A mother and her adult son were found dead inside of a home in Dover, New Hampshire, and police launched an investigation to determine that the crime was a murder-suicide.
Authorities responded to a home on Dover Point Road to conduct a follow-up welfare check on the morning of Tuesday, May 26. Upon their arrival, they found the bodies of a woman and her adult son, according to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office.
“First responders got there, many different things were tried to do to make contact with anybody inside,” Senior Assistant Attorney General Ben Agati said, per WMUR.
Officials have since identified the deceased as Eileen Shevelin and her son, Thomas Wallace. Shevelin, 78, was found dead in her bed, while Wallace, 57, appeared to have died by suicide.
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“We are investigating the possibility here of this being a murder-suicide,” Agati said in a statement, per the outlet. “Investigators are still taking the normal steps they would in any homicide investigation, but they do have that in mind as something they can either rule in or rule out based on the evidence that was found.”
Agati added that murder-suidices were rare in the state of New Hampshire.
“Per capita in the nation for the last several years, we are the lowest if not tied for the lowest, per capita for homicide investigations,” he said. “Murder-suicides, if that’s what this ends up being, would count as one of those.”
On Wednesday, May 27, Attorney General John Formella said that autopsies had been conducted on Shevelin and Wallace and it was confirmed that they died in a murder-suicide, according to WMTW.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner conducted the autopsies on May 27. It was determined that Shevelin died of asphyxiation and her death was ruled a homicide. Meanwhile, authorities concluded that Wallace died by suicide.
Formella said that information indicated the murder-suicide took place sometime between Monday, May 25, and May 26.
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After he revealed the autopsy results, Formella said that authorities likely will not share additional information regarding the case at this time.
The tragedy has left neighbors in shock, and Caitlin Barbery told WMUR that the area is typically quiet.
“You might hear a couple dogs, kids playing around,” Barbery, who lives in an apartment down the road from the crime scene, said. “You don’t really get a lot of drama around here.”
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
