Grandmother, Grandson Found Shot To Death

"LIVERMORE, CA — A grandmother and her grandson are dead in an apparent murder-suicide discovered Thursday evening.

"Officers were called about 7:25 p.m. Family friends visiting the grandmother's home in the 600 block of Canterbury Avenue found the 96-year-old resident dead from a gunshot wound to the head.

"Soon after they found the body of the woman's grandson, also shot in the head. Police said there were no obvious signs of forced entry or intrusion into the white, one-story home, not far from William Mendenhall Middle School.

"Further details were not immediately available, with police only saying the deaths are being treated as suspicious.

"The identities of the deceased have not been released by the Alameda County Coroner's Office.

"Neighbor Carolyn Rauch said the elderly woman, a Tennessee native, had lived at the home for decades. Rauch said the woman had a `marvelous spirit,` and was an avid gardener who was very family oriented.

"`Family really was so important to her,` Rauch said, adding that the elderly victim had very devoted friends who would regularly visit her.

"`I really lost a very good friend,` Rauch said. `For all these years she was always there. She was like a grandmother to my daughter.`

"She called the woman's death, tragic."

Source: Mercury News...