An elderly married couple was murdered in their apartment at a Florida retirement community on New Year’s Eve in what cops are calling a “heinous” crime.
Officers from the Mount Dora Police Department were called to the Waterman Village independent living community just after 4 p.m. Saturday after receiving a 911 call from security guards reporting a “suspicious incident,” reported the Daily Commercial.
Cops arrived at the duplex on Lake Margaret Circle and discovered the bodies of an 83-year-old man and his 80-year-old wife inside.
Investigators have not disclosed any more details in the case, including the victims’ names or how they died.
“There are things we just don’t want folks to know,” interim Police Chief Mike Gibson told the station WESH. “This is a fast-moving, fast-breaking investigation, and there are things we aren’t going to release.”
Gibson confirmed that the couple’s killing is being investigated as a homicide and announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, calling the slayings a “heinous crime.”
Mount Dora interim Police Chief Michael Gibson describes the homicide investigation as “fast-moving.”
WESHThe deaths of a married couple at Waterman Village in Mount Dora have been described as a “heinous” crime.Google MapsCops arrived at the duplex on Lake Margaret Circle and discovered the bodies of an 83-year-old man and his 80-year-old wife inside.WESH
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office are assisting local authorities with the case.
The police chief added that the victims’ son and daughter have been notified of their parents’ killings, and police were awaiting the family’s arrival in Mount Dora to release the couple’s names.
During a town hall meeting Monday, Mount Dora Mayor Crissy Stile assured residents that they were safe.
But neither Stile nor Gibson could tell those in attendance why they should not be concerned for their own safety in the wake of the double murder.
