Two Page residents were found dead early Friday morning in what law enforcement is calling a likely murder-suicide.
At 6 a.m. Friday, the National Park Service received a call about two dead people near the Wahweap Swim Beach parking area. Deputies from the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, Kane County (Utah) Sheriff’s Office and National Park Service rangers responded to the scene.
In the parking area, they found two dead bodies. Both appeared to have died from gunshot wounds. Late Friday, law enforcement said the two Page residents were Raelle Begay, 25, and Matthew Franklin, 37.
While details were not released, law enforcement said there were no suspects being sought and there were no concerns for public safety. The shootings are being investigated as a murder-suicide.
“That’s not conclusive yet, but that’s what it looks like.” Lt. Brett Axlund with the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office said. “We like to wait on the autopsy so we can have all the evidence.”
On Saturday, Begay’s mother, Lenora Begay; her aunt, Leaonna Douglas; and her cousins, Precious Douglas and Audrianna Kaibetoney, met with the Chronicle.

Begay said her daughter and Franklin had been dating for over six months, but the family didn’t know him well. She said the sheriff’s office had not shared a lot of information with the family.
“They haven’t really said anything,” Begay said. “They said it was a murder-suicide.”
Douglas said law enforcement found Begay’s body in a car in the parking lot near the Wahweap beach and Franklin’s body at the beach. Axlund confirmed the location the bodies were found Monday. Since the parking lot is in Arizona and the beach is in Utah, both the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and the Kane County Sheriff’s Office are investigating.
Douglas said she didn’t know much about Franklin. She said the only time he spoke to her, he said he was from Mississippi.
Begay said she believes Raelle was in an abusive relationship with Franklin, but she could not convince her daughter to leave him.
“She didn’t say, but I know she was in an abusive relationship with him because she ended up in the hospital once,” Lenora said. “A couple of days before this happened, she came by and had bruises on her face. I told her, let him go. She said, ‘I know, I know.’”
Raelle Begay leaves behind three children, a daughter, age 9, and two sons, ages 6 and 3.
The three children were with other family members Thursday night and Friday morning.
While Raelle Begay’s family is trying to come to grips with her sudden and unexpected death, they are also facing the challenge of a funeral. To help pay for the funeral, Kaibetoney has set up a gofundme page to raise money for the family. As of Tuesday morning, $4,400 of a $5,300 goal has been raised. If you are interested in helping the family, the page can be seen at https://www.gofundme.com/funeral-donations-for-raelle-begay1.
Lorena said because the family had to wait for an autopsy, funeral plans have not been finished.
Since the deaths happened almost on top of the Arizona-Utah state line inside the Glean Canyon Recreation Area, Arizona and Utah officials along with the National Park Service are conducting the investigation.