Naantali cottage discovery: man shot wife and himself in May
Police found the couple's bodies in a bed at a cottage in Rymättylä, Naantali. Concerned relatives arrived at the scene before authorities.
Relatives found couple at cottage – phones went silent at 17:26
According to Ilta-Sanomat, a homicide that occurred in Naantali in May began to come to light when relatives and the employer of the couple were unable to make contact.
Based on police investigation, a 54-year-old man shot his 57-year-old wife and then himself on 25 May at a cottage in Rymättylä, Naantali. The possibility of a third-party killer has been ruled out.
Couple travelled to cottage on day preceding murder
The couple arrived at the Naantali cottage on Sunday evening, 24 May, at approximately 21:00. The following morning, the husband told his wife he was going to work – however, according to geolocation data, he drove to the couple's second cottage rather than to work.
Police documents do not indicate why the man visited the other cottage or whether he retrieved the murder weapon from there. The man had previously reported a shotgun used in the crime as missing in 2006.
In the afternoon, the wife sent the man a message asking what time he would arrive. The man replied at 14:28 that he had left for the cottage – at that time his phone was located in Aura. Both phones stopped functioning at 17:26.
Relatives arrived before police
When the man did not turn up at work on Monday or Tuesday and did not answer his phone, the man's employer contacted the emergency services. Police informed the man's relatives of the matter.
The relatives drove to the cottage and arrived before police. The cottage windows had curtains drawn and the door was locked. Upon gaining entry, police found the bodies in a bed.
Financial difficulties and marriage spanning over a decade
The investigation also revealed that the couple had experienced financial difficulties. Ilta-Sanomat previously reported that over the last ten years the man had been a defendant in dozens of debt cases in district court.
The couple lived together in Turku and, based on social media, had been married for over ten years. Both shared an interest in nature: the murdered woman was an active nature photographer, whilst the man had fishing as a hobby.
Source: Ilta-Sanomat