***Update, 3 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019***
Vermont State Police The investigation is continuing today into the deaths of two people whose bodies were found Monday at a home on Upper Notch Road in Bristol. The Vermont State Police Crime Scene Search Team has processed the scene, while detectives with the Major Crime Unit and Bureau of Criminal Investigations, along with members of the Field Force Division, work to determine what occurred.
The deceased are identified as Gary Guilmette, age 71, and Candice Guilmette, age 70. Relatives of the couple who live out of state had not heard from them since the evening of Saturday, Nov. 30, and asked a neighbor on Monday to check on the residence. The neighbor discovered the bodies of the Guilmettes and called police.
Autopsies were conducted today at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington. The cause of death for Candice Guilmette has been determined to be rifle wound to the neck, and the manner of death is homicide. The cause of death for Gary Guilmette is rifle wound to the head, and manner of death is suicide.
Initial investigation by the Vermont State Police indicates that Gary Guilmette shot his wife, and then turned the gun on himself. The motive behind the incident remains under investigation. However, investigators have learned that Gary Guilmette suffered a medical event in early 2019 that may have altered his mental status. Detectives are working to determine if that played a role in what occurred.
The state police asks that any member of the public who saw or spoke to Candice or Gary Guilmette since Saturday night contact the New Haven Barracks at 802-388-4919.
More information will be released as it become available.
***Initial news release, 10 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2, 2019***
The Vermont State Police are investigating the deaths of two people at a home on Upper Notch Road in the town of Bristol.
Police were notified at about 4:20 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2, 2019, that a neighbor had discovered the bodies of two residents of the home.
Preliminary investigation indicates there is no threat to public safety. The investigation will be active and ongoing for the foreseeable future.
The Vermont State Police has dispatched detectives with the Major Crime Unit and Bureau of Criminal Investigations, and members of the Crime Scene Search Team and Field Force Division to participate in the investigation.
Names of the deceased are being withheld pending notification of next of kin and autopsies at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington to confirm identities and determine cause and manner of death.
The investigation into this incident is in its earliest stages, and no further information is available. Vermont State Police investigators ask that members of the public who might have any information about what occurred to contact the New Haven Barracks at 802-388-4919.
More information will be released as the investigation continues.
STATE OF VERMONT
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
VERMONT STATE POLICE
CASE#: 19B503403
RANK/TROOPER FULL NAME: Lt. John-Paul Schmidt
STATION: New Haven Barracks
CONTACT#: 802-388-4919
DATE/TIME: 4:20 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2, 2019.
INCIDENT LOCATION: 2188 Upper Notch Road, Bristol, Vermont
INCIDENT TYPE: Homicide-suicide
VICTIMS: Candice Guilmette, 70, and Gary Guilmette, 71
CITY, STATE OF RESIDENCE: Bristol, Vermont