UPDATED 5:30 p.m. HEYWORTH - A Heyworth man was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound early Monday, about nine hours after a standoff began at his home Sunday afternoon. | Photo Gallery

Cletus M. Ridgeway, 34, of 209 S. Buchanan St., was without obvious signs of life when a state police tactical response team entered the home after failing to make contact with Ridgeway, said McLean County Coroner Beth C. Kimmerling.

Police notified the coroner at 1:45 a.m. Monday. Ridgeway died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, said Kimmerling.

Ridgeway was the father of two school-age boys and was stepfather to a teenage girl, said the coroner. Ridgeway's marriage license to a Heyworth woman was listed in the Aug. 10 edition of The Pantagraph.

Heyworth Police Chief Chris Lane said the standoff began about 5 p.m. Sunday when McLean County sheriff's police and Heyworth police responded to a report of a man in his home with a weapon.

Both Kimmerling and Mayor Steve Crum reiterated Monday the death stemmed from what began as a domestic dispute, but further details were unavailable. Circumstances continue to be investigated by state police and the coroner's office, she said.

The state police tactical unit entered the area in front of Ridgeway's home before the attempt was made to contact him, but the man would not respond. He previously refused to answer other requests to communicate when authorities used bullhorns ot make contact.

"You haven't done anything that bad," an officer said through the bullhorn, referring to the domestic incident. "It's not your fault. You're a good guy. What happened today was not your fault. It could happen to anybody. Your family's concerned about you. They want to know you're OK."

When it became dark, residents in the vicinity were told to stay in their homes.

Editor Mark Pickering and reporters Bridget Flynn and Phyllis Coulter contributed to this report.