Friends and neighbors in Salem, Oregon, were alarmed when Suzanne Jackels, 57, and her husband Rick, 59, missed work for two days in early February 2018. A concerned citizen contacted the Polk County Sheriff’s Office on the morning of February 7, prompting deputies to check the couple’s home on Lakeview Drive NW, just west of the city limits.

Deputies found both Suzanne and Rick deceased inside the house; an autopsy the next day confirmed each had died from gunshot wounds. Sheriff Mark Garton told the public investigators found no evidence of additional suspects and that there was no ongoing danger. Friends described the Jackels as happy, social, and generous, and their deaths left the community reeling.

What details might help explain how two well-known members of the community came to be found this way?