Couple Dies Outside Church in Alleged Suicide; Pastor Discovers Bodies
A husband and wife were found shot in an alleged suicide pact near a church in Punta Gorda, Florida where they were married over 30 years ago, authorities said.
On Sunday, July 24 at approximately 7:32 a.m. Pastor Mike Winchell from the Friendship United Methodist Church in Florida saw a shotgun about 80 feet from the rear of the church and then to his horror he made a gruesome discovery of coming across two bodies. He did not ascertain if they were dead or not and proceeded to call 911.
“Bruce, 60, and Patricia Wright, 57, were married at this church on October 1977 and now they are dead,” Winchell told the Christian Post. “This is a tragic shame that these people ended up this way. The entire congregation is saddened and I am offering my support to their families.”
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Winchell explained that he did not know why the couple came from Las Vegas back to visit Punta Gorda or how they arrived there; if it was by plane or car. However, he did mention that the couple did not have children and he only hopes that now they found peace.
According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s office website, the husband died at the scene and the wife was rushed to Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers, Florida in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head and later died. Police say that a shotgun and rifle was recovered at the scene, along with an SUV.
Another piece of information was discovered by the Sheriff’s department, leaving more unanswered questions. The couple was staying at a local motel before the shooting, but it was not determined why they were staying there.
The investigation is ongoing by the Major Crime Unit Detectives in Charlotte County and they are trying to determine what happened that led to their shooting deaths.
