Couple Had No Kids, No Pets

"Havertown, PA - A disturbing letter was waiting in the printer of the Herr Drive Line auto-parts store in Havertown when an employee opened the doors yesterday morning.

"The computer-generated letter was printed in the apartment above the store, where the owner, Derrick Maylock, 66, and his wife, Suzy, 63, lived.

"Derrick Maylock tried to explain in his note, police said, why he had shot his wife and then himself to death in the building on Edgewood Road near Brookline Boulevard where small, plastic crucifixes hung over every doorway.

"The letter said that the business had fallen on hard times and that the couple had fallen into bad health, according to Haverford Township police, who have jurisdiction over Havertown.

"`He didn't want them to be a burden on their family,` Haverford Township Deputy Police Chief John F. Viola said of the note's contents.

"Last night, police were still attempting to contact the couple's next of kin, who are believed to be siblings living out of state. The couple had no children and no pets, authorities said.

"Police were called to the scene about 9:25 a.m. yesterday by the employee who discovered the letter, Viola said.

"Responding officers found the Maylocks dead in their bed.

"Police said that Suzy Maylock had been shot once and that Derrick Maylock had a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound.

"Herr Drive Line, which according to a small placard in the front window has been open since 1985, is next to the Pig and Whistle Deli on a residential street.

"Yesterday, the blinds at the business were closed, but by the thick layers of dust upon them, they appeared to have been pulled down for some time.

"`It's one of those places that's always been there but you've never really noticed,` Viola said."

From Philly.com...