A Scotswoman has been stabbed to death in the United States by her stepson less than three months after getting married.
Tracy Brannan, 33, died from multiple stab wounds inflicted at the home she shared with her husband, psychologist Dr Harold Brannan, 60, in Omaha, Nebraska, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The couple were attacked in their sleep by Brannan’s son from his first marriage, David Brannan. The 21-year-old then slashed his own throat.
Police shot David three times with 50,000-volt Taser guns before he released the knife, allowing paramedics to treat him at the scene.
Tracy, whose maiden name was Wyatt, was originally from the Hamilton area where her brother Simon and her father are believed to still live. She was a former pupil of the town’s Earnock High School.
She was the former assistant head chef at the Loch Fyne Oyster Bar at Cairndow in Argyll, where staff were last night too upset to talk about the loss of their former colleague.
One said: “It is too emotional, the news is too fresh”.
It is not clear when Tracy moved to the US but she married Brannan in a ceremony on May 7 this year and the couple lived with the psychologist’s son at a rented home in Omaha.
The doctor worked close to his home at the Beneficial Health Services clinic, which lists family counselling, parent coaching and drug-dependency evaluations among its services.
David remained in hospital under police guard last night but his father was allowed home yesterday, with reports that he spent the afternoon throwing his son’s belongings out on to the street.
Omaha Police Department said they were not looking for any suspects, with Tracy’s death being treated as a domestic incident.
A Facebook posting by a relative of the victim said: “I hate Dave for doing this, I miss you.” Another read: “So sorry to hear how it happened”.
Neighbours told police they were woken up by screams at around 4am on Saturday, with Brannan carrying the bloodied body of his wife to a neighbour’s front door as he desperately sought help.
Herald Scotland
