DELTONA, Fla. – The body that was found buried in the backyard of a man who left a suicide note confessing to murder has been identified as that man's wife, who was suffering from Alzheimer's disease, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies were called to Laurence and Gail Caulfield's home on May 9 after a relative said she hadn't heard from the couple in months but then recently received a package in the mail containing the couple’s will, life insurance policy, financial information and contact information for the couple’s doctors, a news release said.
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The package included a letter from Laurence Caulfield, 75, which said that his wife had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and they were struggling to cope.
“He also has guns in the house, and I’m concerned,” the caller told an emergency operator. “The way it’s been written is a concern -- a strong concern.”
Laurence Caulfield told deputies that 75-year-old Gail Caulfield was living in family friends in Kansas, but the couple's daughter was unable to confirm that information. At 10:27 p.m., deputies were pounding on Laurence Caulfield's door when they heard a gunshot.
Laurence Caulfield was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Deputies also said they found a note Laurence Caulfield wrote in which he confessed to killing Gail Caulfield and burying her in the backyard.
Deputies found a body buried in the yard the next day and determined on May 12 that the woman died from a gunshot wound. The woman was identified Friday as Gail Caulfield.
Deputies said they believe Laurence Caulfield killed his wife and they are not seeking any other suspect at this point.