N.C. Couple Found Dead After 40th Anniversary in Apparent Murder-Suicide: Police
A North Carolina couple were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide, police say.Stephen Larnell Willetts and Tracey Parker Willetts were found dead in their home on Rowsgate Lane in New Hanover County, N.C. on the morning of July 30, according to the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office (NHCSO).
“Based on the evidence gathered during the investigation, detectives believe this to be a murder-suicide in which the wife fatally shot her husband before taking her own life,” NHCSO said in a statement on social media. “The investigation remains active, and additional information will be released as it becomes available.”
Steve Willetts, Tracey Parker Willetts.Tracey Parker Willetts/Facebook
PEOPLE has reached out to the NHCSO regarding the investigation.
Authorities were called to the home when one of the victims’ smartwatch dialed 911 after detecting either a fall or the lack of a pulse, WECT reported.
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A friend of Tracey told local outlet WWAY that the couple had recently returned home after a trip to celebrate their 40th anniversary. A neighbor described Stephen as “one of the friendliest people in the neighborhood.”
The couple were known in the Wrightsville Beach, N.C., paddleboarding community, according to WWAY and WECT.
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“The neighborhood is thoroughly shocked,” neighbor Wyatt Patrick told WECT. “I’m a runner, and he’d often ask me how my progress is going, or walking our dogs and just a brief hello. He was consistent and one of the friendlier people I’ve met around here.”
A motive for the shootings has not yet been made public.
