LIVONIA, Mich. — Police in Michigan are investigating the death of two officers with the Detroit Police Department who were found dead from gunshot wounds Sunday at the Belle Creek Square townhomes in the 16000 block of Farmington Road in Livonia. According to law enforcement authorities, the scene appears to be a murder-suicide.
The bodies of a 22-year-old woman and a 26-year-old man were found at the residence, the Livonia Police Department confirmed. On Monday, the police agency identified the woman as Detroit Police Officer Maria Martin and the man as Detroit Police Officer Matthew Ethington II, WXYZ reported.
Martin was shot multiple times, while Ethington sustained a single gunshot wound that appears to have been self-inflicted, authorities said. An infant was also located in the home. The child was not harmed and is now in the custody of another family member.
Livonia police were called to conduct a wellness check at the residence about 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. Responding officers discovered the bodies. Officials said the apparent murder-suicide is believed to be related to a domestic dispute.
Chief James White of the Detroit Police Department confirmed the couple worked with their agency and each one had been on the job less than 5 years, according to WXYZ reported.
“Senseless tragedy. We’re going to find out exactly what happened as the investigation unfolds. Learn from it. Use what we learn to help some of our officers heal from this as well as prevent a tragedy like this going forward. We just don’t know what lead to this,” Chief White said.
The infant’s relationship to the couple was unclear, according to the news outlet, and investigators are trying to determine how long the pair had been deceased prior to discovery.