JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office says police are investigating after the bodies of a man and woman were discovered in a home during a welfare check Tuesday.
According to Sgt. Steve Rudlaff, with the Sheriff’s Office, officers were called to the home on Hollings Street just after noontime. He said that someone called the Sheriff’s Office and said their co-worker did not show up for work and that she could not be reached by phone.
“Patrol officers arrived at the residence and knocked on the front door. They did not obtain any response,” Rudlaff explained. “As they started walking around the house looking through the windows, they observed two bodies laying on the floor inside the residence.”
He said officers made entry to the home and found the bodies of the man and woman. Both were found dead of gunshot wounds. A weapon was found in the home. Investigators fell short of calling the incident a murder-suicide.
Rudlaff said the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was not looking for any suspects and there was no sign of forced entry to the home. The victims were both believed to be between 40 to 50 years old.
Neighbors said a married couple in their 50s had bought the place and had been living here for the past year. Police have not identified the couple who live there as the same people they found dead, but Manuel Smith told News4JAX that no one else lived there but the couple — and he knew them.
“Shocking. Very shocking. I just talked to her Sunday and they were all good and everything. I don’t know,” Smith said.
Police said two animals were found in the home, and Animal Care and Protective Services were called to the scene to take them into custody until a family member can claim them.