Police have launched a murder-suicide investigation following the deaths of an elderly couple in a public housing estate in Kwai Chung, in what authorities are describing as a family tragedy.

Officers were called to Chun Kwai House at around 11.32pm on Sunday after a security guard reported finding an 80-year-old man lying on the ground, apparently having fallen from a height.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Upon entering the family’s upper-floor flat, police discovered the body of the man’s 66-year-old wife in the living room.

She had sustained severe head injuries from blunt-force trauma, which investigators believe were caused by a hard object and are being treated as the primary cause of death.

During a search of the unit, officers found that all windows and window grilles were open.

No suicide note was found, but three mobile phones belonging to the couple were recovered.

"In a public rubbish bin in the lift lobby on the same floor, officers discovered two bags of bloodstained clothing and some bloodstained hard objects, such as a 60-centimetre heavy-duty metal frame, two metal rods, and a clothes drying rack, which are believed to be linked to the above case," said Wan Chun-hong, acting assistant district commander (crime) of the Kwai Tsing District.

According to preliminary investigations, the couple had been married for more than 40 years.

The husband was a retiree, while the wife worked as a cleaner.

Although there were no prior reports of domestic disputes, or any known psychiatric history, family members recently revealed that the couple had been considering divorce due to ongoing relationship issues.

The deceased husband had also reportedly expressed suicidal thoughts.

Police will arrange for autopsies on both deceased to clarify the cause of death.



Edited by Tony Sabine