Inset left: Anthony Schanuth (St. Louis County Justice Center). Inset right: Heather Siorek (GoFundMe). Background: The area near where Schanuth allegedly shot Siorek in Florissant, Mo. (Google Maps).
A Missouri man has been arrested after allegedly attempting to murder his girlfriend who was planning to leave him, according to the police in the Show-Me State.
Anthony Schanuth, 49, is facing charges of first-degree domestic assault and armed criminal action, as reported by the St. Louis County jail records.
The incident took place on January 30 at a home on Old Jamestown Road in Florissant, a city located in the northern suburbs of the St. Louis metropolitan area.
While the specifics of how that day unfolded remain unclear, authorities and family members report that Heather Siorek’s attempt to escape was violently thwarted when Schanuth allegedly shot her in the face with a shotgun, resulting in severe injuries.
“Her right jaw is completely gone,” Patrick Dolan, a family member, explained to the local NBC affiliate KSDK. “Her neck is shattered.”
Amazingly, despite the horrific nature of her injuries, she survived the attack.
The situation apparently escalated that night after Siorek packed her bags and threatened to leave Schanuth, Dolan told local media.
“She had decided during that time that it would be best for her to pack a bag and leave, but unfortunately it was too late,” Dolan added. “He let her bleed out and he walked out and smoked a cigarette.”
Jail records show the defendant was arrested at 3:45 a.m. on the day of the incident. Police arrived at the residence two minutes before, in response to a call about a shooting, according to court documents obtained by St. Louis-based Fox affiliate KTVI.
After police arrived, the defendant was taken into custody at the scene of the crime, according to law enforcement.
The victim is the mother of three children and also suffered a defensive wound during the attack, Dolan said. She is currently recuperating in the ICU at a local hospital and faces a long recovery.
While Siorek is currently unable to speak, she is awake and aware of her surroundings — and able to communicate nonverbally, Dolan added. The woman wrote a note to her friends, saying she “was not going to leave my kids motherless.”
Another close friend started a GoFundMe to help with medical expenses as Siorek undergoes facial reconstructive surgery.
“She”s a selfless mother of three, one of whom has special needs and relies on her deeply for love and support,” the online fundraiser reads. “She puts the needs of everyone in her life before herself and truly has a heart of gold. To know Heather is to love Heather.”
The defendant is currently detained in the St. Louis County Justice Center on $500,000 bond.
“I didn’t realize how toxic of a relationship and how dangerous of a situation she was in,” Dolan said. “I don’t think she realized it either.”
At the time of the violence, Siorek and Schanuth had dated for less than a year.
