Murder-suicide sees wife kill husband then herself at North Carolina home the day after their 40th wedding anniversary

Published: 23:29, 3 August 2026 | Updated: 23:30, 3 August 2026 A married couple was found dead inside their North Carolina home on Thursday – just one day after they celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. The deaths of Tracey Parker Willetts and Stephen Larnell Willetts are now being investigated as a murder-suicide as the family's bleak history was revealed. The couple was found dead of apparent gunshot wounds in their Wilmington home early Thursday morning after a smartwatch one of them was wearing detected a fall and called 911, WWAY reports. Emergency medical responders could not gain entrance to the home until deputies from the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office barged in through a garage door, according to WECT. The Willetts were pronounced dead at the scene. As part of the investigation into their shocking deaths, deputies said they have obtained evidence suggesting Tracey fatally shot her husband before taking her own life. A motive remains unclear. However, a family member revealed the tragic past the husband and wife have had to endure.  Fuller Royal, who said he was Tracey's second cousin, noted in a Facebook post that the couple lost their son, Zack, in 2013 and their other son, Colby, the following year. Tracey Parker Willetts and Stephen Larnell Willetts were found dead in a suspected murder-suicide Thursday morning Deputies were called to the scene of their Wilmington home after one of their smartwatches detected a fall and the alarm wasn't turned off 'I can't begin to imagine how much that hurt and what they went through,' Royal wrote. 'I pray they are reunited with their boys and that everyone is whole, safe and at peace.'  It was unclear how the sons had died.  Royal also used his post to remember the family, describing Stephen as a 'lifelong friend' who 'helped a lot of people' during his work as an EMT. Others remembered Stephen for his friendly personality, with neighbor Wyatt Heartline saying 'he was always down to have a conversation.' 'I'm a runner and he'd often ask me how my progress is going or walking our dogs and just a brief "hello,"' he recounted to WECT. 'He was consistent and one of the friendliest people I've met around here.  'The neighborhood is thoroughly shocked,' the neighbor added.  Another neighbor, Andy Johnson, said he would regularly see Stephen walking his dog. 'He's retired Army,' he said of the former EMT. 'I was in the Army myself, so we spent a lot of time talking in the afternoons and stuff as he came by.'  Meanwhile, a friend of Tracey's told WWAY that she was someone who always wanted to do the right thing for people in her community – and noted that Wednesday marked the couple's 40th wedding anniversary. Neighbors described Stephen as a friendly man who would always engage in a conversation, while a friend of Tracey's said she always wanted to do the right thing for people in her community The couple lost their son, Zack (pictured top), in 2013 and their other son, Colby (pictured bottom), the following year The couple was also well-known in the Wrightsville Beach paddleboarding community, with Jared Covington, the owner of Wrightsville SUP, saying he had known them for more than a decade. 'We became like family, just sharing a love for being outside on the water, paddleboarding,' Covington said. He remembered the couple as being energetic, outgoing and devoted to one another.