Elderly man kills self, says in letter he buried wife's body in backyard
DELTONA, Fla. -- A 75-year-old man who fatally shot himself while deputies were visiting his house to conduct a welfare check on his wife left behind a handwritten suicide note saying he had buried her in their backyard, authorities said Wednesday.
Deputies visited Laurence Caulfield's home in Deltona Tuesday night after an out-of-state relative reported receiving a letter from Caulfield that said he was having a difficult time coping physically and emotionally as his wife suffered from Alzheimer's disease. The relative told detectives that she hadn't spoken to the couple in months.
Upon their arrival, Caulfield told deputies he had moved his wife to Kansas City to stay with friends of the family. When deputies asked how they could get in touch with her, he told them to call his daughter in New Jersey who had the information.
Caulfield went back inside the house while deputies called his daughter, who said she knew nothing about her mother moving out of state. Deputies grew concerned and began knocking on the front door, but no one answered. Gunfire then rang out from the back of the house.
When deputies entered the residence to look for Caulfield's wife, they found him wounded with a shotgun by his side. He was transported to a hospital where he later died.
According to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, a small stack of papers were left behind in the home, which included a note from Caulfield. In the note, he admits to killing his wife and burying her body in their backyard. He also left behind a copy of the couple's will, life insurance policy and other financial documents.
Sheriff's detectives say they have begun searching for the woman's remains in the backyard.
