WOODSFIELD — Monroe County Sheriff Charles Black announced Friday that the murder of a Beallsville man has been solved.

Around 9:30 p.m. May 18, the sheriff’s department received a 911 call from a female who said she had found her son inside their home on Varner Ridge Road and believed he was dead. When deputies arrived, they discovered 39-year-old Timothy Frame dead inside the home. Published reports indicate he suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

No details on a potential suspect were released at the time.

With help from two Washington County detectives, law enforcement processed the scene and collected evidence.

The following day, according to a social media post by Black, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office received phone calls stating that an unknown male was walking on Varner Ridge before the time of the homicide. Detectives received the pertinent information that could best describe that individual. They also learned that the unknown male identified himself by the name of another subject who lived nearby.

Later on, while still trying to identify the unknown male, the sheriff’s office received a call from the Lincoln County Coroner’s Office in Colorado, asking for deputies to perform a death notification on a Tristin Ensinger. Detective talked with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office about details surrounding Ensinger’s death due to his family owning property close to where the homicide of Frame took place.

Lincoln County reported that Ensinger had shot a Lincoln County sheriff’s deputy while committing a theft from a tractor-trailer. The deputy returned fire; Ensinger then fled into a nearby field and committed suicide, according to Coloradoa law enformcement. Lincoln County deputies also said some evidence they had collected matched some evidence from the scene of the homicide on Varner Ridge Road.

Two Monroe County detectives flew to Douglas County Colorado to further investigate the connection between Ensinger and the Frame homicide. While they were in Colorado, detectives in Monroe County provided a photo lineup to witnesses who had observed the unknown male. The witnesses positively identified Ensinger as the unknown male seen walking in the area before the homicide took place.

This information was relayed to the two detectives in Colorado. They executed a search warrant on Ensinger’s vehicle. During that search, the Monroe County detectives collected evidence that placed Ensinger at the residence where Frame was killed. According to Black, that evidence indicates that Ensinger was the gunman who shot Frame to death.

“To state the motive for Tristin’s actions, it can not be made at this time and that there is still more evidence that is being analyzed,” Black stated on Facebook. “We are hopeful that these items may provide more answers in the near future. Information we received during the investigation stated that Tristin was suffering from a mental illness and drug abuse which usually goes hand and hand.

“It is a tragic incident; Timothy’s life was taken and a Lincoln County Deputy was also shot multiple times,” Black continued. “Our prayers go out to all the victims, victims’ families, and the suspect’s family, many lives have been permanently altered due to these tragic events.”