Three people were found dead inside a North Royalton home Tuesday night in what police are investigating as an apparent double murder-suicide, according to the North Royalton Police Department in reporting by WKYC and News 5 Cleveland. Officers were called to the 8900 block of Tiffany Drive at about 7:57 p.m. on Nov. 10 for a report of an unwanted guest.
Police found Emilia Ciortan dead in the home’s dining room and Sorin Ciortan dead upstairs, both with apparent gunshot wounds to the head, WKYC reported, citing the North Royalton Police Department. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office identified both as 71 years old.
Officers withdrew from the home and the Southwest Enforcement Bureau tactical unit was called in, according to police statements reported by WKYC and News 5 Cleveland. Inside the home’s lower level, the tactical team found a third person dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and a firearm present, police said in the WKYC report.
The medical examiner’s office identified the third person as Stefan Pascu, also 71. According to WKYC, police said Pascu was the Ciortans’ former son-in-law and is suspected of killing the couple before dying by suicide. News 5 Cleveland reported that the couple’s daughter called 911 after seeing Pascu’s car in her parents’ driveway.
The North Royalton Detective Bureau is leading the investigation with assistance from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, police said in statements carried by WKYC and News 5 Cleveland. Police said the scene was secured and there is no ongoing threat to public safety.
Police have not publicly released a motive, and the medical examiner’s office has not yet announced final rulings on the cause and manner of the three deaths. Investigators are continuing to examine what happened inside the home before officers arrived.
The deaths stunned a quiet residential neighborhood on the city’s west side, where neighbors gathered outside the tape line Tuesday night as officers and the tactical unit worked at the home, according to television coverage of the police response. City officials have not announced any community briefing, and police have asked residents not to speculate while detectives finish their work.
North Royalton is a Cuyahoga County suburb of about 31,000 people southwest of Cleveland. Anyone with information about the case can contact the North Royalton Police Department. The investigation remains active, and NewsForce247 will update this story as officials release confirmed information.
Photo: Raymond Wambsgans, CC BY-SA 2.0