Overview
- Officials found Stephen Larnell Willetts and Tracey Parker Willetts dead inside their Wilmington home after an emergency call triggered a response early Thursday.
- One of the couple’s smartwatches detected a fall and automatically called 911, prompting EMS to call deputies who forced entry through a garage door.
- The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office says evidence gathered during the investigation indicates the wife fatally shot her husband and then took her own life.
- Family posts and neighbors said the couple had celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary the day before and that they had previously lost two sons in 2013 and 2014, which has shaped the local outpouring of grief.
- The investigation remains active and local officials say there is no known threat to the community while further details, including a motive, have not been released.