A Spokane Valley couple in their 70s have been found dead in their home of apparent gunshot wounds and a Spokane County sheriff's spokesman says authorities think it is likely a murder-suicide.

Sgt. Dave Reagan says the couple's daughter called 911 on Friday afternoon after finding her mother dead in bed and her 71-year-old father dead in a chair with a pistol in his lap.

Reagan says the older woman was suffering from Alzheimer's disease and had recently been released from a hospital into hospice care at home. The spokesman says the man had been providing round-the-clock care for his wife.

No note was found but Reagan says the man had set out the couple's financial records.

The man and woman were not immediately identified.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.