Frederick Buckley, Liberty Township, Butler County, Ohio man shoots & kills wife, Claire Olmsted Buckley along with couple’s dog dead then self. No known motive.
An elderly couple in their 70’s along with their dog were found dead at their Liberty Township residence in Butler County, Cincinnati area in Ohio in a suspected murder-suicide on Wednesday, April 1.
According to the Butler County Coroner’s Office, the pair was discovered in a home in the 4400 block of Hidden Oaks Drive.
Claire Olmsted Buckley, 72, was identified as the homicide victim, who died from a mortal gunshot wound. Authorities identified the woman’s husband, Frederick Buckley, 70, as the shooter who officials estimated took his own life within a minute of killing his wife according to WDTN.
Liberty Township couple were planning on moving to new home
Notice of the tragedy came after a family member had asked for a welfare check after not hearing from the couple for a number of days or not answering their phone or front door. The couple’s vehicle was in the garage.
At the time, the couple were moving out of their home.
Upon entering the home, police came upon the macabre scene of the slain wife on the couch and her husbands body nearby. The couple’s dog, Luna was found dead in the living room.
It remained unclear how long the husband and wife were deceased.
Neighbors perplexed by Butler County murder-suicide
Neighbors were left shocked following news of the alleged murder-suicide, saying the couple had lived at the address for over a dozen years.
‘It makes zero sense. It makes zero sense,’ a neighbor told WCPO. ‘Very nice people, very kind people. Always friendly, always something nice to say. Just shocked.’
‘Just this past week, when they were home, I heard them in the backyard playing with Luna and throwing the ball and the frisbee for her,’ the neighbor added. ‘And they laugh out loud watching her. I mean, they get total joy out of that dog.’
Neighbors said the pair had recently built a home in Columbus and were getting ready to move there.
‘She was talking about the painters in their new house, and that she was starting to feel comfortable there and getting it set up and making it her own,’ the neighbor told WCPO.
‘This is completely out of character,’ the neighbor added. ‘They’re very kind people with a very nice family, and I just can’t believe it. Like, ‘This is not true. Is there some other explanation? Why?”
Authorities had yet to release a motive in the apparent murder-suicide.
