INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A 59-year-old man is in custody after deputies said he slashed his wife several times with a knife-like object inside their home, ultimately killing her.
The motive behind the slaying was not immediately clear. The names of the husband and wife were not released Friday.
“Before the sun comes up, there will be an arrest in this case. There is no danger to the neighborhood,” Indian River County sheriff’s spokesman Maj. Eric Flowers said. “We see domestic violence homicides all too often. This is another tragic situation in a home between a husband and wife.”
The homicide happened about 8 p.m. Friday in the 700 block of 41st Avenue, Flowers said. Flowers said the unidentified man called 911 and told dispatchers his 69-year-old wife was dead.
There was a time delay between the homicide and when the man called 911, but it was not clear how long, according to Flowers.
“After several questions, we learned he had stabbed her,” Flowers said. Several unidentified people standing near the home where the crime took place could be seen sobbing and consoling each other.
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The woman was awake and it appeared there had been a struggle during the stabbing, Flowers said. There was no one else at the home when the incident occurred.
Deputies were still working to recover the weapon, Flowers said. Details on if deputies had been called to the home before for reports of domestic violence were not immediately available.
Flowers said the man was being questioned at the sheriff’s office and is cooperating. The medical examiner’s office was headed to the scene late Friday.
Flowers said the state attorney’s office will work with deputies to investigate the homicide.
Flowers said deputies continue to work with Safe Space, a nonprofit organization, to educate people on how to prevent domestic violence. Safe Space, the only domestic violence shelter on the Treasure Coast, works in partnership with all sheriff’s offices on the Treasure Coast as an outreach program and shelter.
This story will be updated.