In 2024, Missouri firefighter Robert Daus‘ girlfriend, Dr. Sarah Sweeney, was found dead in Daus’ home with no apparent signs of trauma. Four years earlier, Daus’ fiancée, Grace Holland, died by suicide. Daus’ connection to both women has led some to wonder if he could be involved in their deaths.
In 2020, Daus reported his fiance, Holland, 35, shot herself in front of him, depressed about a recent miscarriage. “She was depressed. We lost a baby. It’s the second miscarriage, and she was very depressed, and I didn’t want to try another round,” Daus reportedly told officers at the time. Holland’s death was officially ruled a suicide, something her family denies.
About four years later, in Jan. 2024, 39-year-old Dr. Sarah Sweeney, Daus’ girlfriend, died suddenly in Daus’ home. As of this report, Sweeney’s death was under investigation, and toxicology and autopsy results were forthcoming.
The Holland family’s wrongful death lawsuit
Before Sarah Sweeney’s death, Grace Holland’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Robert Daus, alleging mental and physical abuse and that Daus either shot Holland or encouraged her to take her own life. Text messages later revealed Daus and Holland’s relationship issues.
The Holland family suit also cites inconsistencies in the case, such as Holland reportedly shooting herself in the left temple when she was right-handed and a missing engagement ring. In Dec. 2023, about a month before Sarah Sweeney died, the wrongful death suit was referred to Missouri prosecutors to determine if any criminal charges against Daus were warranted.
The “sudden” death of Dr. Sarah Sweeney
Uncertainty surrounding Grace Holland’s death aside, according to Sarah Sweeney’s mother, Teresa Sweeney Light, her daughter lived with two medical conditions, one of which can cause fatal anaphylactic shock if not treated. Her daughter, however, carried an EpiPen for safety, she said. Sweeney’s family never met Daus, and they were aware of the Holland case, but when they sent Sweeney news reports about what happened to Holland, Sweeney stopped responding.
Referring to the investigation into her daughter’s death and the lack of communication from Sweeney about Daus’ history, Light told Fox News, “She was a grown adult, a doctor, and a woman. We didn’t know what to do … We just wish we could have her back … We just want closure, we want it to be truthful and fair, and as of right now, we’re still in shock.”
The Daily Beast says that in light of Sweeney’s death, St. Louis County police have now called Holland’s suicide a “suspicious death,” and her case was active. Daus has never been named a suspect in the Holland or Sweeney case and has denied any involvement in either death.
