Couple dies after domestic disturbance in Arlington Heights

alpha media library

A 74-year-old woman and 76-year-old man are dead following a domestic disturbance inside their house near downtown Arlington Heights, authorities said Sunday.

Police responded to the home at 7:40 p.m. Saturday after the man called 911 and reported killing his wife and dog, and said he was going to kill himself.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office reported Sunday that the woman was pronounced dead at 8:19 p.m. Saturday. Authorities later reported that the man was pronounced dead at 4:48 p.m. Sunday at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge after succumbing to his injuries. Autopsies are scheduled for Monday.

First-responding officers to the scene Saturday night made multiple attempts to gain the attention of anyone inside the house, police said in a news release Sunday night. But when they heard a “clear and distinctive” sound that was likely a gunshot, officers — some holding protective body shields — entered the house.

There, they found the woman unresponsive seated at a dining table. The man — in the next room — was unresponsive, but breathing, police said.

Officers removed a handgun from his hand, they added.

Cops searched the rest of the house and found the family dog was dead.

While the woman was beyond medical care, paramedics treated the man on scene for life-threatening injuries, and then took him to Lutheran General — a Level 1 trauma center.