THE family of a mom who died in her fiancee’s home is still looking for her $20,000 engagement ring three and a half years after a similar ring was pictured near her body.
Robert Daus, a fire captain and ex-fiancee of Grace Holland, was blasted by her family in a wrongful death lawsuit that questions what happened to her jewelry.
On July 22, 2020, Holland, who was Daus’s on and off again girlfriend of four years, was found dead inside his home in Creve Coeur, which is outside St. Louis.
Her death was reported by Daus, who allegedly told officers that Holland turned her gun onto herself and fired while standing in front of him, an investigative report seen by CBS affiliate KMOV stated.
Holland died from a single gunshot wound to the left side of her forehead, and her death was deemed suicide, according to the medical examiner’s report.
Responding officers found her gun, a .380-caliber Glock 42, near her right hand.
Holland’s family has publicly voiced their frustrations with how the investigation into her death was handled and filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Daus last year.
In the suit, Holland’s four daughters and her ex-husband allege that Daus either killed her or drove her to suicide through abuse.
Daus was captured on video berating Holland, the suit seen by The U.S. Sun alleges.
He has admitted that the video exists but denies that it played a role in her death.
In an exclusive conversation with The U.S. Sun, Holland’s twin sister Laura said the two had a turbulent relationship and that she had to move her out of his home multiple times.
“It was this controlling relationship of love bombing and then tearing her down,” Laura, who isn’t a part of the lawsuit, said.
“I’d move her in and out of his house and he’d always come back.”
In the wrongful death suit, the family also questioned what happened to Holland’s jewelry.
After the mom’s death, her $20,000 engagement ring and other jewelry disappeared.
A ring that looked exactly like her engagement ring was photographed at the scene, but Daus told officers it was a fake one that they made for traveling.
Daus has been questioned by the Creve Coeur Police Department over Holland’s missing jewelry, but no charges have been brought against him.
In response to the wrongful death suit, he claims the ring at the scene was indeed a fake and that he didn’t know the whereabouts of the original one.
In a disturbing twist, video of Daus being questioned over the missing jewelry was recorded by the department, but all proof of him being formally questioned after Holland’s death was erased, KMOV reported.
CCPD Chief Jeffrey Hartman admitted the interview was gone, and said that it was due to an error with the department’s recording system.
Hartman told The U.S. Sun that they stand by their decision to rule Holland’s death a suicide, but he is also leading efforts to get her case a fresh look.
There’s a renewed interest around Daus as a second woman was found dead inside his new home in Westwood, another St. Louis suburb, on January 13.
Her name was Sarah Sweeney, and she was a podiatrist who had been dating Daus for at least two years.
Sweeney’s death was listed as sudden until the medical examiner could determine the official cause in two to four weeks.
Daus has not yet publicly commented since she died.
The 39-year-old’s shocking death came after the St. Louis County Police Department took a second look at Holland’s case.
SLCPD Sergeant Tracy Panus, who is the public information officer for the department, said their office has deemed her death “suspicious,” and that their investigation was being reviewed by the prosecuting attorney’s office.
“At this point, the case is still classified as a suspicious death and remains active,” she told Fox News.
“It will be incumbent upon the prosecutor’s office to decide if any further action is required or if any criminal charges will be filed.”
Daus maintains his innocence and is looking to get the petition filed against him regarding Holland’s death thrown out.
Meanwhile, CCPD’s investigation gave an inside look at Holland’s mental health struggles, as one witness reported seeing her crying and holding a gun two months before her death.
The U.S. Sun has contacted Daus for comment.