Diane Opper, 56, was shot and killed at her Belchertown, Massachusetts home on the evening of Friday, March 27, 2026. A long-time U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service official who had served 33 years as Chief of the Division of Operations & Support and was planning retirement in Florida, she was found inside the residence on Daniel Shays Highway with multiple gunshot wounds to her torso. She was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead; the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner was assigned to determine the official cause of death.

Authorities say Diane’s husband, 56-year-old Mark Opper, placed a 911 call in which he reportedly told the dispatcher his gun had gone off and he had killed his wife. Police arrived to find Mark with what appeared to be blood on his hands and jeans. He was taken into custody and arraigned in Eastern Hampshire District Court on charges of murder and assault and battery on a family or household member. Prosecutors raised concerns about a history of domestic abuse; Mark Opper pleaded not guilty and a judge ordered him held without bail with the case scheduled to continue on April 27, 2026.

The Belchertown Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office continue to investigate. Did anyone in the Belchertown area know Diane or have information about her final days?