Man suspected of shooting spouse and himself at Naantali cottage

A man is suspected of shooting his spouse and himself with a shotgun at their holiday cottage in Rymättylä, in Naantali, Yle reports, citing new details from the police investigation. The couple are believed to have died two days before police found them.

Their bodies were found on a bed inside the cottage on May 27. Police believe the man used a shotgun. He had reported a licensed firearm missing in 2006.

The couple travelled from their cottage in Ostrobothnia to Rymättylä on the evening of May 24. The next day, the man told his spouse he was going to work, but his employer said he did not show up. His phone was later located at the Ostrobothnia cottage before he travelled towards Turku. The couple exchanged their last messages that afternoon, when the spouse asked when he would return from work. Both phones were switched off early that evening, police said.

The man’s supervisor contacted police after the employer had been unable to reach him for three days. He was expected at work on Monday and Tuesday. The employer also tried to contact his spouse.

Information from the couple’s relatives led police to the cottage. People who arrived before officers reported that the curtains were drawn, the door was locked and food had been left on the table.

Police ended the investigation on Tuesday because the suspect had died and could not be charged. The 55-year-old had been fined in 2016 for a drug offence and petty theft. The couple’s permanent address was in Turku. Police announced the suspected homicide nearly five months after it happened, saying the disclosure was intended to help prevent intimate partner violence.