Retired cop tells 911 dispatcher he gave wife of 54 years a ‘merciful ending,’ call shows
.jpeg "Man tells 911 dispatcher he gave his wife a “merciful ending” before taking his life in Michigan.")
A retired cop in Michigan called dispatchers to report he gave his wife a “merciful ending” to her Alzheimer’s disease before taking his own life, a 911 call shows.
On Sept. 28, William Kitzmiller called 911 dispatchers in Ottawa County, according to audio of the call obtained by McClatchy News through a Freedom of Information Act request.
On the 911 recording, the dispatcher asks Kitzmiller the reason for his call.
“I’ve given my wife a merciful ending from her Alzheimer’s Disease and I am going to follow her now in death,” he is heard saying, adding that the front door of the house is unlocked.
The dispatcher asks what happened, but Kitzmiller doesn’t respond. A gunshot is then heard.
William Kitzmiller and his wife, Donna Kitzmiller, were later found dead in what officials determined to be a murder-suicide, according to MLive.
“You can’t take a call like that and not be impacted,” Peter McWatters, executive director of Ottawa County Central Dispatch Authority, told MLive.
The couple, married for 54 years, were “true life partners,” an obituary for the two said.
Donna Kitzmiller was an elementary school teacher for 30 years before retiring. William Kitzmiller was a U.S. Army veteran and a retired sergeant from the Grand Haven City Police Department, the obituary said.
Alzheimer’s is a “progressive disease” that worsens overtime, often causing people to “lose the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to their environment,” according to the Alzheimer’s Association. The average person with Alzheimer’s lives 4 to 8 years after diagnosis.
Murder-suicide
Up to 600 murder-suicides happen each year, according to the FBI. They account for about 1,000 deaths a year.
“Although uncommon, such incidents vary widely in terms of the persons involved, how they are related, and where the crimes take place,” the FBI reported. “Usually, law enforcement personnel deal with murder-suicides involving two people in domestic settings or relationships.”
About 65% of murder-suicides involve intimate partners, officials said, and 81% happen in the home.
This story was originally published October 24, 2024 at 8:13 AM with the headline "Retired cop tells 911 dispatcher he gave wife of 54 years a ‘merciful ending,’ call shows."
