MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — A welfare check led Manatee County deputies to find two decomposed bodies Friday afternoon, according to an alert from the sheriff's office. Now, detectives have identified the man they say is responsible for the murder-suicide.
A relative reportedly contacted the Manatee County Sheriff's Office to do a welfare check on her sister and brother-in-law at the Lake Vista Condo complex in Lakewood Ranch after not hearing from the couple in a week.
Deputies say they arrived to find two people dead inside the house. After delays due to the "advanced level of decomposition," the sheriff's office says it has identified the bodies as 74-year-old Tery McAvoy and his wife, whose name is protected under Marsy's Law.
Detectives say the woman died by asphyxiation while McAvoy died after cutting himself with a sharp object. There is no evidence that anyone else was involved.
According to the sheriff's office, there is no clear motive for the deaths, but detectives believe the couple was having domestic issues.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached 24/7 at 800-799-7233. Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.