The son of a Highway Patrolman from Seminole who was slain in the line of duty over 40 years ago was murdered in western Oklahoma earlier this week.

According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), 40-year-old Ryan David Nalley was found deceased in a home in Granite, Oklahoma along with Christine Danielle Kirtley, 42, on Jan. 19. The OSBI labeled the case as a double homicide. In a Thursday press release, the agency said the suspect had been identified and found deceased. “There is no threat to the public at this time,” the press release stated.

Ryan was less than a month old when his father, David Nalley, was shot and killed by William Edmund Best during a traffic stop near Elk City on Oct. 27, 1984. David requested backup during the stop after he learned that the rig and trailer driven by Best had been reported stolen. When the backup officer arrived, he found Trooper Nalley with two gunshot wounds to the head.

Best was apprehended and sent to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation before his trial. While in the hospital, his wife smuggled a gun in and Best took a hostage in an escape attempt. During the ensuing standoff, he was shot and killed by Lt. Bob Green of the OHP. Best’s wife, Louise, was arrested about 4 1/2 hours after the shooting and charged with transporting a loaded firearm and carrying a weapon into a prison to aid an escape.

David Nalley was a graduate of Seminole High School and attended Seminole Junior College and Oklahoma State University. He worked for the Seminole Police Department before becoming a trooper. Nalley was a graduate of the 39th OHP Academy in 1982 and had served as a trooper for just over two years at the time of his death. He was buried in Wewoka on Oct. 30, 1984.