The Pima County Sheriffβs Department is investigating the death of a woman, who was found in a Foothills home along with a man injured from a self-inflicted gunshot.
The man was identified as Hayford Peirce, 78. Online profiles state Peirce is an author of science fiction and mystery novels as well as short stories.
The woman found dead was identified as Wanda Zhang Peirce, 51, a former owner of a now-closed Oro Valley restaurant.
The sheriffβs department said deputies went to a home in the 6000 block of North Pontatoc Road, near North Swan Road and East Sunrise Drive, to conduct a welfare check late Thursday.
Hayford Peirce was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Zhang Peirce was pronounced dead at the home, the department said.
The girders are in place and flyover ramps are taking shape at the SR 189 (Mariposa Road) interchange with Interstate 19 in Nogales. The $134 million project by the Arizona Department of Transportation will reduce wait times for the throng of trucks and vehicles entering I-19 from the Mariposa Port of Entry. It also includes widening 3 miles of SR 189 from north of the Mariposa Port of Entry to the intersection with Grand Avenue and a new roundabout at SR 189 and Target Range Road. Completion is set for Fall, 2021. Video by Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star
Zhang Peirce was the previous owner and chef of a Chinese cuisine restaurant in Oro Valley. The restaurant was named Harvest Moon Chinese Restaurant, then Wanda Zβs Chinese. It closed in 2015, according to Star archives.
Hayford Peirce is a writer of numerous science fiction and mystery books and short stories, according to an online profile.
Peirce, the profile states, has written numerous science fiction books, with such titles as βNapoleon Disentimed,β βPhylum Monsters,β βFlickerman,β and βBlack Hole Planet.β His mysteries include a βTrouble in Tahitiβ series of novels.
He has written numerous short stories for the science-fiction magazines βAnalog,β βGalaxyβ and βOmni,β as well as mystery shorts for βAlfred Hitchcockβs Mystery Magazineβ and βEllery Queenβs Mystery Magazine.β
Most of his stories are light-hearted and satiric in tone, with elements of black humor and occasional surprising grimness, according to an online profile.
Peirce lived in Tahiti for many years, then moved to San Francisco before moving to Tucson, according to fantasticfiction.com.
No other information was released by the sheriffβs department.
Photos of life in Tucson in the late 1970s
First Tucson McDonald's closes
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The first Tucson McDonald's, located in the Speedway-Swan area, closed in 1979, nearly 20 years after the pioneering franchise made its debut in the Old Pueblo.
Martha Vazquez, PM Magazine
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Martha Vazquez and Michael Cowman, hosts of P.M. Magazine, in the Arizona Daily Star newsroom in December, 1979.Β
UA vs ASU showdown
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Fans scream at Arizona Stadium during a Nov. 25, 1978, showdown between Arizona and Arizona State in Tucson.Β
Little Joe at El Casino Ballroom
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Little Joe of Little Joe, Johnny and la Familia performs at El Casino Ballroom at 437 East 26th St. in Tucson on July 29, 1979.Β
Tucson mayor Lew Murphy
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Tucson Mayor Lew Murphy pauses during an interview in his office on October 25, 1979.Β
Rolling Stones cleanup 1978
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Assorted trash and some sleeping bags were all that remained after crowds of people gathered to purchase Rolling Stones tickets in 1978.Β
The Rolling Stones
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The Rolling Stones at the Tucson Convention Center Arena in 1978.Β
Rolling Stones fan surge
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The crowd surges before the Rolling Stones concert at the Tucson Convention Center Arena in 1978.Β
UA pie service
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University of Arizona students demonstrate their pie in the face service on Feb. 16, 1979.Β
Rex Allen
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Rex Allen returned to Willcox in 1979 to perform at the town's annual Rex Allen Days festival.Β
Congress Hotel Barber Shop
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Scene from inside the Congress Hotel Barber Shop.Β
Anselmo Valencia
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A photo of Anselmo Valencia, Executive Director of the Yaqui Indian Tribe, taken in 1979.Β
Alice Cooper in Tucson
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Ghoulish rocker Alice Cooper performs at the Tucson Community Center on April 10, 1979.Β
Mann Theatres in Tucson
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A line at Mann Theatres on July 1, 1978.
More movie lines
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Line of moviegoers at the Buena Vista on July 1, 1978.Β
Tucson Monastery
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Sister Elsa maintains candles in 1978 in the sanctuary of the Tucson Monastery of Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, 800 N. Country Club Road.
Arizona State Museum work
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Dr. Walter Birkby, forensic anthropologist, at work at the Arizona State Museum in 1979.
Joseph Bonanno, Sr.
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Joe Bonanno, Sr, at the federal courthouse in Tucson in 1979.
Sabino High students
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A student in a Sabino High School math class uses a calculator during class on Oct. 8, 1979.Β
Eric Clapton gets married in Tucson
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Legendary British rock guitarist Eric Clapton, left, exits Bethel Temple in Tucson with Pattie Boyd in Tucson on March 27, 1979, after the two were married. Boyd was formerly married to George Harrison of the Beatles. Boyd said in her autobiography that she became involved with Clapton after hearing "Layla," which he wrote with drummer Jim Gordon while with the group Derek and The Dominos. "It was the most wonderful song I had ever heard," she wrote.Β
Cortaro General Store
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Signs near the Cortaro General Store on the northwest corner of Cortaro Road and I-10 in December, 1978.
Cortaro General Store
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The Cortaro General Store on Cortaro Road was where northwest residents shopped in 1978.
Davis-Monthan base housing
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Base housing onΒ Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in 1978.Β
Jet crash
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Davis-Monthan Air Force Base firefighters pull their hose to spray the area around the engine of an A-7D Corsair II jet fighter after it crashed near the University of Arizona on October 26, 1978. It crashed on to North Highland Avenue near East Sixth Street. A car carrying two sisters was engulfed in flames, killing both women. The pilot safely ejected.Β
Jet crash near the UA
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This is the aftermath of the crash of an A-7D Corsair II jet fighter after it crashed near the University of Arizona on Oct. 26, 1978, as it was approaching Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.Β
Photo credit: Manuel Miera, Tucson Citizen
First day of school around Tucson
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Principal Jo Musser plays guitar and sings to children on the first day of school at Borton Elementary in Tucson, 1979.
President Ford and Mariachi Cobre
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Former President Gerald Ford meets with members of Mariachi Cobre during a Tucson Open Pro-Am Awards Banquet on Feb. 14, 1979.Β
Goldwater's at El Con
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People wait outside on opening day at Goldwater's in the El Con Mall.
Goldwater's at El Con
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Opening day at Goldwater's in El Con Mall in 1978. It was the fifth store in the chain, built at a cost of $8 million.
Granada Avenue
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Granada Avenue as it looked on June 11, 1979. At one time, the city considered widening the half-mile stretch north of the Redondo Towers, but residents protested the proposal.Β
University of Arizona Homecoming
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The Ooh Ah Man leads students and administrators in chants during a Homecoming Rally on the UA Mall in October, 1979.
University of Arizona Homecoming
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Dancers swing their heads and hair to the music of Chuck Wagon and the Wheels during a 1979 Homecoming Rally on UA Mall.
Johnny Gibson
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Johnny Gibson cutting hair in his barber shop, June 26, 1979.
Las Posadas
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Children at Carrillo School near downtown Tucson sing during Las Posadas in December, 1978. The school has hosted the annual procession since 1937.
Macrame furniture
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Willie Knight working on macrame furniture, July 3, 1978.Β
North Oracle business view
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A look at businesses, both new and established, along North Oracle Road between West Roger Road and West Limberlost Drive on March 7, 1979.Β
O'Rielly signage
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A sign for O'Rielly's Econo Leasing Inc. which in 1979 was located on North Oracle Road at the Rillito River.Β
Escape artist
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Escape artist Charlie Myrick emerges from captivity after being handcuffed by Tucson Police officer Mark Miranda, left, and Arizona DPS Officer Robert Gilmartin during the Pima County Fair in April, 1978.Β
Pueblo High basketball champions
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Pueblo High School coach Roland LaVetter hugs guard Lafayette Lever in the Arizona State AAA basketball championship game vs. Rincon High School in Tempe, Ariz. on March 4, 1978.
Former California Gov. Ronald Reagan
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Former California Gov. Ronald Reagan, and his wife Nancy, are on the stage of Flowing Wells High School for Bellamy Award Day on October 26, 1979. Reagan, who was the favorite as the 1980 Republican presidential nominee, had not officially entered the race at the time.Β
Tanque Verde Swap Meet
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Tanque Verde Swap Meet at Grant and Tanque Verde roads in January, 1979.Β
Tanque Verde Swap Meet
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Tanque Verde Swap Meet at Grant and Tanque Verde roads in January, 1979.Β
Ralph's Service Station
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Ralph's Service Station at S. 4th Ave. and E. 19th St. in January, 1979.Β
Congress Street looking west from Stone Avenue
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Congress Street in downtown Tucson, looking east from Stone Avenue, in November, 1978.
Fugitive manhunt
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Law enforcement officers search vehicles at a roadblock in August, 1978, during the hunt for fugitive escapee Gary Tison and the Tison gang.
Fallout shelter
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John Stufflebean appears at the door of the family's fallout shelter on Kilmer Street in Tucson in November, 1978.Β
Transit strikes in Tucson
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A union member outside the Sun Tran bus yard takes a siesta during a long day of picketing on Aug. 11, 1978.Β
Billy Joel in Tucson
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The "Piano Man" Billy Joel performs at the Tucson Community Center on November 14, 1978.Β
Magic Carpet Golf
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Magic Carpet Golf in Tucson in July, 1978.Β
Apache Drive-In Theater
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Apache Drive-In Theater in Tucson showing The Jungle Book in June, 1978.Β
Gene Wilder in Tucson
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Actor Gene Wilder, center, with Harrison Ford, right, while filming of "The Frisco Kid" along the road to Sasabe, southwest of Tucson on Nov. 30, 1978.
