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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Murder-suicide suspected in deaths of Spokane Valley couple

The Spokane Valley couple reported missing after their Spokane Valley home was damaged in an arson fire Thursday both died of gunshot wounds to the head. The couple was found Friday in their white Kia on Wild Sky Road about 10 miles southeast of Tensed in Benewah County, Idaho, according to Benewah County coroner Ron Hodge. Sandra E. Tiffany, 68, had a single gunshot wound to the back of her head, Hodge said. John R. Tiffany, 76, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the front of his head. John Tiffany was a dentist in downtown Spokane for many years. Spokane Valley Fire Department investigators believe John Tiffany may have set the blaze in his home on Bettman Road. He was captured on surveillance video buying cans of gas at a gas station only hours before the fire. Several gas cans were found inside the home. The couple could not be located immediately after the fire and their son reported them missing, launching the search that found them at a private family cemetery in Idaho.