Suspected Murder-Suicide Reported In Nearby Petaluma

PETALUMA, CA – Police on Thursday afternoon responded to a Petaluma home where a man and woman were found dead in what appeared to be murder-suicide, according to authorities.

This is the second such case logged in two days in the North Bay, as Sonoma County sheriff's deputies on Wednesday found an elderly couple, who reportedly were struggling with health and financial challenges, dead from gunshot wounds, along with their dog, in a trailer at a campground on the Sonoma County coast.

In Thursday's Petaluma case, officers went to a residence on the 800 block of Echo Court at about 4 p.m. following a report of two individuals who were discovered inside and appeared to be deceased, the Petaluma Police Department said.

The male and female, both adults, apparently died from gunshot wounds, and police said they were investigating the case as a suspected murder-suicide.

"We are working with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Corner’s Office to identify the involved subjects and confirm their relationship," the agency said.

Authorities handling the Wednesday campground deaths said Robert Wade, 71, shot 72-year-old Maria Wade, their dog then himself in the trailer at the Ocean Cove Campground in a remote area of Sonoma County just north of Timber Cove, according to sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Crum.

Deputies responded to that murder-suicide around 5:10 a.m. after Robert called his daughter to report he shot Maria, Crum said. Deputies found the couple and the dog dead when they arrived around 5:50 a.m. A handgun was recovered at the scene, Crum said.

The investigation revealed deputies went to the camper trailer on Feb. 25 and found Maria, who has stage 4 cancer, suicidal and holding a gun to her head, Crum said. She was taken for a mental health evaluation, and deputies removed two handguns from the trailer, Crum said.

The couple had extensive medical and financial issues that were getting worse, Crum said. Their daughter, who was not in town at the time of the murder-suicide, was interviewed and her cooperation was instrumental in determining what happened, Crum said.

For more information about suicide prevention, visit: Suicide Is Preventable and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

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• Mental Health 'First Aid' Class Offered in Marin County

--Bay City News contributed to this post