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PAROWAN — A beloved Iron County school teacher who was found unresponsive in her Parowan home died of massive head trauma, according to newly-unsealed court documents.
On Dec. 30, police were called to 488 W. Old Highway 91 in Parowan about 6:50 a.m. on a report that a man found his wife unresponsive.
Robin Whittle, 62, was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and was pronounced dead on Dec. 31. Parowan police said at the time said only that "the nature of the circumstances" surrounding her death was ongoing, but indicated "there is no reason to believe that there is a threat to the general public."
But according to a search warrant affidavit filed in 5th District Court, police are "in search of a motive in this now aggravated murder investigation."
Whittle was found by police in her bed lying on her back. She had blood smeared across her left arm, face and mouth and there was blood in the center of the bed indicating that she was lying on her side at one point, the affidavit states.
Whittle's husband said the two had stayed up late that Saturday night writing talks they were scheduled to give in church.
"The victim was seated at the counter in the kitchen and the husband was on the couch within the family room. The woman retired to bed for the night, but the husband slept on the couch until he awoke in the early morning and discovered his wife," according to the affidavit.
Whittle was flown by medical helicopter from Cedar City Hospital to St. George Regional Hospital.
"The doctor reached out to law enforcement due to the limited information provided by the husband, who was the only other individual within the home, and the severe injuries sustained," the affidavit states. "According to the doctor, the woman has multiple skull fractures, severe brain bleed, and bruising around the left eye, face, and behind the left ear."
Because of the extent of her injuries, doctors determined that her condition would likely not improve with surgery.
"Due to the severity of the trauma the woman has sustained, and the lack of answers to how the man's wife could have multiple skull fractures, I am seeking a warrant to enter the above mentioned residence, to process the scene and home in its entirety, seeking for evidence to answer the questions of what had happened to this victim," police wrote in their request for a search warrant.
As of Monday, police had no further updates to the investigation. No arrests have been made.
According to her obituary, Whittle was a first grade teacher at Iron Springs Elementary in Cedar City. According to her obituary, she taught and loved hundreds of children in grades K-3 in California and in Utah for more than three decades. "She truly had a teacher's heart — selfless, loving, and kind."
She is survived by her husband, her six children and 20 grandchildren, soon to be 21 grandchildren.
