Police Investigating Murder-Suicide in Penacook

Concord Police and the New Hampshire Attorney General's office are investigating an apparent murder-suicide in Concord on Tuesday. 

A little before 8 a.m., police received a 911 call from a home at 230 Elm St. in Penacook. According to reports, the caller stated that her son, Matthew Balch, 22, was in the driveway of the home with a gun to his head and that he had also shot his wife, Sarah, 25. 

As officers arrived at the scene, they found Sarah Balch lying partway up the driveway, dead of an apparent gunshot wound. Officers then reportedly walked up the driveway towards the house. As they approached, they reportedly heard a gunshot. The officers later discovered Matthew Balch dead near the home.

The officers found a rifle next to Matthew Balch. Officials later concluded that the rifle was also used to kill Sarah Balch. 

Matthew's mother was reportedly at the scene when the incident occurred. Neither she nor three young children in the home were injured during the incident, according to a press release issued by the attorney general's office. 

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later arrived at the scene to investigate. It was expected to complete autopsies on the bodies this week to determine the causes of their deaths. 

Friends mourn

Late into the afternoon of June 14, a memorial Facebook page was created for the couple by Samantha Charles, which included a picture of the couple smiling together. The page called on friends and relatives to observe a moment of silence at 3 p.m. on June 14 through Sept. 14. 

As of 7:30 p.m., more than 360 people had committed to observing the moment of silence, with many friends offering comments and condolences. 

One friend called Matthew "funny" when they went to school together, others called Sarah "a very nice girl."