Man commits suicide, leaves note revealing that he killed his wife and buried her in the backyard

A 75-year-old man committed suicide and left behind a note revealing that he was responsible for the death of his 75-year-old wife and that her body will be found where he buried it in the backyard.

Laurence Caulfield shot himself fatally as police came to his home to question him about the whereabout of his wife, Gail Caulfield.

The search by police had begun after a relative alerted them, expressing concerns over the safety of Gail. Earlier on Tuesday, a female relative received a package in the mail from Laurence, containing a letter in which Laurence said his wife had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, and that he'd been struggling to cope both physically and emotionally. The package also contained the couple's will, life insurance policy, financial information and contact information for their doctors.

Deeply alarmed, the relative called Florida police that same Tuesday so deputies with the Volusia County Sheriff’s department were dispatched to the home right away. When they arrived the couple's home in Deltona, Florida, Laurence informed them that his wife has Alzheimer's and she had gone to Kansas City to be with friends of the family. He said he did not know the contact details when police asked for it but told them his daughter in New Jersey would know. They called her and she said she had no idea her mother was in Kansas City. She later called her father and he informed her that her mother was asleep in their Florida home.

The deputies left but later returned to the Caulfield residence and started banging on the door at about 10:27 p.m. As they did, they heard a gunshot from the back of the house and they rushed to the back only to discover Laurence on the floor with a gunshot wound and a gun by his side. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.  

 In his home, deputies searched and found a note from Laurence Caulfield. In it, he confessed to killing his wife after it was discovered that she had Alzheimer's and buried her in the backyard of their home. A search for Gail's body is now underway at their home.