Richard Stone was hospitalized in critical condition after police said he shot himself as officers moved to arrest him.
AMES, IA — An Iowa State University faculty member is the suspect in the killing of his wife after police found the 47-year-old woman dead during a welfare check and later obtained a warrant charging her husband with first-degree murder, authorities said.
Kristen Stone, 47, was found dead Thursday, Oct. 29, at a home at 5010 Ontario St., according to Ames police. Officers and medical personnel had been sent to the residence shortly after 7:15 a.m. for a welfare check. Investigators later identified her husband, Richard Stone, 47, of Ames, as a suspect. Police have not publicly disclosed how Kristen Stone died or what evidence led investigators to focus on her husband.
Investigators obtained an arrest warrant Friday, Oct. 30, charging Richard Stone with first-degree murder, according to police. Officers then began searching for him with assistance from the Iowa State University Police Department and the Story County Sheriff’s Office. A criminal charge is an accusation, and Stone has not been convicted in the case.
Police located Stone in his vehicle Friday afternoon and initiated a traffic stop in Ames at about 3:40 p.m. Authorities said Stone stopped for officers and then shot himself inside the vehicle before he could be taken into custody. Officers and medical personnel provided lifesaving treatment at the scene before he was taken by ambulance to an air ambulance and flown to a Des Moines-area hospital.
Ames police spokesperson Maj. Dan Walter said Stone was listed in critical condition at the hospital. Authorities had not announced a later change in his condition as of Saturday. The shooting during the traffic stop became part of the continuing investigation, while police also continued examining the circumstances surrounding Kristen Stone’s death.
Iowa State University confirmed that Richard Stone is a faculty member. University records identify Richard T. Stone as an associate professor in the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering. Iowa State records also show that he has worked on university research involving human performance, training systems and other engineering projects.
Stone also has ties to the Story County Sheriff’s Office. The Des Moines Register reported, citing Ames police and the sheriff’s office, that Stone was a reserve deputy. Story County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Nicholas Lennie said Stone had been placed on administrative leave. Publicly available university records dating back several years also list Stone’s service as a reserve deputy with the sheriff’s office.
The investigation brought several local law enforcement agencies into the case. Iowa State University police and the Story County Sheriff’s Office assisted Ames officers as they searched for Stone after the murder warrant was issued. Police have not said that Stone’s university position or his connection to the sheriff’s office played a role in Kristen Stone’s death.
Authorities also have not announced a suspected motive or released details about the evidence supporting the first-degree murder warrant. No additional information about the manner of Kristen Stone’s death had been publicly released Saturday. Those unanswered questions leave key parts of the homicide investigation unresolved as authorities continue gathering evidence.
The case remains under investigation by the Ames Police Department. Richard Stone remained hospitalized in critical condition in the latest publicly available update, while the first-degree murder accusation remained pending. Police have said additional information will be released as the investigation allows.
Author note: Last updated October 31, 2026.