Two elderly bodies have been found dead in Washington state after they committed suicide because of their apparent inability to pay for treatment, officials said on Monday.
Police found the 77-year-old husband and his 76-year-old wife dead in her apartment, along with high-cost medical bills, CNN reported.
The office of the Mayor of Whatcom County in Washington State said in a Facebook post that the man called 911 on Wednesday morning, saying he planned to commit suicide.
Police rushed home in the Ferndale area, a town about 100 miles north of Seattle near the Canadian border, and their men tried to call the couple by telephone and loudspeaker for about an hour, but without a response.
The authorities are investigating the case as a suicide. The office of the mayor of the province in a statement: "Several observations were found to indicate the existence of severe medical problems and persistent with the wife."
In the remarks, the statement said, "the wife expresses her concern that the couple did not have sufficient resources to pay for medical care."
Police did not release the couple´s names. She simply moved two dogs to a local compound. Several firearms were also found in the house.
The mayor of the region described the incident as "tragic," saying in a statement that "it is regrettable that one of our elderly finds himself in such desperate circumstances."
