Couple dead in apparent murder-suicide; 5 children lived with them, officials said

A Pontiac girl and her longtime boyfriend had been discovered lifeless at separate places Thursday in what investigators consider is a murder-suicide.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Workplace recognized the homicide sufferer as Latrece Shanna Harper, 33. Her stepdaughter discovered her physique at her Pontiac house on South Marshall Road round 7:30 a.m. Thursday, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned. Harper suffered a single gunshot wound to the pinnacle, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned.

About quarter-hour later, Bloomfield Township police had been referred to as to Sq. Lake Highway close to Telegraph Highway, the place Harper’s boyfriend, Clifford Torrell Noel Jr., 41, was discovered behind the wheel of a automobile from a self-inflicted shot from an AR-15-style rifle, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned. He was transported to an space hospital, the place he was pronounced lifeless.

Harper and Noel had been courting for a couple of decade, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned, and it’s believed the shootings stemmed from an argument between them.

“It breaks my coronary heart when relationships flip violent,” Sheriff Mike Bouchard mentioned in a information launch. “If you’re experiencing abuse, search assist. There are folks and teams prepared that can assist you get to security.”

The couple had 5 youngsters between the ages of 4 and 15 dwelling with them. They had been discovered unhurt at a motel in Rochester Hills, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned. Baby Safety has since organized a placement for them.