Retired police officer and wife found dead in Lohja home

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The latest likely murder-suicide has been reported in Finland. Man and his wife in Lohja were found dead in their home in the Perttilä neighbourhood in Lohja on Thursday afternoon.
      Police do not believe that any outsiders were involved.
      Those killed were aged 50 and 60. The husband had long worked as a police officer in Lohja before retiring.
      A relative found the bodies, and reported the discovery at 3:30 PM. Police do not believe that any others were in the house at the time of the shooting.
      Although police did not immediately state the cause of death, except for ruling out natural causes, Helsingin Sanomat has learned that both apparently died of gunshot wounds.
     
“We are 90 per cent sure of what has happened. However, we want complete certainty before giving more precise statements on the matter”, said Jussi Ojala of the Lohja police.
      Police concluded their forensic investigation at 7:50 PM, when the last officers left the scene, to return to continue the examination on Friday morning.
     
The couple lived in a fairly new brick house in a quiet neighbourhood. The police had not cordoned off the scene, and once the police had left, nothing outside the building suggested that any tragedy had taken place.
      Helsingin Sanomat has learned that the man had recently divorced his previous wife. One of the victims of the shooting was his new partner. The man had sparked attention among outsiders with his conflicting behaviour.
      One neighbour says that the two spent much time at their summer cottage.
     
Ojala says that the police have “clear indications” of the motive for the action. However, he would not elaborate yet on Thursday evening.
      The investigation is being handled by the Lohja police, where one of the two victims had worked. Ojala saw no reason to transfer the investigation to a different unit.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Experts bewildered by spate of in-family killings (21.11.2008)
  Previous recession led to more violent deaths (21.10.2008)
  Family of four die in murder-suicide, Oulu neighbourhood in shock (20.10.2008)

Helsingin Sanomat