Couple found dead in their Pasco home

Authorities reveal few details of the deaths near Hernando along the Suncoast Parkway.

By Jamal Thalji, Times Staff Writer
Published February 12, 2008

SHADY HILLS - Authorities are looking into the "suspicious" deaths of a husband and wife found in their home Monday evening.

Relatives' calls had gone unreturned since Friday, said Pasco sheriff's spokesman Doug Tobin. It wasn't until 7 p.m. Monday that a relative finally drove out to their home at 18101 Moorehaven Drive, just south of the Pasco-Hernando county line near the Suncoast Parkway, to check up on them.

"That's when he stumbled on the crime scene," Tobin said.

Deputies had to call in Pasco County Animal Services to remove two dogs, a German shepherd and Rottweiler, before detectives could enter the home.

Neighbors described the husband and wife as a nice, quiet couple. They reported not seeing or hearing anything suspicious since Friday but did say that some neighbors regularly practice with their firearms, so it's not uncommon to hear gunshots.

The Sheriff's Office released few details Monday, withholding the identities of those found dead and the suspected cause of death.

Neighbors also said that a third male relative has lived with the couple for years but that he hasn't been seen since Saturday.

Tobin asked anyone with information about the suspicious deaths to contact the Sheriff's Office at (727) 844-7711.

[Last modified February 11, 2008, 23:48:35]