An elderly husband and wife perished in an apparent murder-suicide in Washington state, and police state they discovered notes about the couple’s strains to afford necessitated medical care.
A 77-year-old man called 911 on Wednesday morning stating he planned to die by suicide, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
Deputies went to the residence of the gentleman in Ferndale, a town about 100 miles north of Seattle near the Canadian border, and anchored up outside. A crisis negotiator strived to reach the couple by phone and loudspeaker for about an hour, according to the sheriff’s office post on Wednesday night.
They then discovered both the man and his wife, 76, dead inside. Authorities are reviewing the case as a murder-suicide.
Medical costs seem to have been a determinant in the case.
“Several notes were left citing severe ongoing medical problems with the wife and expressing concerns that the couple did not have sufficient resources to pay for medical care,” the sheriff’s statement said.
Police are not releasing the names of the couple at this time. Two dogs found alive in the house were taken to the local humane society. Numerous firearms were also discovered in the house.
