Two deaths in Tuolumne County appear to be murder-suicide, sheriff’s office reports

Deputies found a man and a woman dead Monday in an apparent murder-suicide northeast of Sonora, the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office reported.

The unidentified people were found shot to death in a home on Harmony Lane, about halfway between Phoenix Lake and Twain Harte, a department Facebook post said. Deputies had gone there Monday afternoon to check on the occupants because they had not been heard from for a few days, officials said. A family member requested the check.

The man and woman were not a couple, department spokeswoman Sgt. Andrea Benson said Wednesday.

“A preliminary investigation suggests a murder-suicide occurred,” the post said. “The names of the deceased are not being released as of yet pending positive identification.”

This story was originally published December 5, 2017 at 8:05 PM with the headline "Two deaths in Tuolumne County appear to be murder-suicide, sheriff’s office reports."