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2 Detroit police officers found dead inside Livonia townhome

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Posted at 4:30 PM, Feb 19, 2023
and last updated 2023-02-20 14:46:46-05

LIVONIA, Mich. (WXYZ) — Livonia Police are investigating the death of two DPD officers found dead of apparent gunshot wounds Sunday at the Belle Creek Square townhomes in the 16000 block of Farmington Road in Livonia. Police tell us the scene indicates a murder-suicide.

According to police, the bodies of a 22-year-old woman and a 26-year-old man were found in a Farmington Road residence. On Monday, Livonia police identified the woman as DPD Officer Maria Martin and the man as DPD officer Matthew Ethington II.

Officials say Martin was shot multiple times, while Ethington sustained a single gunshot wound that appears to have been self-inflicted.

Police say an infant was also found unharmed inside the residence. That infant was turned over to a family member.

The bodies were discovered around 12:30 p.m. Sunday after officers were called in for a wellness check. The murder-suicide is believed to have stemmed from a domestic dispute.

Detroit Police Chief James White confirmed that the pair were both officers with DPD for less than 5 years.

“Senseless tragedy. We're going to find out exactly what happened as the investigation unfolds. Learn from it. Use what we learn to help some of our officers heal from this as well as prevent a tragedy like this going forward. We just don’t know what lead to this," Chief White said.

Right now it is not confirmed who was the aggressor in this situation and the infant's relation to the pair is still unknown. Police are currently working to uncover how long the pair was deceased and how long the baby was unattended.

This is a developing news story and will be updated as more information comes in.