UPDATE 10/29/18 @ 5:53 p.m.

A woman who dispatched police to countless shootings over the years was the cause of one. Authorities blame high medical bills, health issues and depression for causing Mandy Sue Dutton to killed her beloved husband Walter Dutton and turn the gun on herself.

The Dutton house was all quiet Monday on Tomahawk Road in Martin County. It was also the day of their memorial service.

About 48 hours earlier, it was the scene of heartbreak -- a murder-suicide of the couple inside, Walter, 78, and Mandy Sue, 74.

"Devastated. Devastated. You just wonder what happened," said Sheriff John Kirk.

Kirk remembers Walter as a good man with a ready smile. He remembers Sue not as the shooter but the best dispatcher he ever worked with.

"When she sent you on a call, you weren't blindsided,” he said. “You knew where you were going and every detail, a wonderful person."

She even needed a phone line installed to answer 911 off-hours when she started back in 1980.

"She would always answer on the first ring."

But it appears like she wasn't willing to seek a lifeline herself.

Samantha Preece, a licensed counselor with Mountain Comprehensive Care Center, said there is help out there for those who feel hopeless.

"It's really sad,” she said. “I hate that people feel that they don't have a way out."

She can connect people not just to therapy but help solve various problems like how to pay for medication or how to get transportation to appointments.

"Yes, there is hope out there. There is people out there that want to help. That's why a lot of us go into this job is we want to be there for people."

Among the warning signs: a big mood change, not just from happy to sad, but even if it's from sad to calm, getting their affairs in order, giving away prized possessions, neglecting hygiene and any talk of suicide.

The situation breaks her heart, knowing that instead of being a financial burden, the incident is going to be an emotional burden for the loved ones left behind.

"I just hope that people can learn from this, realize there is help out there,” Preece said.

She has some advice if you believe your loved one could be thinking of suicide.

Do tell them you are here for them. Do encourage them to get help. Don't argue with them. Don't seem shocked or astonished. Both can cause them to shut down. Finally, don't ever promise not to tell someone else.

If you believe someone is about to immediately take their own life, call 911.

For more information about suicide prevention, you can go to helpguide.org or call one of the various hotlines out there including the Mental Health Crisis Line at 1-800-422-1060.

ORIGINAL STORY 10/27/18

A community in Martin County is mourning after an elderly couple was found shot and killed.

The Martin County Sheriff's Office says that Walter Dutton was shot and killed by his wife, Mandy Sue Dutton early Saturday morning in their home in the 8000 block of Tomahawk Road, and that Mandy later turned the gun on herself.

Investigators say the Duttons were depressed while dealing with health issues and medical bills.

Mandy worked as a dispatcher for many years in Martin County.

The Martin County Sheriff says Walter and Mandy were both good people and that they didn't want to burden their family with piling medical bills.

There will be a memorial service for both of them on Monday at Crum Funeral Home from 11:00 A.M. until 1:00 P.M.