Couple’s Deaths Called Murder-Suicide

The deaths of a Ballard couple have been attributed to a homicide-suicide, the King County medical examiner’s office said Saturday.

The bodies of Joseph Ure, 77, and his wife, Dorothy, 67, were discovered Friday, but an autopsy performed Saturday determined they died Dec. 29, according to a news release from the medical examiner’s office.

Both died of gunshot wounds to the head. The news release did not indicate who fired the shots.

There were no signs of forced entry at the house, police spokeswoman Christie-Lynne Bonner said. The home alarm was set and went off when officers entered the house. A handgun found at the home was confiscated for tests to determine whether it was the weapon used, Bonner said.

A family member had asked police to check on the couple because they had not been heard from for several days.