Authorities in Michigan are investigating an apparent murder-suicide involving a former local police official and his estranged ex-wife.
Mason police say that they discovered two bodies late Tuesday night in a Lansing-area motel room, one allegedly belonging to retired Bad Axe police chief Gary Bucholtz and the other to his former spouse, Rhonda Bucholtz, according to a press release obtained by the Huffington Post.
Authorities began searching for the pair late Monday night after Bucholtz family members contacted the Huron County Sheriff's office.
"Apparently, they had not been heard from since approximately 9 p.m. on Monday," Huron County Sheriff Kelly J. Hanson told the Huron Daily Tribune. "Family members were very concerned because of marital difficulties that had evolved over the last several months. They were worried about the couple's well-being."
Hanson alerted regional law enforcement agencies to that the couple was missing. Around 11:00 pm, Tuesday, Hanson received notification from Mason Police Department officials of a shooting incident approximately 110 miles southeast of Bad Axe, possibly involving the missing divorced couple.
"They stated they had a deceased male and female in a local motel room and the Port Hope couple’s Uplander van was in the parking lot," Hanson said.
Gary, 58, and Rhonda, 38, were parents of a five-year-old child, according to Bay City Times.
Police believe that Gary Bucholtz shot his ex-wife before killing himself, according to ABC-12.
As of Wednesday evening, the Ingham County Medical Examiner was still processing evidence and completing the identification process.