AVON, Ind. — The Hendricks County Sheriff's Office shared new details Sunday about a man and woman who were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide in Avon on Saturday.
The woman was identified as 65-year-old Dianne Cook and the man was identified as 61-year-old Barri Cook. The Cooks had been legally divorced since 2019, but were known to have continued living together in the same home, according to the sheriff's spokesperson, Cpt. Amanda Goings.
The couple was found dead in that home, located in the 10200 block of County Road 100 South, just west of Ronald Reagan Parkway, on Saturday after family members reached out to police to do a welfare check at the home. They explained they were worried because they hadn't been able to get in contact with Dianne, and she hadn't been to work since late December.
A family member, accompanied by deputies, went into the home and they found Dianne and Barry dead.
Investigators believe this was a murder-suicide. In a Sunday update, Cpt. Goings said investigators believe there was some type of fight in the home and Dianne was shot multiple times by Barri, who subsequently died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
This wasn't the first time deputies were called to the home for a welfare check recently. Sometime in the past several weeks, deputies went to the home to check on the residents. It's unclear if deputies went inside the home or spoke with anyone, however, Goings said, "at that time we didn't find anything out of the ordinary."
Investigators are working to confirm if the man and woman's deaths are related to domestic violence. Goings said they are also reviewing 911 call logs to see if officers had previously been called to that address.
Hendricks County detectives and the coroner are continuing to investigate the Cooks' deaths.
The coroner's office is also asking for help contacting Barri's family members or legal next of kin. Anyone with information that might help is asked to call the Hendricks County Coroner’s Office at (317) 718-2910.