of emergency calls during the month of April for St. Johns County Fire Rescue, which totaled more than 3,200.
She added a caption that possibly indicated that all was not well at home with her husband and hinted that he was under a lot of stress.
“This is why all of our significant others are exhausted and can never function 100% at home,” Andrea wrote.
Shawn Yarbrough, 46, was a prominent lieutenant in the fire department, where he was hired 20 years ago in March 2004. Before being promoted to lieutenant, Shawn worked as an engineer for the agency.
Shawn Yarbrough, 46, and his wife, Andrea Nicole Yarbrough, 34, were found dead in their Florida home on June 13 in a murder-suicide. They were photographed together earlier this month
Andrea shared a table of statistics showing the number of emergency calls during the month of April for St. Johns County Fire Rescue, which totaled more than 3,200.
The couple was found dead June 13 in their home in the Entrada neighborhood on County Road 207.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office determined that Shawn’s manner of death indicated suicide, while Andrea’s death appeared to be the result of a homicide.
It is believed the couple’s children were not home at the time of the shooting.
The couple’s Facebook pages belie little of the problems the couple may have been experiencing at home.
Social media shows a life well lived in which the couple and their four young children go out for the day and participate in everyday life.
Both Shawn and Andrea, who worked as financial managers, took their children to baseball games.
In recent months, the kids also went on several family vacations, including a trip to Texas earlier in June and a ski trip to North Carolina in March.
Posts on social media showed that the couple was happily married and had four children
The kids recently celebrated the 14th birthday of one of their siblings with a paintball party.
The parents seemed actively involved in their children’s lives and enjoyed days out as an ensemble, with family photos showing happy faces everywhere.
Suffice to say, neighbors were shocked when they headlined news of the couple’s death with a resident explaining that they were a “typical nice family.”
‘They are very nice, very relaxed people. Just really sincere people,” the neighbor said in disbelief News4Jax.
He added that he never heard an argument or saw any evidence of domestic trouble.
‘I didn’t know they had any problems at all. Like it [other] neighbors said, ‘they’re just like a normal family.’
Before his promotion to lieutenant, Yarbrough, far right, was an engineer with the department
Both Shawn and Andrea, who worked as financial managers, took their children to baseball games
Shawn, far right, is pictured eating at the firehouse with fellow firefighters, Jed Cash, left, and Jason Morrison, center
At a press conference later that week, the St Johns County Sheriff’s Office confirmed it was a murder-suicide, calling the horrific scene a “tragic isolated incident.”
Chief medical examiner Dr. Wendolyn Sneed told it Historical city news that Andrea Yarbrough’s cause of death was a gunshot wound, and her manner of death was identified as homicide.
Shawn and Andrea Yarbrough married in December 2022 and purchased the house in which their bodies would later be found in August of that same year.
Andrea had worked for Graybar in Jacksonville as a financial planner and started her career there in 2019.
Olivia Marvin, Andrea’s younger sister, said her four children were the light of her life.
“Andrea meant the world to everyone in our family and to everyone she encountered. Everyone who knew her knew she would never give up, no matter how hard things got,” Marvin said ActionNewsJax.
The couple had only recently gotten married after dating for several years
There was little online to indicate that all was not well between the couple
The pair’s Facebook page is full of family holidays, days out and fun activities with their four children
The head of the fire department, Chief Sean McGee, posted a statement referencing the couple’s deaths.
“The recently reported events were unexpected, shocking and tragic for all those affected.
“As a department, we are deeply saddened by the loss of life and recognize its lasting impact on the families and children of those affected,” Chief McGee noted.
The fire chief concluded, “My heartfelt prayers and heartfelt condolences go out to the victims, their families and friends who are left grieving as a result of these events.”
The head of the fire department where Shawn worked has since broken his silence on the horrific event, posting a statement on X.com.
On Facebook, Shawn Yarbrough appeared as a true family man. Many of his posts feature photos of him with his wife and children.
Less than two weeks before the murder-suicide, he uploaded a photo of himself smiling next to his wife with the caption, “Sometimes we dress up.”
In a post from earlier this year, Shawn boasted about his children’s academic success, which he attributed to his wife’s efforts.
“Reports just came out a few days ago,” he wrote. “Kids are still doing really well, even with the advanced/honors classes. Thank you Andrea for all your hard work and dedication to the children’s success.”
Family members opened one GoFundMe for Andrea’s 11-year-old daughter Lily.