The bodies of a husband and wife were found dead inside their North Carolina home, with investigators believing the deaths were the result of a murder-suicide.
Stephen Larnell Willetts and Tracey Parker Willetts were both discovered shot dead inside their Wilmington, North Carolina, home on Thursday morning.
According to the evidence gathered during the investigation, detectives believe the wife fatally shot her husband before taking her own life.
Deputies responded to an emergency call early Thursday morning, prompted by a smartwatch that detected a fall and automatically called 911 after the alarm was not canceled.
The couple had celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary just one day before their deaths, and they were known to be avid paddleboarders in the Wrightsville Beach community.
A neighbor described Stephen Willetts as a retired Army veteran, while a second cousin of Tracey Willetts' posted on social media that Stephen was a lifelong friend and a devoted EMT.
The couple had experienced a significant loss in the past, having lost their two sons within a year of each other between 2013 and 2014, according to the social media post.
The investigation into the deaths is ongoing, with the sheriff's office working to gather more information and piece together the events surrounding the tragic incident.
