Thursday, February 4, 2010

Bradley, IL: Deaths of elderly couple a murder-suicide

BRADLEY, Ill. (STMW) -- The deaths of an elderly couple found dead in their far south suburban home Sunday have been confirmed to be a murder-suicide.

At 10:21 a.m. Sunday, police in Bradley, which is about halfway between Bourbonnais and Kankakee, were dispatched to 644 Juniper Lane for a well-being check of an elderly resident, police said. Police made contact with both elderly occupants of the home and spoke with them concerning any medical issues or if they needed assistance.

A Bradley Fire Department ambulance was dispatched to the scene, because one of the residents complained of back pain. Both residents of the home -- Bobbie B. Karr, 86, and his wife Dorothy J. Karr, 84, were in the living room, one on the couch and the other in a chair, according to police.

The police officer on scene met with ambulance personnel outside the home to advise them of the situation, when the officer heard shots from inside the home. Upon entering the home, the officer discovered that the person on the couch had been shot and the other resident was found lying in the bathroom, and had a gunshot wound to the head.

Dorothy Karr had been murdered and Bobbie Karr committed suicide, Bradley Police Chief Steven Coy said. Autopsies Wednesday confirmed this. Dorothy Karr's death was from a gunshot to the head, and her death was ruled a homicide, and Bobbie Karr's death was also from a gunshot to the head and his death was ruled a suicide, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

A handgun was recovered at the scene, police said.

Both Bobbie and Dorothy Karr had suffered numerous health problems and a note was found on the scene, but it wasn’t a suicide note, Coy said.

The two were taken to local hospitals, then flown to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where Bobbie Karr was pronounced dead at 5:32 p.m. Monday and Dorothy Karr was pronounced dead at 7:25 p.m. Monday, according to the medical examiner's office.

The two had been married 64 years, Coy said.

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