The embezzlement trials of the wife and son of a former Bedford County volunteer fire chief may be complicated by his death.

That is according to Richard Lawrence, the Roanoke attorney representing Deborah Shifflett and Cory Shifflett.

Jeffrey Shifflett, the former volunteer fire chief at the Hardy Volunteer Fire Company, was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound one day after he was indicted on 14 forgery and embezzlement charges stemming from an investigation of activities at the fire department.

"He would have probably testified the wife and the boy didn't know they had done anything wrong," Lawrence said.

Deborah Shifflett, 38, and Cory Shifflett, 23, were arrested and released on bond last week. She faces 13 felonies; he is charged with seven.

Lawrence, who was representing Jeffrey Shifflett, said he has not yet read the prosecution's files so he is unsure exactly what each charge entails.

Deborah Shifflett and Cory Shifflett were arrested July 14, three days after Jeffrey Shifflett's funeral, according to Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Wes Nance. Deborah Shifflett was released on $12,500 unsecured bond and Cory Shifflett on $10,000 unsecured bond, Nance said.

The trials are scheduled for the same day -- Oct. 6 at 9 a.m.

Jeffrey Shifflett was the target of a state police investigation over allegedly mismanaging the volunteer department's funds. His home on Turner Branch Road was searched in late March. He subsequently was arrested and placed on administrative leave.

Jeffrey Shifflett and his family were investigated for -- and eventually charged with -- using department credit cards to purchase gasoline for personal vehicles and other purchases not related to department business.

Jeffrey Shifflett, who was 51 when he died, also was accused of forging another department member's name to open a bank account and withdrawing hundreds of dollars from the department's checking accounts. Checks for thousands of dollars were paid to Jeffrey Shifflett for training that does not match the department's records.

The Bedford County commonwealth's attorney's office has estimated the case involves between $150,000 and $200,000.

The case prompted the county's board of supervisors in June to adopt a policy of fiscal accountability for organizations, such as the more than 20 volunteer fire departments and rescue squads, that receive local funds.

The policy stops short of requiring complete annual audits but requires a set of "agreed-upon procedures" to be met by organizations seeking county dollars.