Cops found two bodies inside a Long Island home this morning, in a tragedy that struck close to home for Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, officials said.
A 73-year-old North Lynbrook woman was discovered dead with no visible wounds, while a man, 70, found nearby, appeared to die from one self-inflicted gunshot, law enforcement sources said.
Police initially believed it could have been a murder-suicide — but later concluded the woman died first of natural causes before the man took his own life, sources said.
The pair had been married “for over 20 years,” said Nassau County police Det. Vincent Garcia.
A home healthcare aide arrived at the house this morning, but was unable to get inside, police said. The aide called a relative and someone with a key came to the house.
“The key holder went in, realized something was wrong and backed out,” a law enforcement source said.
The medical examiner will perform autopsies on both of the deceased.
The woman was an invalid, who relied on a ramp outside the Catherine Street house, cops said.
One of the two dead people is “a family member of an employee” of Rice, sources said.
Nassau County’s lead prosecutor showed up at the scene and spoke to investigators while brushing tears from her eyes, a witness said.
At least one neighbor said the people who lived in the house were rarely seen outside, and the woman had been ailing for a long time.
“The lady has been sick for years … in the summertime you can hear her moaning and yelling,” said the neighbor. “You never saw her out.”
Additional reporting by David K. Li