A married couple in their seventies have been found dead at their seaside home in a suspected murder-suicide.
The bodies of the couple, named locally as Michael and Heather Newton, were found at their large, detached property in Poole on Tuesday morning.
Dorset Police said the force was contacted at 11.35am on New Year’s Eve to reports of an “incident” in Anthony’s Avenue.
Officers attended, alongside ambulance service staff, and the bodies of the pair were found in the house, the force said.
An investigation is under way to establish the circumstances of both deaths.
Det Insp Ian Allen said: “This is a very sad incident and we are doing all we can to support the next of kin.
“Officers are carrying out enquiries to establish exactly what happened and a cordon is in place to allow a thorough investigation of the scene to take place.
“At this time, it is not believed anyone else was involved in the incident and enquiries will continue to find out the full circumstances surrounding the deaths.”
‘Very unsettling’
Det Insp Allen added: “I am appealing to anyone who may have any information to help our investigation to please contact Dorset Police.
“We are trying to establish a timeline of what happened, but are currently considering the period over the Christmas holidays until today.”
The couple, who married in 1989, are not thought to have had children. They had lived at the property since 2006, it is believed.
A police cordon has been erected around the property, where a green Jaguar S-type with a personalised number plate and a silver Honda, also with a personalised plate, were seen parked on the driveway.
An older-style speedboat was also parked outside the property, alongside a police car.
A neighbour said on Wednesday: “Yes it’s Michael and Heather Newton. We knew them as neighbours.”
Another resident said: “This area of Poole is considered quite safe, so to have something like this happen is very unsettling. I didn’t know them personally, but it is very sad, and my thoughts go out to their loved ones.”
Mrs Newton, 70, was a director of Priesthawes Farmhouse, a Sussex-based company that grows cereals, leguminous crops and oil seeds. The firm is run by her brother Christopher.
