Authorities have deemed the shooting deaths of Calhoun County Sheriff's deputy Mark Elferdink and his wife Hope Elferdink as a murder-suicide.

The bodies of the two were found in the backyard of their Emmett Township home Sunday morning. Their 12-year-old son called 911 after discovering the bodies shortly before 8 a.m. on Sunday.

During a press conference Monday, investigators said that Deputy Elferdink shot his wife before killing himself.

The Elferdinks were going through a divorce, but still lived in the same home.  Calhoun County Sheriff Matt Saxton said that Hope had a new “romantic interest” who has been interviewed and is not considered to be a suspect.

Investigators say that neighbors heard gunshots around 1 a.m. on Sunday, but initially mistook the sounds of the shots for fireworks.

The couple had a 13-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old son who were hosting a sleepover at the time of the shooting.

Elferdink was an 18-year veteran of the Calhoun County Sheriff's Department, and was not on duty at the time.

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