Georgia sisters, 70 and 71, die in murder-suicide that occurred in their father’s home

Deborah Hudson and her younger sister Deloris Hooker were found dead

Police are investigating the deaths of two elderly sisters in Georgia on Sunday, September 19. The evidence currently leads authorities to believe it was a murder followed by suicide.

Chatham County Police said in a statement on social media this week that officers arrived at the sisters’ home around 5:30 p.m. local time on Sunday and found the two women dead from “apparent gunshot wounds.”

“Witnesses at the scene said the deceased women were sisters,” the police statement said. “Witnesses said one sister entered the home and shot the other sister before turning the gun on herself.”

The Chatham County Police statement said investigators are currently awaiting the results of an autopsy report on the two sisters and that “the investigation is active and ongoing.”

The local WJCL and the Savannah Morning News reported that the Chatham County Coroner’s Office identified the two women as 71-year-old Deborah Hudson and 70-year-old Deloris Hooker.

Neighbors told local WTOC that the sisters’ 98-year-old father, whom the sisters were caring for at the home, was in the house during the shooting and that there had been “ongoing problems” between the siblings for years.

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WTOC reported that witnesses said Hooker, the younger sister, had recently become homeless and was trying to convince Hudson and her father to allow her to live with them in the house. Neighbors told the outlet that Hooker broke into the home through the back door and shot Hudson in the chest before turning the gun on herself.

PEOPLE has asked a spokesperson for the Chatham County Police Department for an update on the status of the investigation.

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