A senior couple was found dead with gunshot wounds in a suspected murder-suicide in a posh home in La Jolla’s Mount Soledad about 7:30 p.m. on May 16.
The deceased were identified by police early the following day as John Mattiace, 80, and Jilavi Parvaneh, 60, a married woman.
Their bodies were discovered by police responding to the couple’s son’s request for a welfare check on his parents at their $3 million home at 5579 Avenida Fiesta in a cul-de-sac near Pacifica Drive.
Parvaneh, a registered nurse, was the administrator of an assisted living facility for up to six people in her Avenida Fiesta home, which had recently been remodeled and listed for sale or rent.
The police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team was called in to search the home by police after Parvaneh’s body was found by police, who feared a possible murder suspect might still be present on the premises, said homicide Lt. Todd Griffin.
Nearby neighbors were evacuated by police investigators, who were trying to figure out who may have shot whom. Police described Parvaneh, who was found on a couch on the first floor, as “obviously dead.”
Mattiace was found dead from gunshot wounds on a different floor in the home by the SWAT team shortly after midnight.
A gun was recovered at the crime scene.
“We are viewing this as possibly a murder-suicide,” Griffin said adding, “We are not actively looking for a suspect right now.”
The lieutenant said the motive for the shooting has yet to be determined.