The Beaver County Sheriff's Office is trying to locate family members of an elderly couple involved in an apparent homicide-suicide.
A rancher checking on some cattle near Beaver came upon the bodies of an 82-year-old man and his 80-year-old wife, who had both been shot to death at close range.
Beaver Sheriff's Sgt. Cameron Noel said evidence indicates the man shot his wife with a .38-caliber handgun and turned the gun on himself inside the couple's car.
Noel said the names of the couple would not be released until officers made contact with next of kin, who may live in other states.
The couple had been dead for about 36 hours when they were discovered about 10 a.m. Saturday, Noel said.
From a suicide note officers found, it appears both the man and the woman were suffering from medical conditions, one of which appeared to be terminal.
Apparently, a recent doctor visit had brought more bad news, Noel said.
After 60 years of marriage, neither the man or the woman wanted to live alone if one of them should happen to die, is how Noel understood the note.
The man and woman had homes in Sevier County and in the St. George area, Noel said, but there is no indication why they parked outside of Beaver — whether they were just driving down the road and picked a spot or whether it was a planned location.
E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com