Fayetteville woman succumbs to injuries from shooting weeks prior

OAK HILL, W.Va. — A woman from Fayetteville passed away a month and a half after she sustained gun shot wounds from an Indiana couple.

On Friday, at 9:51 a.m., State Police said the victim, Michelle Dawn Smith, 41, of Fayetteville, WV, died due to her injuries. An autopsy will be performed.

The suspects responsible for the incident were identified as Andres Torres, 27, and Amanda Soultz, 30, of Goshen, Indiana.

An officer of the Oak Hill Police Department conducted a traffic stop on vehicle in the Plateau Medical Center parking lot back on February, 16. The officer noticed a woman handcuffed in the vehicle with a gunshot wound to her head. The victim was transported to CAMC General Hospital in critical condition.

A further investigation later on revealed the suspects were in possession of Smith’s credit cards along with three pistols.

The following day on Friday, February 17, both suspects were spotted by an off-duty Deputy U.S. Marshal at the intersection of South Fayette Street and U.S. Rt. 19. Troopers were notified and took the suspects into custody, the State Police said.

Torres and Soultz were incarcerated on charges stemming from a probation violation in Indiana, kidnapping, robbery in the first degree, attempted first degree murder, and conspiracy. Charges against the two suspects will likely elevate to first-degree murder.