The Tucson Police Department is investigating an apparent murder/suicide that occurred in Midtown Tucson.
On February 8, 2018, just after 6:00 p.m., Tucson Police officers responded to a residence in the 2700 block of East Copper Street for a “Check Welfare” call. Upon arrival, officers spoke with the property owner who made the 911 call. The owner explained that she rents the residence to an older married couple and received a letter from one of the tenants.
The letter instructed the owner to call the police to recover their bodies from inside of the home. Officers entered the unlocked residence and located a deceased male and female in one of the bedrooms. Both had obvious signs of gunshot trauma.
The deceased male was identified as 85-year-old Bill Drake. The deceased female was identified as 71-year-old Margaret Hoyt.
Detectives with the Tucson Police Homicide Unit responded to continue the investigation. Several notes that appear to be authored by Mrs. Hoyt were located in the residence. The notes explained that Mr. Drake was suffering from serious medical conditions and detailed what to do with their property and pets. Based on the initial investigation, it is unclear as to when the shootings actually occurred, but it appears Mrs. Hoyt shot her husband and then took her own life. There were no signs of foul play.