Voluntown, CT – A man and woman were found dead when troopers responded to a brief 911 call, originating from Hell Hollow Rd, where a woman stated “I’m sorry” and hung up.
According to the Connecticut State Police (CSP), at approximately 11:26 AM on Wednesday, June 19th, 2024, Quinebaug Valley Emergency Communication (the first point of contact for all 911 calls in the region) received a call from 270 Hell Hollow Rd, Voluntown. During the call a female gave the address, that it was “an emergency”, and “I’m sorry” before hanging up. The information from the 911 call was transferred to CSP Troop E – Montville who immediately dispatched Troopers to investigate.
At 11:35 AM the first Trooper arrived on the scene to find a man unresponsive in the driveway with obvious injuries, he was later pronounced deceased on the scene. Approximately 10 minutes later, with the female caller unaccounted for, troopers utilized the PA system on a cruiser in an attempt to raise anyone inside the residence. All attempts with the PA were unsuccessful. Unsure of the situation inside, a perimeter was established around the property, and the Emergency Services Unit (ESU) (CSP’s name for the SWAT Team) and Drone Unit were requested to the scene.
At approximately 12:24 PM an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was deployed by the drone unit giving a full picture of the property and the residence.
At approximately 12:29 PM a shelter in place was broadcast via reverse 911 to all residents within 1 mile of the home.
Throughout the incident, phone pings were conducted on a device associated with a female believed to be in the residence. The pings indicated the device was within the vicinity of the residence (Note that phone pings typically have upwards of 100-meter radius). State Police attempted to contact the female by phone several times throughout the incident but were unsuccessful each time.
At approximately 3:53 PM the drone operator located an open door on the second story allowing them to enter the home with the UAV. Once inside the home, they located an unresponsive female on a stairwell with obvious injuries.
At approximately 4:25 PM the ESU Tactical Unit entered the home in search of other occupants. Nobody else was found in the home and the woman was pronounced deceased.
At approximately 5 PM a reverse 911 was broadcast lifting the shelter in place for the area.
The investigation has been turned over to the Eastern District Major Crimes Squad. The majority of units cleared the scene at approximately 5:30 PM.
Throughout the incident, the Voluntown Volunteer Fire Company #1 and an American Ambulance were staged in the area in case personnel required support on the scene. State Police also received mutual aid from Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Police who were in the area.
Updated 6/21/24 1:30 PM
The CSP Eastern District Major Crimes (EDMC) Squad has determined the deaths to be a murder-suicide. Their investigation revealed the man in the driveway was the 70-year-old homeowner whose cause of death, determined by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), was homicide as a result of gunshot wounds. The woman found in the stairwell was the 65-year-old wife who resided at the same address, her cause of death was determined to be suicide by self-inflicted gunshot wound.
State Police ask that anyone with information that may be helpful to this investigation contact Detective Ethan Tanksley at 860-896-3201 or by email at ethan.tanksley@ct.gov. Reference case #2400236243.