Police: Elderly Hudson Valley Couple Die in Murder-Suicide
Police believe an elderly Hudon Valley couple died in a murder-suicide.
On Wednesday around 10:20 a.m., New York State Police and the Town of Mount Hope Police Department responded to a home on Mount Hope Road for the report of a possible burglary in progress.
The initial caller, who identified himself as Russell Claybrook, claimed that someone may have been inside his residence. Responding officers entered the home and discovered a woman, identified as 70-year-old Marcia Reitman Currie, laying in bed deceased in a rear bedroom. On the floor of the same bedroom, a male, identified as 84-year-old James Russell Claybrook, was also found deceased.
There were no indications of forced entry into the home or any sign of a struggle inside, police. Currie and Claybrook were married and lived in the home, according to police.
Both suffered from medical issues and appeared to be dealing with substantial pain, officials say.
Based upon the totality of the investigation, including physical evidence, numerous interviews, and written documentation found inside the home, the incident is consistent with a murder-suicide, New York State Police stated.
Police believe Claybrook shot his wife while she was in bed and then killed himself with a self-inflicted gunshot. Claybrook falsely reported a burglary in order to increase the chance of rapid police response to his home, police say.
There were no other persons involved and there is no threat to public safety, according to New York State Police.
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