Husband and Wife, Ages 92 and 93, Die in Apparent Murder-Suicide at Elderly Care Facility

An elderly couple in their 90s were found dead in what authorities believe was a murder-suicide at a care home in Mesa, Arizona.

Police responded to a report early Thursday, Oct. 16, of two residents who had been shot and were unresponsive, according to a news release from the Mesa Police Department. CBS affiliate KPHO was first to report the incident.

Staff at the group home — located in the 1000 block of W. Mendoza Avenue — told officers they believed a male resident, identified as 92-year-old Jerome Woolums, had possibly shot himself.

When police arrived just after 4 a.m. local time, they found Jerome and his wife, 93-year-old Katharine Woolums, in their bedroom with gunshot wounds to the head. Jerome was pronounced dead at the scene and was found holding a firearm, authorities said.

Katharine was still alive when first responders arrived, and Mesa Fire and Medical personnel attempted life-saving measures before transporting her to a nearby hospital with critical injuries. She later died from her wounds, according to police.

Investigators said the couple had “been married for many years and were living at the care facility to receive medical care.”

The Mesa Police Department described the incident as an “apparent murder-suicide,” noting in a statement that evidence indicates Jerome shot his wife before turning the gun on himself.

Authorities said the case remains under investigation as they await the results of medical examinations.