Elderly man shoots wife to death before killing self in murder-suicide pact due to 'unaffordable' medical bills
FERNDALE, WASHINGTON: An elderly Washington man is suspected to have fatally shot his wife before proceeding to take his own life the same way because he wasn't able to afford her high medical bills.
Identified as Brian Jones, 77, and Patricia Whitney-Jones, 76, the couple's devastating death was reported by Lynden Tribune, which was told by the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office that Brian had called 911 around 8.23 a.m. on August 7 and told the dispatcher: "I am going to shoot myself." He also said that he had left a note for the Sheriff with all the necessary information and instructions, revealed a press release. Despite the dispatcher trying to keep Brian on the phone, he eventually hung up, his last words being: "We will be in the bedroom."
On arriving at the home on 6500 Block of Timmeran Lane in Ferndale about 15 minutes later, the police set up a perimeter, just in case there was an active shooter. A crisis negotiator also tried contacting Brian through a telephone and a megaphone but had no success. At that point, deputies deployed a robot mounted camera for an overview of the house and spotted Brian dead inside the house, from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. His body was lying next to Patricia's, who was also found dead from a gunshot wound.
According to Lynden Tribune, the Sheriff's office said the next of kin had been notified and the case was being investigated as a murder-suicide. The official press release also mentioned that there were several notes inside the house that discussed the couple having trouble paying for Patricia's medical bills. "[The notes cited] severe ongoing medical problems with the wife and expressing concerns that the couple did not have sufficient resources to pay for medical care," read the press release.
Patricia's Facebook page revealed that she was disabled, via posts shared by her, but the exact medical issues and the care she required still remain unclear. A neighbor of the couple, Sherri Schulteis, told the Lynden Tribune that she is 'dumbfounded' by the couple's deaths. "[The husband and I] were always waving and talking about our yards or our flowers," Schulteis told the newspaper. "It's a little tiny community where we all know each other, but we don't really know each other."
On social media, Patricia also called herself a retired Navy wife, but it is unclear when exactly her husband served. "It is very tragic that one of our senior citizens would find himself in such desperate circumstances where he felt murder and suicide were the only options," said Sheriff Bill Elfo in a statement. "Help is always available with a call to 911." The couple also owned two dogs that were found in the home and turned over to the Humane Society. Several firearms were also discovered in the house and were impounded.