Police puzzled by apparent murder-suicide among Mill Valley neighbors

MILL VALLEY, Calif. -- The bodies of two men were found in adjacent backyards of homes in Marin County's Strawberry Manor neighborhood on Wednesday evening. Marin County sheriff deputies are puzzled by what appears to be an apparent murder-suicide.

Deputies responded around 7:30 p.m. to a call of a man down in the backyard of a home at 154 Carlotta Circle. They arrived and found a 61-year-old man dead of a gunshot wound in the backyard, Marin County Sheriff Lt. Doug Pittman said.

While checking other homes in the neighborhood, deputies discovered the house next door at 152 Carlotta Circle had an open rear door and they found a second man dead in the backyard of that home. Neighbors said that man was in his late 30's or early 40's. They believe he was the son of the couple who own the house and are currently out of town.

"We really don't know the relationships between the deceased at this point. That is something we're working on at this point," said Lt.Pittman.

Investigators believe the deaths are related, but did not have any information about a possible suspect.

The sheriff's department requested warrants to search both homes late this afternoon. Investigators then combed through a white car parked at the curb but they walked away without removing a thing.

For the landscaping crew working nearby, the two deaths comes as a surprise, especially considering many in the neighborhood only heard one gun shot.

"I heard a gun shot around one o'clock, all I heard was one," said landscaper Ian Jensen.

"First there was the really loud one, then after two, three, four, five minutes there was a second one, but the second one wasn't as loud so I don't know if it was a gun shot or not," said landscaper Carlos Martinez.

Officials remain confident no one else on this street has cause for concern.

"We have not identified any reason whatsoever that there should be any fear or worry by the people in this area," said Lt.Pittman.

The names of the two victims are not yet being released.