US – An Illinois couple was found dead on last Thursday after 54-year-old Patrick Jesernik killed himself and his partner, Cheryl Schriefer, 59, after suspecting that the two had the coronavirus.

The couple had gotten tested just two days prior to their death but never got to see their results, the results came back negative.

In a statement, The Will County Sheriff’s Office mentioned that authorities arrived at the scene around 8 pm, after receiving calls from concerned family members about not hearing from the couple.

“Family arrived on the scene and stated that Patrick had been scared that he and Cheryl had contracted the COVID-19 virus and that Cheryl was tested two days ago. It was reported that Cheryl was having a hard time breathing. The family stated that to their knowledge, she had not received the test result,” they stated.

Authorities also note that all of the doors and windows to the couple’s home were locked from the inside. After police and fire professionals forced entry into the residence, they found Schriefer and Jesernik in separate rooms, both with a gun wound to the head, surrounded by a pool of blood.

An autopsy confirmed that Schriefer’s death was a murder and Jesernik’s death was a suicide. At the scene, near Jesernik was a loaded revolver.

The Will County Sheriff’s Office makes this conclusion in the press release. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, the vast majority of service calls that Deputies have been responding to, involve domestic disputes and crisis intervention calls… you can reach out to Guardian Angel Community Service Groundwork 24 hour domestic violence hotline at 815-729-1228.”

Source : the source