Elderly couple had been missing before Las Vegas police found bodies
An elderly couple found dead from self-inflicted gunshot wounds this week had been missing for two days before Las Vegas police found their bodies, records show.
Margaret Distler, 84, and Clarence Distler, 86, were found dead about 7 a.m. Monday near a rear wall bordering the southwest corner of a business complex on the 7300 block of South Pecos Road, near East Warm Springs Road.
Family members reported the Distlers missing the night of May 20 and told officers they had not heard from the elderly couple since earlier that afternoon, Metropolitan Police Department records obtained Friday show.
The family found the Distlers’ home empty with a gun holster lying on the washing machine and called area hospitals looking for the couple with no luck.
Records noted the husband had a pacemaker and a catheter, and the wife had no physical or medical ailments.
A family member found a suicide note in the couple’s home the next day, the report shows.
The couple also left a note in their vehicle, which was recovered near their bodies. Officers recovered two handguns on the scene.
Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0391. Follow @WesJuhl on Twitter.
WARNING SIGNS OF SUICIDE
Signs of suicide can include changes in conversation, behavior and mood, according to the American Association of Suicidology. If a person talks about being a burden to others and feeling trapped; if a person starts acting recklessly or withdrawing from friends, family and activities; if a person starts experiencing rage, anxiety, or a loss of interest — among other factors — reach out to the person or seek help.
For more information, visit www.suicidology.org/resources/warning-signs. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK (8255), provides access to trained telephone counselors, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
