Elderly couple dies in murder-suicide

By Tim Farley

An elderly Del City couple died Tuesday morning from an apparent murder-suicide, police investigators said.

Detectives did not disclose the manner of death or the person who found the bodies inside the couple’s home at 301 Howard. Police Capt. Jody Suit said a “family member” discovered the bodies and called police around 10:30 a.m.

The family member later was identified as the couple’s son, according to a person close to the investigation. The caller reportedly told a Del City police dispatcher that he found the couple’s heads covered with bags. A call to Del City police dispatch supervisor Marvin Stanford was not returned.

Meanwhile, a phone call to the couple’s home was answered by a man, who hung up when told he was talking to a reporter.

Suit would not release the names of the victims, but an Internet search revealed the residents at 301 Howard are Norbert Dixon, 89, and his wife Lois, 87. They had been married for 65 years, police said.

“Extenuating medical issues” are at the center of the murder-suicide investigation, Suit said. He would not disclose the specific medical condition or which person suffered from it. However, neighbor Lorraine Wester said she was told the husband suffered from Alzheimer’s, a debilitating condition that affects a person’s central nervous system.

“One killed the other over medical issues, and then killed themselves,” Suit said. “There is no reason to believe there was anyone else in the house other than the victims.”

There were no obvious signs of forced entry into the couple’s home, Suit said.

Suit said he could not release additional details of the case until the Oklahoma County medical examiner has performed autopsies on the husband and wife.

The couple was last seen Monday night, and had talked to a family member earlier Tuesday, police said.

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