Cheryl Sanders is a former Hollywood stuntwoman who was killed along with her husband Robert “Reed” Sanders by her former weight loss guru husband, who opened fire in his driveway during a bizarre shootout in Ohio.
Lindsey Duncan and his wife Molly say they were ambushed at gunpoint by Cheryl and Reed outside their Yellow Springs, Ohio home, and they maintain the shooting deaths were self defense. According to the Dayton Daily News, Lindsey Duncan shot and killed both Cheryl and Reed Sanders in the driveway of his “multi-million dollar luxury home.” He was described by the newspaper as the founder of a “health/weight-loss company.”
Both Cheryl Sanders and Lindsey Duncan have had brushes with celebrity; he as a weight loss founder who has appeared on television, and she as a former stuntwoman for well-known Hollywood stars. No charges have been filed in the deaths, which remain under investigation.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Cheryl Sanders Once Worked as a Hollywood Stuntwoman for Famous Actresses & Lindsey Duncan Has Appeared on Dr. Oz
Robert Reed Sanders and Cheryl Sanders.
According to the New York Daily News, Cheryl Sanders formerly worked as a stuntwoman in Hollywood, doubling for actresses like Jessica Alba and Brooke Shields. She was 59 years old at the time of her death. An injury on a movie set cut her stunt double career short, though.
The news site reported that Cheryl worked on such movies as “The Thomas Crown Affair,” “V.I. Warshawski” and the “Lethal Weapon” series but she broke numerous bones on the set of “Back to the Future Part II” in 1989. She once made the cover of Healthy Living Magazine.
Meanwhile, Lindsey Duncan is the founder and CEO of Genesis Today and has appeared on shows like Dr. Oz and the View to talk about his weight loss methods, according to the Daily News.
Cheryl once told Women in Stunts, “In 1985, I made a transition from martial arts and kickboxing to a full time career as a stuntwoman. In 1982, I had moved from Pensacola, Florida to Los Angeles, California for several reasons. One, my sanctioning body, the WKA (World Karate Association) based out of Westminster, CA was working hard to promote me as a fighter.”
She added: “At 5’9” tall and 125 pounds, I got the opportunity to double most of the tall A-list actresses, from Kathleen Turner and Darryl Hannah to Sharon Stone. I went on to establish a career doubling leading ladies such as Sandra Bullock, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Garner, Rene Russo, Bridget Fonda, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ellen Barkin, Kelly Lynch, Kelly Preston, and more.”
She explained that she was never the same after the accident, though, saying, “I was a mental, physical and emotional wreck. Months of drugs and pain killers, along with surgical anesthesia and other meds, had sapped my strength and wrecked my immune system.”
2. Cheryl & Reed Set Up a Camera System at the Scene Before the Shootout
Cheryl and Reed Sanders
Calls made to 911 dispatch by the Duncans shed some light on the deaths.
“I shot them, they came up to our window and had a gun pointed at my wife’s head,” Lindsey told 911 dispatchers, according to the Dayton Daily News.
“Someone is shooting at my husband,” Molly Duncan told 911 dispatch.
In a press conference, the Greene County Sheriff said the deaths did appear to be an ambush, according to Xenia Gazette. He said that Cheryl and Reed had “counterfeit temporary tags” on the car they were driving and that Robert Reed Sanders displayed a gun. Witnesses heard shouting and then gunshots, he said, but it was not clear who fired first.
The sheriff said that Robert Sanders threatened to kill Molly Duncan, so Lindsey had to defend himself. Lindsey too was armed and had a concealed weapon permit.
He added that Cheryl and Reed had erected a camera system to a nearby stump, broadcasting a live feed to a cell phone inside their vehicle.
The deaths are still under investigation, however.
The Daily News reported that the deaths have been listed as justifiable homicides. Both Cheryl and Reed died from multiple gunshot wounds, the newspaper reported.
3. Reed Called Cheryl His ‘Strength’ & ‘Shining Light’ on Facebook
Cheryl and Reed Sanders.
On Facebook, the couple had a joint account. “Nutritionists, Formulators, Stuntwoman, Producers, Owners of Zen Formulas,” the page read. The couple lived in Asheville, North Carolina.
In December 2019, Cheryl posted pictures from Paris, France, writing, “Love these beautiful photos of Paris, France!! 5 years ago Reed asked me to marry him along the Seine River, with the Eiffel Tower in the background… Most romantic night ever! A decision that I have never regretted! Here’s to “a thousand more years” my husband, soulmate, best friend and life partner! ❤️”
In 2018, a post on the page read, “As nutritionists, so many people contact Cheryl and I about brain health issues, focus issues, ADD and ADHD issues, and cognitive function, for both young children and older people. This testimony speaks volumes on how one of the Vasayo products, Neuro, is changing lives… Cheryl and I talk about the ‘Neuro’ being our OWN hero product every day… We can’t say enough good about the changes this brain product is making with users (and ourselves) on a daily basis… For more information, PM Cheryl or myself… You won’t be sorry…”
That same year, they posted a video and Reed wrote, “My wife Cheryl and I have are excited about our new venture with Vasayo. We have been involved with this awesome company for over 6 weeks and the momentum is only growing… Come join us!!! ???”
In a birthday tribute to Cheryl, Reed wrote in 2018, “Happy Birthday To My Beautiful Wife. You are my strength and shining light that makes my life better every day… In my eyes, you are still the charming woman who made me believe in love at first sight. I looked into your eyes and knew we had a special connection . As we continued talking, your smile, grace, and laughter created a future that was suddenly clear for me and the past a distant memory. Im looking forward to the wonderful years we are going to share. From your blessed husband … Reed.”
4. Duncan Described How ‘Hell Began’ & His Wife Declared She Was ‘Extremely Thankful to Be Alive’
In a news conference, Duncan said this has been a “trying time for me and my wife,” and he praised victims’ advocates and investigators. He said they made him and his wife feel “safe and protected in a situation where you don’t feel safe and protected at all.”
What happened that day, he said, was that he and his wife went to a coffee shop like they did almost every morning. Then they went to get eggs, kale and toast, and then they went home “like we do every day.”
When they pulled up to their gate, there was an Amazon package by a pillar. He told his wife, get the Amazon package and I’ll get the mail. She got out of her car and got the package and he got the mail “just like every other day and then all of a sudden hell began. All I really remember is a 6-4 or 6-5 man, who was probably 230 pounds with a camo mask. A full camo mask and hoodie. Ran to my wife’s driver’s side with a gun, and held it it about 10 inches from her head.” He broke down emotionally.
“I thought it was a bad nightmare. I didn’t know what to do. Whatever happened after that, it was instinct… I was just operating after pure instinct…. she (Molly Duncan) was in the middle of two separate gun battles of bullets flying by her head…not one time but two separate times, and her being alive today, I’ll never be able to explain that. And it wasn’t one or two shots, it seemed like 100 shots.” He said that he couldn’t say more so as not to compromise the investigation.
His wife, her voice breaking, said, “I’m extremely thankful to be alive, and I’m thankful my husband is alive. He’s my absolute hero. Thank God he knew how to respond and stayed calm and knew exactly what to do. And God was on our side that day, no question. God orchestrated everything perfectly so we would survive. I’m a mother, and I still get to see my kids grow up. I’m thankful, and that’s it.” She also praised the Greene County Sheriff’s Department.
5. A Friend Described Cheryl & Reed as a ‘Christian Couple’ & Claimed They Traveled to Ohio Because of a Dispute Over an Educational Fund
Cheryl and Reed Sanders.
The couple’s friend and business partner tried to cast doubt on the story.
“I’m still reeling from it,” Adrian King told WLOS-TV. “I can’t even conceive that they would do something like that even if they were desperate.”
King told the television station that he believed Cheryl and Reed were traveling to Ohio to “settle a dispute over a trust fund for Cheryl and Lindsey’s two adult daughters.” He described tensions as difficult between Cheryl and her ex after their divorce and said the Sanders were “a Christian couple who had acting careers in Hollywood.”
Reporters asked the Duncan’s lawyer about that claim. The lawyer said he wasn’t “familiar with those facts” about a claim that they were trying to talk to the couple about an educational trust fund. At that point, Lindsey interjected, telling reporters: “With two weapons? With multiple clips that were loaded? Ski mask. Yep. The details of the investigation will all come up.”
His wife then said it was an “ambush… they said nothing, and they started shooting at us.” It was an “absolute and total ambush,” added Duncan.
Duncan said he had to listen “to my wife saying…they’re going to kill me.”
However, the couples had a troubled history.
Cheryl Sanders and Lindsey Duncan divorced in 2009. Court records show Lindsey once sued Cheryl and Reed for “defamation, slander, libel and other accusations,” the Dayton Daily News reported.
Dayton 247 Now reported that Lindsey claimed Cheryl sent a “malicious” letter about him.
The newspaper added that the sheriff revealed that Lindsey had reported to police that he was worried Cheryl would hire someone to kill him five years ago.