Two people were killed in what Santa Cruz police believe to be a murder-suicide on Tuesday night at the apartments on the 100 block of Chestnut.
At 6:49 p.m. police responded to a report of suspicious circumstances and upon arrival found the two deceased from apparent gunshot wounds. A handgun was recovered at the scene by police.
The man, 35, is believed to have shot the woman before shooting himself in the head, according to Santa Cruz police spokesperson Joyce Blaschke. Pending autopsies and forensic tests are needed to confirm this. Police said the woman, a visitor from out of town, was the suspect’s sister-in-law.
The two victims were locked inside of a room in the apartment for an “extended period of time,” according to the Santa Cruz Police press release. A relative called the police after the victims did not answer telephone calls.
As of Wednesday evening, the victims’ names and hometowns have not yet been released. The Santa Cruz Police are still “in the process of contacting next of kin,” Blaschke said. As of Wednesday evening, they had not been contacted.
